Salt Lake City Council adopts anti-gentrification plan and declares October Italian-American Heritage Month 

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The Salt Lake City Council convened on the evening of Oct. 17, 2023, to declare October as Italian-American Heritage Month, conduct a public hearing on the city’s affordable housing initiatives and hold votes on several items including Thriving in Place and a budget amendment.

Italian-American Heritage Month
The Council voted unanimously to adopt a ceremonial resolution—jointly with Mayor Erin Mendenhall—declaring October as Italian-American Heritage Month. During the process of adopting this resolution, Council member Victoria Petro requested a point of privilege to speak on the resolution.

“I made a lot of headlines for being elected as a Latina, but I would love the opportunity to speak to the other half of me,” Petro said. Her grandparents, she said, immigrated to the United States from Calabria, Italy, and the life they created allowed Petro to participate in the American dream in ways “previously unimagined by them.” “Our culture is just amazing and thank you all for taking a moment to acknowledge it,” Petro said.

Council members Alejandro Puy and Ana Valdemoros, who both immigrated to the United States from Argentina, also took points of privilege to acknowledge the influence Italy had in their birth country, and to express their appreciation for Italian culture.

After the resolution was passed, the Honorary Italian Consul of Utah Mike Homer thanked the Council for the resolution. He then read from a letter written to the Council by the Italian Consulate General of Utah, Sergio Strozzi.

“Your declaration is a milestone in celebrating the great cultural and social heritage of the Italian and Italian-American community of Salt Lake City and Utah,” read Homer.

Affordable Housing
The Council heard from several members of the public on a proposed zoning amendment intended to boost the availability of affordable homes in the city. Many commenters expressed concern for the proposal’s impact on single-family neighborhoods.

Nick Tarbet, a policy analyst for the Council, explained that the zoning changes would promote the construction of new affordable housing by providing a variety of incentives to property owners and developers. These incentives include the streamlining of the city’s permitting process to minimize construction delays and added flexibility in zoning rules when a project includes affordable units in certain parts of the city.

“We need more affordable housing, is this the best way to achieve the results we want?,” asked Lind Schwartz. “I’m afraid the answer, as far as the changes that pertain to the single family zone, is no.”

Changes to single- and two-family zoning districts are summarized in an Oct. 17 Council Staff Report. According to this summary, additional building types with at least one to two affordable units, townhouses with three to four units and cottage developments would be permitted in areas labeled as single- and two-family zones.

“The incentive is not affordable, it’s just density. Density does not equal affordability,” Lynn Pershing told the Council.

Generally speaking—and subject to considerable market variables—the per-unit cost to rent or purchase multi-family housing is cheaper than that of single-family housing, as land, utility, construction and maintenance costs are divided among multiple tenants. Density also prevents sprawl, which otherwise pushes lower-income families further and further away from services, jobs, schools, entertainment and public amenities.

Density was a concern cited by several commenters and ownership was another. Commenters pointed to the large amount of rentals operating in Salt Lake City and argued that affordable housing should include affordable homes to buy, not just rent. The Council deferred action on this proposal to a future meeting.

Thriving in Place
The Council voted unanimously to adopt the anti-gentrification ordinance known as Thriving in Place, with refined priorities. These priorities include developing a tenant relocation assistance program, improving and expanding tenant resources, utilizing publicly owned property and developing new funding structures, among others.

The Council also voted to adopt a text amendment altering height regulations in the M-1 Light Manufacturing District, located west of I-215. This amendment allows “material storage structures”—warehouses—to be built with a height of up to 150 feet. .

A second budget amendment to the 2023-24 fiscal year was passed during this session, as well. This budget amendment, among other changes, includes $24.8 million from the first Parks, Trails and Open Space bond issued, the reallocation of funds from a discontinued affordable housing development to the city’s sanctioned camping fund and $2 million from the U.S. Treasury’s Rental Assistance Program. The amendment also included a donation from the Utah Jazz to rebuild the Liberty Park basketball court.