West Valley’s Redwood Drive-In is one of the only drive-in theatres in all of Utah and the only one in the Salt Lake area. The Redwood Drive-In has been extremely successful since its historic opening in 1948, making it one of the oldest independently owned businesses in the valley.
In 1960, the drive-in began regularly hosting a swap meet, bringing success to many local business owners and further cementing the business as a community gathering point. Development company EDGEHomes recently submitted a petition to West Valley City Council requesting a re-zone of the property that is currently the beloved Redwood Drive-In.
On Sept. 17, the West Valley City Council voted 5-2 in favor of moving forward with plans to re-zone the area. This motion threatens over 75 years of Utah’s history. We must save the Redwood Drive-In to preserve a critical community space and support small business owners. Resist the continual gentrification of West Valley at the hands of corporations.
EDGEHomes Alleged to Endanger Residents
EDGEHomes began operation in 2008 in Draper. Since then, they have become the largest home builder in Utah. In April 2023, the structural integrity of their homes came into question when two EDGEHomes-built houses slid down a hillside in Draper, partially collapsing.
Although no one was injured, this unexpectedly displaced residents before and after the incident. In November of 2022, Draper City Council forced the residents to evacuate their homes over safety concerns, calling the structures “unfit for human habitation and occupancy due to dangerous conditions.”
A company that builds homes that city officials describe as “unfit for human habitation and occupancy” should not be permitted to continue housing people.
EDGEHomes called the November evacuations “unnecessary.” They also dodged questions about the responsible party in this situation.
“Was this a design failure by the engineers? Was this a construction failure by the excavators and retaining wall companies? Was this a combination of both, or neither? We simply cannot answer these questions today,” read a statement by EDGEHomes. EDGEHomes is the primary contractor of all building operations.
According to the Salt Lake Tribune, the company later stated, “despite all the engineering and quality control efforts” the wall and hillside “experienced a complete failure.” Endangering the lives of residents is not the only unethical behavior this company has participated in.
EDGEHomes Alleged to Endanger Employees
In 2020, EDGEHomes CEO Steve Maddox was taken to court by the company’s previous contract coordinator, Vanessa Billy, due to allegations of workplace sexual harassment. Billy sued EDGEHomes based on multiple causes of action, the first being a violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. This is based on sexual harassment, a hostile work environment and discriminatory retaliation. The other four counts included civil assault, civil battery, breach of contract and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
Against Maddox personally, Billy sued for an additional five charges: civil assault, civil battery, negligence, negligent infliction of emotional distress and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
Court documents reveal that Billy said during company meetings, CEO Maddox “‘openly joked inappropriately and offensively, intending and directing comments to [Billy]’ that ‘subjected her to ridicule and embarrassment.’”
Billy provided examples of these inappropriate and offensive jokes, alleging that Maddox approached her in the office and said that he “felt like throwing a woman down on a table and [f—ing] her hard.”
Maddox “[became] angry and hostile” if she was unresponsive, often by making “demeaning demands and statements,” Billy said.
The suit also alleges that the company knew of and actively excused Maddox’s inappropriate behavior.
According to court documents, “[Billy] also alleges that prior to her joining the company, Edge knew of prior incidents involving Maddox and other female employees” and that “his behaviors had resulted in other women being harmed and injured including in the work place.” This is an ongoing court case.
The Redwood Drive-In is Worth Saving
EDGEHomes wants to demolish a community hub of over 75 years to build homes that are unfit for human habitation. This is textbook gentrification and needless destruction. Closing Redwood Drive-In will cause Salt Lake to lose more than a place to watch movies.
Every weekend, over 500 local vendors sell goods and promote their businesses at the Redwood Swap meet. This local market is beloved by the community, attracting an estimated 70,000 customers every weekend.
If West Valley City Council moves forward with these efforts to re-zone, these vendors will have nowhere else to go, and many of them have no other sources of income.
Popular opinion among the West Valley Community wants the drive-in preserved. A Change.org petition opposing the re-zone has gained 22,630 signatures as of Sept. 26. Additionally, over 100 residents came to the West Valley City Council meeting to voice their support for the drive-in.
Thirty-nine speakers came before the West Valley City Council on the day of this vote. Thirty-eight of these speakers were community members opposing the re-zone motion. The only person speaking in favor of re-zone was the CEO of EDGEHomes and alleged abuser, Steve Maddox.
EDGEhomes must be condemned for its unethical business practices and dangerous behaviors. West Valley City Council has a responsibility to listen to residents instead of big business and prohibit this gentrification from taking place.
e.griffee@dailyutahchronicle.com
The post Opinion: Condemn EDGEHomes, Save the Redwood Drive-In first appeared on The Daily Utah Chronicle.