Project in Holladay is moving forward

HOLLADAY — A redevelopment project under way for years is finally taking shape in this east-side municipality.

The tangled intersection at Murray-Holladay Road, 2300 East and Holladay Boulevard has been destroyed. Dozens of workers are replacing the five-way stop with two four-way traffic lights and a walking plaza that city manager Randy Fitts said will be a gathering place for the whole community.

The area is also getting new curb, gutter and sidewalks to transform Holladay's central commercial district into a walkable hotspot. Until now, the neighborhood encompassing Holladay City Hall completely lacked sidewalks.

"When it's all done, it will be nice," said Bill Leslie, who owns a bakery inside the project.

Leslie's French Pastry was displaced by the construction but moved into a new space this spring.

"It's the biggest thing that's happened to Holladay, ever," Leslie said.

He expects that shops in the neighborhood, including a bread bakery and an ice cream store, will feed off one another when the plaza is finished.

"It will be positive," Leslie said. "It's awful right now, but it'll get better."

The project hit a milestone in early August when one of its major roads was diverted to the new signals. About 95 percent of major construction on the streets is expected to be done by early November, Fitts said.

"It's nice to finally see something being done," he shouted over the noise of tractors and hydraulic lifts just behind him.

Reconstruction at the nexus of Holladay's major streets is being funded by federal dollars and regional planning cash. Holladay has thrown in about 20 percent of the $10 million price tag.

The funding has been in place since 2006, but the city was held up by the discovery of contaminated soil, disagreements with utilities over the burial of power lines and numerous property disputes. Now, Holladay Village is one of few projects in the valley giving construction companies work.

Final plans for commercial space and residential units in the project have not yet been cemented, but project developer Cowboy Ventures plans to make a presentation to the city later this month.

Fitts said the city is taking a hands-off approach, letting homegrown businesses thrive and letting the free market decide which kinds of shops will surround the project.

e-mail: rpalmer@desnews.com