Sugarhouse - Slover

For our final walkabout we went to Sugarhouse to investigate the background and problems of the big empty lot that's been there for a few years now. Here's the skinny: There used to be a bunch of old buildings there where local businesses set up shop--the Blue Boutique, Sugarhouse Coffee, and a smoke shop, to name a few. But they all got taken down at the behest of the landowner, one Craig Mecham. His reasons for doing this are unclear. All we know is that he wants to put in a new shopping complex, and it's likely that only big corporate stores like the Gap will be able to pay the rent, so it won't be local anymore. However, when the economy tanked, so did Mecham's plans. No more money for construction. So the lot's just been sitting there. Lots of the locals are pretty mad about it, especially the business owners. They think Sugarhouse should stay local, and they don't want big stores crowding them out. Mecham claims that the old buildings were unsafe and HAD to be taken down, but there's some speculation that he didn't approve of the stores that conducted business there, and that he was trying to force them out (he raised the rent on lots of them) for moral reasons, but also because he thought he could make more money with something more mainstream. Whatever the truth is, one thing is clear: Sugarhouse is seeing less pedestrian traffic than only two years go, and business is slower for everyone. The area's in trouble.