The once-thriving Plum Tree shopping center, now five years defunct, will be no more after today. I had the honor of attending the official demolition ceremony this morning and participated in the first excavator blow to the old Shopko building!
There are three businesses whose names will undoubtedly create a sense of nostalgia for Provo citizens – Movies 8, Carousel Ice Cream Parlor, and Shopko. Many past college students, myself included, have fond memories of date nights with a $1 movie and sundaes at Carousel Ice Cream Parlor. It was all we could afford. It’s always hard to see community favorites close when they’ve become such a beloved part of our community fabric.
The Mix at River’s Edge mixed-use development, on the northeast corner of University Parkway and 2230 North, has been through numerous plans over the last five years, but now has new ownership. And the project will be commencing construction this week!
Just like the newness of spring and the feelings of renewal after a long year of COVID-19, this development is just what Provo needs. Successful development is always about timing. We now have the right timing and the right team to finally bring this development back to its thriving glory days and create a gathering place where a whole new generation can make memories.
The Mix at River’s Edge is in addition to the many projects underway in Provo right now, like the new Provo City Hall, the redevelopment of the existing City Hall block, the new class A office space being built in downtown Provo by PEG, as well as commercial and residential development in almost every part of our community.
I don't get it. How will people build new memories and feeling of nostalgia en masse like with Movies 8 if there's no plan for such entertainment? From what I've seen, what we will be getting is "21st century mixed-use architecture" which is really code for a ton of apartments designed to cram a ton of people in and a bit of space at the bottom for businesses that will most likely be used by the people living in the apartments above. "Hey hon, remember when we used to kick it at Eli's Sip n' Squat until they kicked us out for not getting anything but ice water and then hopping over to the UPS store to see if we coul…