Salt Lake City Council tees up vote on Sugar House drive-thru ban 

• Wikicommons

Highlights from the Aug. 8, 2023 meeting of the Salt Lake City Council

The Salt Lake City Council convened on August 8 to conduct public hearings on a number of proposals. The Council heard comments on Capital Improvement Project (CIP) funding and a potential ban on new drive-thrus in the Sugar House Business District.

Council Chairperson Darin Mano and Councilmember Ana Valdemoros were not in attendance.

Improvement Projects
The Capital Improvement Program, or CIP, allows residents, organizations and city departments to submit project proposals for the purpose of improving public property. This year, the program received 61 applications; however, the program’s budget (roughly $40 million) is not enough to fully fund every project.

The Council was briefed on submissions and is scheduled to decide which projects to fund on August 15, following public hearings and recommendations from the Resident Advisory Board and the Mayor.

Several council members spoke in support of a proposal to improve the greenhouses at Liberty Park and Jordan Park. The proposal includes structural improvements to the greenhouses and a study to examine what kinds of activities and programs the greenhouses could implement. The proposal also includes a potential collaboration with the College of Architecture and Planning at the University of Utah for student competitions.

Several commentators noted the significance of this project’s potential to benefit both the east and west sides of Salt Lake City. One resident, Cindy Cromer, suggested the updated greenhouses could “provide a social-cultural bridge between the east side and west side through the common denominator of plants.”

The Council also heard multiple comments on a proposal to improve Jefferson Park, located just south of Interstate 15’s West Temple ramps. The project would add lighting to the perimeter of the park, fencing around the playground, garbage cans, benches and the installation of a walking path.

“Jefferson Park is a Salt Lake City park, but it doesn’t feel like one,” said Marcus Wright, a member of Friends of Jefferson Park. “It’s had very little upkeep and investment over the years.” Wright also noted that the park is the only existing greenspace for the Ballpark, Central 9th and Granary neighborhoods.

Ballpark Community Council chairperson Amy Hawkins noted that the Ballpark neighborhood has less than three park acres per 6,000 residents, far below the city average of 3.5 park acres per 1,000 residents.

The Council additionally heard comments on a proposal for a citywide park restroom study, a proposal for improvements on 1200 East, and a proposal to improve the Central 9th streetscape, among others.

Drive-Thru Ban
The Council took comment on a proposed amendment to City Code that would prohibit new drive-thrus in the Sugar House Business District. Existing drive-thrus would not be affected by the change, which is already in place for the Downtown Central Business District.

City planners have announced various plans aimed at bolstering the area around Monument Plaza as a “second downtown” for the city, with 2100 South as a “second Main Street.” Those plans have proven divisive among the neighborhood's residents and business owners.

Several commentators at Tuesday’s meeting were concerned that pharmacies and banks would not be permitted to have drive-thrus and suggested making an exception for these types of operations. One resident, Rebecca Davis, argued that people might not feel well enough to go inside a pharmacy to pick up a prescription, or might have mobility issues.

Others criticized the dependency on cars that drive-thrus reinforce. “It seems antithetical to Salt Lake City’s push for a less car-centric city to encourage people to use their cars,” said commentator Lynn Schwartz, who also questioned—among others—the impact of drive-thru businesses on air pollution.

Other commentators discussed whether permitting drive-thrus challenges plans to “promote a walkable community with a transit-oriented, mixed-use town center,” as stated in Salt Lake City Code. “I don’t believe that drive-thrus and a walkable community are exclusive of each other,” said Wade Olson, who represented Dee’s Incorporated. Dee’s Incorporated owns the Sugar House Center and related properties.

Olson criticized imposing regulations on drive-thrus when Chick-fil-A—which has caused traffic congestion problems for years—is the only drive-through that’s had such issues. Tentative council action on the ordinance is scheduled for August 15.

Sanctioned Camping
During the general comments section of the meeting, several members of the public discussed how to combat homelessness in Salt Lake City.

On June 13, the City Council adopted the city’s budget for the 2023-2024 fiscal year. The Council allocated $500,000 in funds for sanctioned camping. These funds will be given to organizations working to create sanctioned campgrounds where unhoused people can live with basic amenities and without fear of law enforcement forcing them to move.

Commenter Charlotte Brimhall stressed the need to provide shelter for homeless individuals and discussed her work with the Nomad Alliance to create a proposal for a sanctioned campground modeled after Denver’s Colorado Village Cooperative.

Data was shared from the Colorado Village Cooperative, which operates three sanctioned campgrounds in Denver and two tiny home villages. A report created by the University of Denver’s Burnes Center on Poverty and Homelessness found that in the cooperative’s first nine months of operations, 10 of the 12 original villagers were still housed, and all but one villager on disability were either employed or in school.