Wednesday, September 18, 2024
Proposed Sugar House high-rise gets a 'no' vote from Salt Lake City's Planning and Zoning Commission
Urban Living
Posted By Babs De Lay on September 18, 2024, 4:00 AM
L ast week, I wrote about high-rises here, and yet another one has been making the news as of late. Developer Harbor Bay Ventures wants to plop a 14-story residential and retail tower on the corner of 1100 East and 2100 South in Sugar House, where a Wells Fargo bank sits, smack dab in the middle of what's become—for drivers—a traffic nightmare.
On one hand, the out-of-state developer's reps say that the building would add value to the community, reduce the need for parking stalls, increase mass transit use and relieve traffic. They are cheeky enough to be asking the city for what is known as "spot zoning" to approve their idea, which is basically illegal in my opinion, as they are asking for different and extreme zoning compared to the surrounding zones.
Such a request tends to only favor the property owner who can convince local authorities that what they want to build will be a community asset, whereas the change in zoning could increase car traffic and impact the value of nearby properties.
Don't get me wrong—I'm in favor of more housing options as we're in a housing crisis, both city- and state-wide. However, I haven't heard any indication from the developer that the project will be dedicated to affordable housing. One long-term Sugar House Community Council volunteer spoke up against it to say "All the rich people will live here."
The Planning and Zoning Commission voted not to approve the new zone, with Commissioner Amy Barry stating that the plan would increase traffic congestion and exceed utility capacity, and the project has a perceived lack of overall community benefit. They did chime in that the developer should come back with a better plan that they may approve in the future.
Pull back the microscope from Sugar House and we find that the Salt Lake County Council voted last week to consider purchasing a new government center in Midvale. The county complex on 2100 S. State Street is 40 years old and it's estimated it would take at least $225 million to update and renovate that site for future needs.
The county is hoping to purchase a newer home, which was previously Overstock.com's offices in Midvale, for roughly $55 million. That makes sense, as it's a more central location for county residents to use, being near a Trax station and Interstate 15.
What would happen to the old County Government Center? That too could become a potential high-rise development if the land was sold.
I would love to see the county invest in more senior housing options, and the current site on State could potentially allow for more than 500 senior apartments, a need that few are talking about these days. Those on fixed incomes and Social Security are really having an impossible time finding affordable housing options—much of the county's inventory of senior housing is quite old and the wait for some of their units is quite long.
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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