Wednesday, February 26, 2025
NIMBY opposition lining up against Salt Lake City's proposed changes to residential zoning.
Urban Living
Posted By Babs De Lay on February 26, 2025, 4:00 AM
Utah has been in a building frenzy for years now. As a result, many planning and zoning commissions and city councils are attempting to change localized rules to accommodate increased density in neighborhoods, because efficient land is scarce (we aren't building any more land!) and we're in a housing shortage within our borders.
High-rise construction is obvious when you see apartments reach to the sky, and the new, cheaper "six story stick build" model has popped up virtually anywhere that multi-family units are allowed to be built.
Salt Lake City is where the most diverse zoning types appear in Utah, due to the size of the city's population. The City Council and the Planning Commission are looking into updating what are called RMF-35 (Moderate Density Multi-Family) and RMF-45 (Moderate/High Density Multi-Family) zoning districts by combining them into a single zoning designation.
It's complicated to do this. The proposal is controversial to many current home owners, because the change intends to facilitate more "moderate-density housing, while retaining neighborhood character" and requires a massive amount of meetings with community councils and the public. The goal is to simplify and even clarify the spiderweb of regulations, which makes it easier for everyone to understand and comply with in the future.
The last major rezone of this size for Salt Lake City was in 1995, when the city changed the rules for a good portion of its land. The stated intent at the time was to create parcels that could be used for units that are more dense than a single-family home, but less dense than a high-rise apartment building.
Now, the city is looking at easing regulations for things like "flag lots," where a home could be built behind an existing home, so the new property takes on a flag shape—the driveway being the "pole" and the lot itself as the "flag." It's also considering allowing more multi-family units to be built in residential areas that currently don't permit them.
All sorts of comments are flooding into City Hall from NIMBYs who would prefer that the rules don't change. These residents are adamant they don't want a high-rise built on their quiet residential street, but that isn't what is being proposed. Instead, in the case of Salt Lake City, the goal is to allow more duplexes, quadplexes and rowhouses.
The current RMF35 and RMF45 zones allow buildings to have a height of 35 or 45 feet, respectively, and include rules for how many dwelling units can be built per acre of land in a neighborhood. The proposal to consolidate the zones would reduce the amount of land required to build and alter minimum and maximum lot width requirements.
If this interests you, pay attention to what's going on by logging onto the City Council and Planning Commission websites. There, you'll find information about proposed changes, public hearings and ways you can submit your opinions to the staff.
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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