(Bethany Baker | The Salt Lake Tribune) Pierre Vandamme stands in the seating area for his restaurant Bruges Belgian Bistro, one of the businesses affected by ongoing construction in the Sugar House neighborhood, in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, June 25, 2025.

When Bruges Belgian Bistro opened its second location in Sugar House 13 years ago, owner Pierre Vandamme said the Salt Lake City neighborhood was vibrant, charming and fueled by its small businesses.

“It was eclectic,” Vandamme said, recalling how there used to be small businesses lined up on the west side of Highland Drive.

After the COVID-19 pandemic, things began to shift, Vandamme said. Developers moved in, building high-rise apartment complexes, while major road reconstruction projects on Highland Drive and 2100 South disrupted foot traffic and hurt his business.

His food truck has been key to keeping his Sugar House location afloat, he said.

“It’s insane, and it’s one project after the other,” Vandamme said. “It’s just never-ending. ​​We’re just hanging on by a thread here. It’s not just me.”

(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Pib’s Exchange and Bruges Waffles & Frites in Sugar House, Salt Lake City on Thursday, May 23, 2024.

Pib’s Exchange, a vintage clothing store adjacent to Bruges, shared a statement on Instagram Thursday echoing the challenges its business has faced during the construction.

“What was once a vibrant, walkable corner of Salt Lake City has felt slowly squeezed by projects that show little concern for the impact on the local businesses that built this community,” the statement reads. “It’s hard not to feel like we’re being quietly pushed out.”

Vandamme said he no longer sees a future for his business in Sugar House.

“I have two more years on my lease, and then I’ll get out of here, because I know what’s coming,” he said, noting that he believes the construction will not stop. “For me, there’s no sense to stay here.”

Andrew Wittenberg, a spokesman for the mayor’s office, wrote in a statement to The Salt Lake Tribune that the city is aware of the effect construction is having on neighborhood businesses and has taken steps to provide some relief.

“Mayor Mendenhall has always been a strong supporter of small, locally-owned businesses, which comprise around 95% of Salt Lake City’s business licenses,” Wittenberg wrote. “That’s why our administration created the construction mitigation grant program, focused our ‘Small Business Saturday’ events entirely in Sugar House since construction began and highlighted businesses in the ‘Shop Sugar House’ marketing campaign.”

Salt Lake City gave $3,000 Small Business Construction Mitigation Grants to 182 businesses to support small businesses affected by construction, but Vandamme said he felt the grant was a “slap in the face,” and others echoed that it wasn’t enough to make up for lost sales.

His greatest frustration, Vandamme said, is the lack of any pause between major projects — each one following the next with little reprieve.

“I understand you have to take care of the streets and you got to do what you got to do, but give us at least six months’ breathing room and then start another project,” Vandamme said. “Not simultaneously one after the other. I mean, that’s just not what you do.”

The 2100 South reconstruction project focuses on the stretch between 700 East and 1300 East, funded by an $87 million road bond approved by Salt Lake City voters in 2018. Once completed, the road will start and end with four lanes, but narrow to just two lanes between 1000 East and McClelland Street.

Work on the 2100 South reconstruction is expected to wrap up this fall, Wittenberg said.

But Vandamme said his business, at 2314 S. Highland Dr., was most affected by the road reconstruction on Highland Drive and a private apartment development at Ashton Avenue and 1100 East.

“We were completely squeezed between those two for quite a while, and then they worked their way north,” Vandamme said. “The thing is, people are discouraged from coming to Sugar House.”

He added that it feels like every time a small business closes, a high-rise takes its place.

“Sugar House has lost its character,” Vandamme said.

Construction on the Atre Sugar House development, which began in June 2022, stalled after general contractor Makers Line went silent in November 2023. Park City-based Alta Terra took over, and the two residential towers are expected to be completed by spring 2026, a year later than originally planned, according to the Sugar House Community Council.

The Highland Drive project wrapped up in January, Wittenberg wrote, adding that the city has “received positive feedback from small businesses praising the neighborhood’s improved walkability and bikeability, and we’ve already gotten requests for additional bike racks.”

Wittenberg acknowledged the recent surge in private development in Sugar House, but emphasized that the city does not control those projects.

“In response, the City implemented requirements for private construction projects to more carefully plan for potential traffic implications,” Wittenberg wrote.

‘It’s important that we come together’

Vandamme, a native of Brugge, Belgium, brought his cherished family waffle recipe to Utah in 2004, launching his first shop after starting with a modest cart on Main Street. His Liège waffles — rich with melting butter and caramelized sugar — quickly won over locals and helped establish his foothold in the city’s food scene, according to the waffle bistro’s website.

As Bruges’ menu expanded to include Belgian-style fries and fresh dipping sauces, Vandamme opened a restaurant near Pioneer Park in downtown Salt Lake City and, later, his Sugar House store.

After his son posted a video on Bruges’ social media accounts detailing the business’s struggles due to construction, Vandamme said the community response has been overwhelming. In the days since, people have flocked to the shop, and many have shared their support online, he said.

“Even on Instagram, we never had so many reactions. I mean, we have over 10,000 views,” Vandamme said, referring to the video. “It still is so stressful, but now it feels pretty good because people are coming. Like yesterday, we had a great day. They’re so kind.”

(Bethany Baker | The Salt Lake Tribune) Pierre Vandamme takes an order from two customers at Bruges Belgian Bistro, one of the businesses affected by ongoing construction in the Sugarhouse neighborhood, in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, June 25, 2025.

Pib’s Exchange, in its statement, thanked customers for continuing to shop despite the ongoing construction, and urged the community to keep supporting local businesses that are struggling.

“Now, more than ever, it’s important that we come together,” the shop wrote. “As a community, let’s make an effort to shop in the areas that need us most. Let’s show up for the places that feel forgotten — because without our support, they may not be here much longer.”

Wittenberg stressed that the road projects were necessary to replace aging pavement and upgrade utilities beneath the roads.

“While we know it’s not easy to work around, this construction is necessary due to decades of deferred maintenance that caused these roadways to deteriorate significantly,” Wittenberg wrote.

“The project has taken time, but in the end, Sugar House businesses and residents will benefit from clean water, reliable utility infrastructure and multi-modal travel options that help clean the air,” he wrote.

As Sugar House’s landscape continues to change — first from the pandemic, then years of construction — Vandamme said he worries the small businesses that he believes give the neighborhood its charm may not be around much longer.

“I know we’re going to sound like babies crying on our backs, but we’ve got to be heard to survive,” Vandamme said. “If we don’t do anything, well, we’re all shut down.”