Developers pitch new ‘missing middle’ townhomes, apartments in Liberty Wells

by Jacob Scholl | Jun 6, 2025

Local developers have a plan to bring over 100 for-rent townhome and apartment units to the Liberty Wells neighborhood along 1300 South.

The development, dubbed Lincoln Village, would transform the northeast corner of State Street and 1300 South. At 145 E. 1300 South, it would consist of 12 buildings offering 42 apartments and 95 townhomes, along with a clubhouse building near 200 East. The project would partially front State Street and 1300 South and wrap around an existing First Utah Bank branch.

“Lincoln Village is a new residential development near downtown Salt Lake City that aims to provide missing middle housing with timeless design,” according to the project narrative submitted to Salt Lake City.

This isn’t the first time a developer has wanted to develop this plot of land. Last year, a different developer proposed to build a four-story apartment complex that totaled 295 units, but it appears those plans fell through.

In total, the new plans would include 42 apartments and 95 townhomes, all for rent. All apartment units in the project would be along 1300 South, and the townhome units would either front State Street or courtyards inside the development. The exteriors of the townhome units would vary throughout the development, according to plans submitted to Salt Lake City.

Both types of units would include garages, and each townhome unit would offer two or three bedrooms. Apartment units would have two bedrooms and two bathrooms, and some units would include a roof deck above the third floor.

The area is currently zoned as Commercial Corridor (CC), which has a maximum height of 30 feet but allows up to 15 extra feet with design review. In total, the development covers 3.82 acres.

Project plans will go through the planned development and design review processes with the Salt Lake City Planning Commission. Developers are requesting a height increase for the apartment units in order to create the roof decks.

“This project brings missing middle housing to a growing area of Salt Lake City with a unique stacked unit design geared towards affordability and diversifying housing options in the city,” the project narrative says. “[It] brings a different single family unit type to the area, along with a timeless Architecture design to enhance the community along this stretch of State Street.”

James Alfandre, a developer on the project and founding principal at Urban Alfandre, a Building Salt Lake advertiser, said he believes the development’s proximity to Liberty Park makes it a desirable location. He loves the Liberty Wells neighborhood, and he said the project would add desperately needed missing middle housing to the area.

If approved, Lincoln Village would take the place of an existing shopping center that includes Korean and Chinese restaurants, a Polynesian market and a nail salon, among other businesses. The complex also includes a probation office for Salt Lake County’s Criminal Justice Services.

Alfandre said the company tries to incorporate ground-floor commercial space into projects, but he said the State Street and 1300 South area already has a good amount of retail nearby.

“We always like to look for ground floor commercial,” Alfandre said of Urban Alfandre’s developments, though he added, “not every street can be a retail street.”

The Lincoln Village project is also located to the east of Smith’s Ballpark, which is set to undergo major changes in the coming years as it will be transformed into a mixed-use development with housing, retail and a library.

Development Details: Lincoln Village