Idaho firm plans to redevelop long-vacant site off Ogden's 12th Street and Wall Avenue

OGDEN — The long vacant site in Ogden where a Fred Meyer department store once sat has been acquired by an Idaho-based developer, probably for retail development.

The 14-acre site off the northeast corner of Wall Avenue and 12th Street, a busy retail area, once housed a Fred Meyer department store, which left the location in the early 2000s. The structure was later razed, leaving a large empty lot between a Home Depot to the north and a strip of food and other retail outlets to the south along 12th Street.

Alturas Capital Partners, which is based in Boise, said in a statement Wednesday that it had acquired the land and that it's to be turned into "a neighborhood-oriented retail and mixed-use center." Alturas didn't identify any potential tenants for the space, but spoke of bringing "new shopping options" to the site.

"Alturas is excited to add another asset in the Salt Lake City market and looks forward to completing the development of this project," Joshua Utke, the Alturas director of acquisitions, said in a statement. "We look forward to working with our partners, the city of Ogden and future tenants to create a destination that delivers lasting value to the Ogden community."

Bennett Williamson, the Alturas director of marketing, said development could start later this year or in early 2027, though no firm timeline has been set.

Utke said Alturas has been in talks with Ogden officials about its plans, but a city official doesn't expect an incentive offer.

"Our city business development team met with their principals last fall," said Mike McBride, spokesman for Mayor Ben Nadolski. The land sits outside a municipal redevelopment area allowing for incentives for redevelopment, he said, "so no incentive is anticipated. It is zoned commercial, and we will move forward with a normal process with plans, use."

The Fred Meyer outlet, when in operation, measured some 150,000 square feet, but now the site is empty and overgrown with weeds. A health care business had proposed building a small hospital at the location in the late 2010s, but those plans ultimately fell through.

Alturas noted population growth in northern Utah and the "diverse economic base" in the area. The Ogden site was picked "for its infill location, visibility, accessibility and suitability for a variety of uses," the company said.

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