Riverdale homes at landslide site face demolition, lawsuit winds on
Joe Francis, right, and Jeff Richards of Grant Mackay Demolition Company take down the homes above the Riverdale landslide on Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2019.
Joe Francis of Grant Mackay Demolition Company sprays water on debris as the homes above the Riverdale landslide are demolished on Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2019.
Joe Francis, left, and Jeff Richards of Grant Mackay Demolition Company take down the homes above the Riverdale landslide on Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2019.
A view from below the Riverdale landslide on Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2019, as homes above are demolished.
Joe Francis and Jeff Richards of Grant Mackay Demolition Company take down the homes above the Riverdale landslide on Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2019.
Joe Francis, right, and Jeff Richards of Grant Mackay Demolition Company take down the homes above the Riverdale landslide on Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2019.
Joe Francis, left, and Jeff Richards of Grant Mackay Demolition Company take down the homes above the Riverdale landslide on Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2019.
Joe Francis, right, and Jeff Richards of Grant Mackay Demolition Company take down the homes above the Riverdale landslide on Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2019.
Jeff Richards of Grant Mackay Demolition Company takes down the homes above the Riverdale landslide on Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2019.
Joe Francis, left, and Jeff Richards of Grant Mackay Demolition Company take down the homes above the Riverdale landslide on Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2019.
RIVERDALE — Three of the four homes threatened by the Riverdale landslide are being demolished, with much of the work already complete.
The credit union that had held the loans on two of the homes initiated demolition efforts in cooperation with the homeowners, according to Louis Donovan, one of the property owners. Both he and Rodger Worthen, the Riverdale city manager, suspect concerns about liability had the homes tumbled down the eroding bluff where they sit spurred the action.
“I think it’s probably not the ideal situation,” Donovan said. But demolition was a necessary step, he continued, “so we don’t have an environmental catastrophe on our hands.”
Ben Erickson, a geologist with the Utah Geological Survey who’s monitored the landslide since it came to light in late 2017, said his office had favored such action due to safety concerns. If the homes had fallen down the ridge behind them, that would have created more problems.
Whatever the case, the lawsuit filed late last year by Donovan and three other landowners impacted by the landslide is still winding its way through 2nd District Court in Ogden. The property owners blame leaky water systems managed by the cities of Riverdale and Washington Terrace for the landslide, which forced evacuation of the four homes as the bluff behind the structures gradually collapsed, edging perilously close to them. Worthen, meantime, says natural springs at the base of the bluff are at fault, not anything the cities did.
The landslide threatened four homes at 4839, 4851, 4865 and 4887 S. 600 West in Riverdale, ultimately leading to the evacuation order and installation of a chainlink fence around the structures as a safety precaution. The city granted permits allowing demolition in late October, according to Worthen. As of Tuesday morning, the homes at 4839, 4851 and 4865 S. 600 West were largely gone, with only debris and some concrete remaining. Joe Francis with Grant Mackay Demolition in Davis County, the firm handling the project, said the work would likely be done by week’s end.
Still intact was the home at 4887 S. 600 West, which wasn’t included in the demolition effort.
Donovan said the entity backing the loan on his home, Fannie Mae, forgave the loan on the house, located at 4839 S. 600 West, precipitating demolition plans. America First Federal Credit Union, which had been processing the loan, subsequently approached the city for a demolition permit to remove the Donovan home and the house at 4865 S. 600 West, according to Worthen. Worthen said the city then approached the family of Joan Reeder, owner of the home at 4851 S. 600 West, to see if they would permit demolition of that home as well.
The Reeder family approved, and Worthen said Grant Mackay agreed to demolish that home as well at no extra charge. Donovan said Fannie Mae covered the cost of demolishing the other two homes.
As the lawsuit simmers, what comes next remains unclear.
The erosion has slowed down since late 2017, when it was most pronounced, according to Worthen and Erickson. Even so, Worthen said the fencing around the landslide area will remain as a precaution to prevent the curious from approaching. Beyond that, he’s not sure what will happen.
The land in question is in private hands, not the city’s, Worthen said. “They’re responsible for it.”
Though the loan on his home was forgiven, Donovan said, he had a lot of equity built up in the property, and recuperating that is behind the continuing lawsuit. The plaintiffs in the suit are Donovan, the owners of the homes at 4865 and 4887 S. 600 West and the owner of land below the bluff that has been inundated with material that has eroded. The Reeder family is not involved in the suit.
Grant Mackay is using an excavator with extra-long reach on part of the demolition project to keep the equipment away from the edge of the bluff behind the homes being removed.
