OGDEN, Utah — In a 4-3 vote on Tuesday, a 12 year battle to change the zoning on 25th street was completed for Thaine Fischer.
“I was very excited obviously 12 years we’ve been working on trying to get this to move forward,” the Ogden developer told FOX13. “It definitely is the heart of Ogden.”
Previously Ogden had a law prohibiting more than 2 bars to be in a “Linear block” meaning both sides of the street.
While this law may seem a bit strange to some, it was put into effect in the 1980's because there were over 35 bars in one small area of the street. At the time, officials were trying to put an end to high crime rates in the city.
The law prohibited any more drinking establishments from opening on the street.
Some business owners, like Jaren Allen, owner and operator of "Unspoken" which is a brand new speakeasy on 25th street, was able to find a loophole that allowed him to open. However, he believes the change in law will make it easier for him to operate.
"There’s really no reason that historic 25th street couldn’t be just like historic main Park City," Allen said. "There’s just a few rules and things holding us back."
He's hoping the change will bring a younger audience to the streets of Ogden.
"We want a better more lively 25th street better for tourism, better for us to attract and keep these young professionals here," Allen said.
Both Allen and Fischer already have projects in the works now that more bars are allowed on the street. They believe this is just the beginning in a bigger mission to bring life and energy back to Ogden.
