SALT LAKE CITY — Reginald Bailey remembers the night of October 26, 2022 all too well. It was the night a massive fire broke out in a Sugar House apartment building, destroying his restaurant that he was preparing for its grand opening.
"It was insane, it was scary at the same time," said Bailey nearly two years later. "We have lots of local businesses around here, and everyone had to evacuate at the same time."
Nearby on that night was Renee Foster, who was getting off work at the Farm Kitchen. She said the following day she was wrong thinking it would be business as usual.
"We opened, we just couldn’t stay open because the smoke from the next day was building and building," she explained. "You felt like you couldn’t breathe. We had to close the whole day."
The fire caused $59 million in damages and cost nearby businesses untold revenue when they were forced to close until the area was deemed to be safe.
Fast forward two years and construction is back underway on the buildng that will be called the Residences of Sugar Alley. It will also feature two street-level restaurants facing Highland Drive.
"We figured [the building] would be torn down, so nice to see the building is still there," said Foster. "And they’re gonna occupy more businesses and more people, it’s nice to how it all came together and how the community came together."
"Definitely good for business, you know what I mean? You have more space, more people moving in, it's great," added Bailey.
If construction stays on pace, the apartments and restaurants hope to open by early 2025.
