COTTONWOOD HEIGHTS, Utah — Cottonwood Heights residents are sounding the alarm about a beloved paper mill that has stood for over a century, but now faces demolition.
The Walker family, who have owned the historic Old Cottonwood Mill for generations, submitted a request to the city to demolish the mill, which was built in 1883, because it is “structurally unsalvageable.”
However, people who live nearby hope the city can step in to find a middle ground.
"This was one of the early industrial buildings that was made for paper,” Robyn Taylor-Granda explained.
Taylor-Granda lives about a mile away from the mill and works with Preservation Utah. She hears about what this mill means to others.
"Most people have a connection,” she said. “My grandparents were married there because it had been so many venues over the decades. I went to dances, I went to concerts there, I went to haunted houses there."
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Neighbors voiced their feelings at a Wednesday night Cottonwood Heights planning commission meeting in hopes of saving the location they say is iconic to the area and means so much to so many.
“It’s devastating to think the old mill could be demolished,” said one person.
Dan Hemmert represents the Walker family and said they have no choice but to consider the drastic step.
"The family is left with a structure that is scary for the family to own at this point; that’s where they got to where they are in asking for the ability to tear it down," Hemmert said. "Again, the idea is in partnership with the city, to tear it down and preserve elements of the old mill."
Hemmert added that the family wants the city to use pieces from the mill in a new city center project, and also create a digital version of the mill to preserve it for generations. He also claimed that the Walkers have previously tried selling the property or working with preservation groups and the city to repurpose the space, but those efforts did not work.
"It was really in ‘84 when there were major damage done to the walls from the flooding, and one of the walls; it was 6 inches, so these were big shifts,” he explained.
Many of those who spoke during the public session criticized the Walker family for not taking care of the building, which is designated as a historic site and is supposed to be maintained.
“They let it for years become dilapidated,” one person said.
The planning commission has to wait one year before deciding on demolition. The city council also has to approve it as well.
"I think there’s a lot of great brains, a lot of deep pocketbooks, I think there’s a lot of passion, I think there’s a lot of opportunity,” said Sean Steinman, who sits on the city’s planning commission.
"I believe they can come to a solution that requires a path forward that doesn’t include demolition,” Taylor-Granda added.
