The future of Cottonwood Heights’ deteriorating Cottonwood Paper Mill, the 19th-century stone “Old Mill” at the mouth of Big Cottonwood Canyon, is headed to a make-or-break public planning hearing on Wednesday. Landowner and applicant Doug Shelby has requested a conditional use permit to demolish the structure, citing structural failure and public safety risks. Engineers, preservation advocates, and city staff are all lining up their arguments for the commission.
According to Building Salt Lake, city planning documents reference engineering studies completed in 2022 and 2024 that concluded the building is at risk of collapse, lacks a conventional foundation, and would require hazardous shoring of its stacked granite blocks. The staff report quotes the applicant…..