An apartment complex once approved for the former Lesley’s Mobile Home Park site will not be built there. More than three years after the park’s last residents left, Riverdale City Council voted 4-1 on Oct. 20 to approve a site plan for a CarMax pre-owned car dealership at 671 W. 4400 South, following a rezoning that made commercial use possible.
The change in plans followed the park’s closure in May 2023. Wright Development Group had proposed a 152-unit multifamily project, according to the Standard-Examiner, which reported that the 55-lot park had only five or six occupied homes as the May 31 move-out deadline approached. The Centerville-based developer’s proposal included the Lesley’s property and two adjacent parcels. Building Salt Lake later reported on the site’s proposed conversion to a dealership.
The apartment plan, called Riverside Flats, had cleared a major approval step: the Riverdale City Council approved its site plan on Aug. 1, 2023, the Standard-Examiner reported in a follow-up noting that the park had been fully vacated by the end of May. The apartments were never built. This year, the council changed the parcel’s zoning from multiple-family residential (R-4) to regional commercial (C-3), enabling the CarMax proposal.
What Happened to the Mobile Home Residents
The human cost of the park’s closure lingered well past the eviction deadline. Some former residents paid thousands of dollars to relocate their mobile homes, while others simply abandoned them, according to KSL.com. Weber County housing groups criticized the redevelopment at the time, arguing the park had functioned as naturally occurring affordable housing for the area.
Rising costs had already been squeezing residents before the park’s closure. Lesley resident Jason Williams told KUER that his lot payment had climbed from $350 a month six years earlier to $825. Williams also said 15 lots at the park had previously been converted into a parking area for a nearby Ken Garff dealership — a preview, in hindsight, of the commercial future that awaited the rest of the property.
Another Utah Park Closure
A separate case in Centerville began earlier: KSL.com reported that a Centerville Estates resident received an eviction notice in March 2020 after the land was sold to developers and had nine months to leave. The former 50-home park site was being redeveloped with 50 townhomes, then scheduled for completion in early 2022.
A 5.5-Acre Addition to Riverdale's Auto Row
The proposed dealership would occupy 5.5 acres zoned regional commercial. Building Salt Lake, citing a planning staff report, described a building of more than 7,700 square feet for sales, presentation and retail. The plan allocates 160 spaces for sales displays, 155 for sales staging and 63 for customers and employees. It also includes a 0.55-acre detention basin and about 0.44 acres that could be used for future expansion.
The proposal would add another dealership to Riverdale Road, alongside Young Nissan, Tony Divino Toyota, Wasatch Front Kia and two Ken Garff dealerships. The corridor is an Ogden-area retail hub that has also added Trader Joe’s, Panera Bread and other retailers in recent years. The council meeting packet included other business proposals: a new EOS Fitness location, a Dave’s Hot Chicken replacing a Krispy Kreme, and a PinkBox Donuts taking over a former Arby’s.
Traffic Concerns Shaped the Final Approval
The council’s final plan removes a proposed traffic island at the 700 West egress but leaves open the option to add one later if conditions warrant. The island and whether car-hauling semis could turn left out of the lot were among the traffic issues discussed before the vote.
Brad Lauth, a program director for CenterPoint Integrated Solutions, a development consulting firm that works with CarMax, told the council the roundabout near the site had originally been built for the earlier multifamily project, which used a different traffic report. He said the dealership was expected to generate fewer trips than that report projected. Lauth said trucks could travel west on 4400 South through the roundabout to 900 West, a route that passes residential homes, and estimated four to six car-hauling semis per day. He described the site plan application as the project’s last outstanding point of discussion.
The site plan restricts deliveries during peak hours. Councilor Bart Stevens cast the only vote against it. The council did not vote on CarMax’s separate request to store cars at the site before construction begins, and the construction start date remains unclear.
