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SALT LAKE CITY — A laundromat has filed a lawsuit against Swig, a Utah-based soda shop, claiming a two-lane drive-thru in Sugar House is breaching a 20-year-old agreement.
The Kang family, which operates Dirks Dry Cleaners, said in a lawsuit filed Wednesday that in 2003 the previous owners of the properties created an easement agreement, allowing the owners of the property where Swig sits to have vehicle and pedestrian access.
The lawsuit cites claims of trespassing, breaching an agreement and nuisance. It also claims the laundromat maintains the right to use the easement that covers a portion of the property where Swig is now located.
The Kang family argued the easement agreement was intended to allow a single-lane drive-thru for a coffee shop, but now Swig has a two-lane drive-thru. The lawsuit said this "overburdens the easement" and uses more of the Kang's property than it permits, in addition to blocking the Kang family's use of the area, preventing its ability to enter and exit.
The lawsuit said the laundromat has asked Swig and FBS SLC, which owns the land Swig is using, to stop but claims the drink store owners have "repeatedly refused."
This Swig location is blocks away from an area where Salt Lake City leaders decided new drive-thru services would no longer be permitted, following public comments from residents. Residents cited concerns with walking, limited space and the environmental effects of idling.
Salt Lake Council Chairman Darin Mano said at the time that drive-thrus make sense in some places but not in Sugar House at this time.
Correction: A previous version referred to the Swig as being in Millcreek. It is located in the Sugar House neighborhood of Salt Lake City.
