West Valley City approved the controversial rezoning of the Redwood Drive-In Theatre and Swap Meet at a city council meeting Tuesday night.
The location has been a community hub with local vendors for over 70 years, but over the summer, EDGEHomes filed a petition to rezone the land for housing. The development would add over 300 condos, townhomes, and single-family homes.
The request has faced continued backlash from the community, who claimed the apartments wouldn’t be affordable for the community and that losing the swap meet would negatively impact hundreds of vendors’ livelihoods. A petition to save the swap meet has gotten more than 22,000 signatures.
The West Valley City Planning Commission approved the rezoning request in June, leaving the city to vote on it at Tuesday’s council meeting.
Of 40 public comments allowed at the meeting, 39 were opposed to the zoning change, with the sole favorable comment from Steve Maddox, president of EDGEHomes.
Other residents who couldn’t fit inside also rallied outside City Hall to show their disapproval.
The council voted 5-2 in favor of rezoning to boos from community members. Councilmembers said that even if they had voted no, it would have little effect, as the owner of the land is who ultimately decides whether to save the swap meet.
EDGEHomes is looking to buy the property. In a letter to the city, the current landowners said the Redwood Drive-In Theatre and Swap Meet would continue to operate after the sale closes until EDGEHomes breaks ground on their housing development.
