A controversial housing project has commenced construction on Bullion Street. Developer Michael Brodsky announced that after environmental containment, the development of 74 homes at Bullion Place, a late 19th-century copper smelter site, will move forward. The development consists of 20 single-family homes and 54 townhomes on an 8-acre site that was contaminated with slag material, a waste product from the copper smelting process containing lead and arsenic.
However, the main controversy surrounding the site had nothing to do with contaminants than it did with changing the planned housing density. Since it was first proposed in 2020, residents near Bullion Street vociferously expressed concern with the city planners and elected officials about the potential of high-density apartments that could be constructed on the site.
Developers have passed on the property due to forecasted cleanup costs that many would deem unprofitable if left to a single-family zoned neighborhood. Brodsky Built developers came up with a compromise proposal that eventually passed the city planning commission and was adopted by the city council.
In a press release, Brodsky said, “These old industrial sites in Murray, Midvale, and other communities just sort of call out to me. I welcome the challenges and opportunities that come with transforming brownfield properties in prime locations. The things that made Murray convenient for the industry in the 19th century—location, location, and location—are the same things that make sites like Bullion Place perfect today for residents seeking walkable, amenity-rich neighborhoods with easy access to freeways, TRAX and FrontRunner.”
