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Falling Buildings / Ogden Wal-Mart site is going on clearance
By Scott SchwebkeOGDEN -- More than 50 structures are slated for demolition starting this month, enabling construction of a Wal-Mart Supercenter at the northwest corner of 20th Street and Wall Avenue, city officials say.
It should take about three months to tear down the structures, said Richard McConkie, the city's deputy director of community and economic development.
Construction of the 143,000-square-foot Wal-Mart Supercenter should begin in April, and the store is expected to open in early 2010, McConkie said.
"We would have liked to see it open for the (2009) Christmas season, but that's not going to happen," he said.
In October, Gadi Leshem, a California developer, sold about 14 acres to Wal-Mart for the store.
The store will sell general merchandise and groceries, and its architecture is expected to complement nearby historic buildings in downtown Ogden.
It will also feature extensive landscaping, provide parking for 840 vehicles and incorporate green technologies such as skylights, state-of-the-art lighting, as well as high-efficiency heating, ventilation and air-conditioning.
Leshem, who could not be reached for comment, also is proposing a pedestrian-friendly development along the banks of the Ogden River to complement the Wal-Mart Supercenter.
The development, dubbed Riverwalk, would feature shops, restaurants and other establishments and would be undertaken by Leshem and several partners, Leshem spokesman Alex Auerbach said.
Riverwalk would be west of Wall Avenue and east of Gibson Avenue, adjacent to the Wal-Mart Supercenter, said Greg Montgomery, the city's planning manager.
The Ogden Planning Commission hasn't received site plans for Riverwalk, and it's unknown when construction of the development would begin, he said.
Leshem is awaiting state and federal permits to clean up a polluted two-mile section of the Ogden River that flows through the city before starting work on the Riverwalk development, Auerbach said.
Riverwalk would be separate from the Ogden Shores development -- which would include townhomes, apartments, lofts, shops and restaurants -- that Leshem plans to build as part of the Ogden River Project.
A time frame for starting and finishing Ogden Shores hasn't been determined, McConkie said.
(Updated January 12, 2009, 11:19 p.m.)
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OGDEN -- More than 50 structures are slated for demolition starting this month enabling construction of a Walmart Supercenter store at the northwest corner of 20th Street and Wall Avenue, city officials say.
It should take about three months to tear down the structures, said Richard McConkie, the city's deputy director of community and economic development.
Construction for the 143,000-square-foot Walmart Supercenter should begin in April and the store is expected to open in early 2010, McConkie said.
"We would have liked to see it open for the (2009) Christmas season, but that's not going to happen," he said.
In October, Gadi Leshem, a California developer, sold about 14 acres to Walmart for the store.
The store will sell general merchandise and groceries and its architecture is expected to complement nearby historic buildings in downtown Ogden.
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