Blighted Travel Inn in Ephraim set to come down by March 31
Owner has finally submitted plan for redevelopment
Robert Stevens
Managing editor
1-12-2017
EPHRAIM—The end is near for the dilapidated Travel Inn Motel on Ephraim Main Street.
Property owner Branden Kirk of Spanish Fork says he will demolish the blighted building by March 31 and plans to build condominiums on the site.
According to Ephraim City Manager Brant Hanson, as part of the city’s efforts to combat Main Street blight, officials told Kirk he must either demolish, bring up to code or present a viable plan for what to do with the motel property by Dec. 31, 2016.
Hanson says Kirk has fulfilled that requirement by beginning the planning process to redevelop the site, and so the city extended the deadline until the end of the first quarter. The city also offered to waive the fees at the landfill for disposing of debris from the demolition.
“Right now we are in the preliminary planning and exploratory stages of redeveloping the property for some higher-end condos,” Kirk said. “We are shooting for about 36 units in total, but it’s still in concept stages.”
The 36 condo units are not intended to fit on the motel property only, however. Kirk says he also owns two parcels of land at the rear of the motel property. Those pieces extend to the east and south. Once developed, Kirk says, the prospective condominium complex would be “L” shaped.
Kirk says the redevelopment plan would optimally be three buildings containing 12 units each. He also said the project would probably happen in three stages, with the first 12 condos built on the Main Street motel property he is under deadline to demolish.
“It’s kind of a long process, as far as approval, site work, engineering and construction go, but I would anticipate it will take a year to get the first buildings up,” Kirk said.
Hanson says the city is happy to see things moving forward.
“It’s good news, and we want to work closely with him to make sure it happens,” he said.
