Supporters, developer clash over future of Redwood Drive-in at planning commission meeting

WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah (KUTV) — The fate of the Redwood Drive-In is still up in the air after a West Valley City Planning Commission meeting voted to table the discussion until June 26.

Developer Edge Homes is seeking a rezone of the property to build housing units there. Their proposal was presented to the West Valley City Planning Commission on Wednesday.

Dozens of swap meet vendors and others went to the meeting to plead with the planning commission to not recommend rezoning to the city council.

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People lined up to say why they opposed the proposal to rezone the Redwood Drive-in.

"Please help us save our community and don't rezone please. Please," one woman said.

Before the presentation, a letter from the property owner was read that gave the reasons they're looking to sell.

"The Redwood is being sold because the business no longer yields an acceptable return based on the value of the land," a city employee read.

Edge Homes has been the target of a lot of animosity, and that continued at the meeting. Many people brought up the company's checkered past.

The CEO of Edge, Scott Maddox, said they're aware of the opposition to the rezoning.

"I have read every email, I have read every text that has been sent to me, and I understand that economy that we're facing tonight, which is that there is a civic event on private property," he said.

The commission decided to table the discussion until the next meeting on June 26.

After hours of listening to people oppose the project, KUTV caught up with Maddox after the meeting. We asked him what it meant to see so many people speak out against the project.

"A lot. The community matters,” he said. “This is what we do. We're homebuilders and we're part of communities, and so to displace so many people, I think it becomes the responsibility of the city to look for other locations that can become an iconic feature of the city.”

Maddox said the right decision was made. He said the city should look for any potential new locations, and it gives them time to think and refocus.

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