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OGDEN — Officials have approved the reconstruction of the partially built, five-story building on Historic 25th Street in Ogden that was demolished earlier this year because of structural defects and faulty materials.
Dirt is moving at the vacant lot at 144 25th Street, in the heart of the city's high-profile retail and dining zone. A city official says the developer, Summa Terra Ventures, of Springville, received the building permit in late September, from city administrators, allowing work to commence. "Now they're back to a situation where they're ready to go vertical again," said Mike McBride, a spokesman for Ogden Mayor Ben Nadolski.
McBride doesn't know the specifics of Summa Terra Ventures' plans, including a timeline for the work, and a company representative didn't respond to queries seeking comment. However, the business already had all the needed approvals from the Ogden City Council and city planners to move forward. Presuming the specs outlined in the site plan are followed, McBride said, "It's a safe and good building."
Work on the Union Walk apartment building started in late 2021 but came to a halt in March 2023 on orders of Ogden officials after they determined that some of the lumber used in the structure wasn't sufficiently fire-resistant. Then in October 2023, city officials deemed the building dangerous stemming from other "structural deficiencies," prompting an order to come up with a fix to remedy the problems or raze the building.
Summa Terra Ventures officials, who faulted the original contractor, Makers Line, for the problems, opted to tear the building down, and by early last March, the site had been cleared. All along, the plan was to rebuild, according to Ogden officials, and now the preliminary work at the site has started, with a new contractor, according to McBride.
The plans approved by city officials call for a brick facade building containing 55 units. At five stories, it would tower over the buildings around it, which are mainly two-level structures — prompting grumbling from some.
In the description of the site on its website, Summa Terra Ventures touts the central location of the planned building near the retail and dining amenities of Historic 25th Street, the Lindquist Field baseball park, Union Station and the FrontRunner station. "You can't get a better location than this one!" the material reads.
Indeed, the core area of Ogden is the focus of ongoing and planned redevelopment initiatives meant to bolster the number of people living in the area and boost its commercial prospects. Nearly a square block area in the zone, dubbed WonderBlock, is being redeveloped into apartments, offices and commercial space while officials hope to overhaul Union Station and the area around it in the years to come.
Summa Terra Ventures filed a lawsuit in Ogden's 2nd District Court against Makers Line over the alleged construction defects, seeking at least $9.7 million in damages. That case continues to wind its way through court.
Summa Terra Ventures also ran into problems with the construction of an apartment building at 395 W. 12th St. in Ogden but came up with a plan to remedy the issues. Work on the structure continues.
