Finishing Up Foothill Village

Around this time 40 years ago, Zwick Construction turned over Foothill Village, a 280,000 SF retail center in Salt Lake City, UT. Fast-forward to the present, Zwick returned to that same project to complete a large-scale remodel, aimed at modernizing the mall and reinforcing the structure. A complex project with a multitude of unknowns, this iconic project will benefit the Salt Lake City community for years to come.

The Foothill Village Redevelopment project included remodeling the facades of each store at the mall. Additionally, the showpiece of the project was redeveloping a former Steinmart store into an open-air shopping center, complete with more stores and a plaza. In order to complete this portion of the contract, our team had to carefully demolish the Steinmart—a difficult challenge with the existing state of the building sitting atop an operating parking garage.

At the start of the project in the first quarter 2024, our preconstruction team prepared thoroughly for construction, learning everything they could about the existing condition of the project. Together with the owner of the project, this project team was committed to holding off work until materials were procured and drawings were ready for construction.

Even with all their efforts, our team ran into setbacks during construction due to the deteriorating conditions of several parts of the project. For example, as our team started demolishing columns in preparation for the facade remodel, they discovered that the columns had corroded and needed to be replaced. To prevent future setbacks, the team got to work early in demolishing later phases of the project so they could procure necessary materials and receive approvals in time.

But perhaps the biggest challenge for this team was working in an operating—and consistently busy—strip mall. Foothill Village remained open throughout the duration of construction, from early hours in the morning until dark. Working in such a busy area required constant coordination with the tenants of the shops, pedestrians, the owners, and more. The team skillfully communicated openly with these stakeholders and kindly interacted with shoppers.

Foothill Village has become a meaningful project to Zwick Construction—both in its original form and remodel.