Wednesday, April 27, 2022
SLC is Trying
Posted By Babs De Lay on April 27, 2022, 4:00 AM
The housing crunch is real and Utahns are hurting for lack of available and affordable properties. Salt Lake City elected officials, city employees and volunteers in planning and zoning, permits, economic cevelopment, housing and neighborhood development would like feedback from the public on several housing-related topics with the goal of increasing different housing options in our capital city. Currently, there are four areas you might want to chime in on:
1. Shared housing: Think "boarding house," where tenants have a private bedroom but share a kitchen or bathroom with other tenants. It is rarely allowed but was virtually the most common form of housing in the 1800-1900s. The city is considering expanding where shared housing would be allowed in more neighborhoods.
2. Proposal to update off-street parking regulations: Developers of apartment buildings are required to include a certain number of parking spaces related to the number of units they construct. This can be in a parking garage built as part of the building or a lot adjacent to it. It's incredibly expensive to build underground parking or multilevel parking and if the city required fewer parking stalls from a developer, it could lower the cost of their overall construction. The idea is that tenants would use more public transportation and not have as many cars, but the problem might end up clogging limited parking spaces already sparse in some neighborhoods.
3. Changing RMF-30 zoning: These rules limit the density of housing in certain neighborhoods in the city. Its intent is to provide an environment suitable for a variety of housing types of a low-density nature, including single-family, two-family and multi-family dwellings with a maximum height of 30 feet. It's used in areas where there are less than 15 dwelling units per acre. Salt Lake City would like to make it easier to develop multi-family housing (three or more living units) in the RMF-30 zoning areas.
4. "Thriving in Place" study: As we experience record growth and development with record housing prices, people are being forced to move out of SLC to find affordable rentals and home purchases. The city council wants to study how it can help people stay and thrive in communities. The study is in its early stages.
You are encouraged to read up on these issues online and chime in with your opinions. More details at:
Tinyurl.com/sharedhousingproposal
Tinyurl.com/offstreetparkingSLC
On Wednesday, May 11, at 5:30 p.m., the Salt Lake City Planning Commission will hold a public hearing on a proposal to encourage the building of more affordable housing. Changes could provide incentives to developers who included affordable homes in their projects. It includes potential zoning changes that may result in multi-unit housing and taller buildings in some neighborhoods. The city council will then consider what came out of that hearing and any recommendations the planning commission pushes forward. Go to tinyurl.com/AHIproposal for info. To get an email when this will come before the city council, go to: mailchi.mp/slcgov/council.
About The Author
Babs De Lay
A full-time broker/owner of Urban Utah Homes and Estates, Babs De Lay serves on the Salt Lake City Historic Landmark Commission. A writer and golfer, you'll find them working as a staff guardian at the Temple at Burning Man each year.
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