A local nonprofit wants to build dozens of deeply affordable housing units near Central 9th and the Ballpark neighborhood.
First Step House — a local group that provides residential treatment for people suffering from mental health issues and addiction — has plans for a new facility near public transit, as the group hopes to build a 70 unit development at 1055 and 1049 S. 200 West.
The First Step House project, which is referred to in documents as the 200 West Apartments, would be a six floor-structure built on two parcels totaling .26 acres, and both lots are zoned as MU-5. The lots are immediately north of the C9 Flats, a multifamily housing development. The development would require the demolition of two single-family homes at the aforementioned addresses.
Plans for the building were submitted to the Salt Lake City Community Reinvestment Agency as part of the CRA’s Housing Development Loan Program (HDLP), though the project was not selected to receive city funding.
Another project near the First Step House site, Washington Yards, also applied for HDLP funds but was not selected. The Salt Lake City Council, acting as the CRA’s board, voted earlier this month to dole out $8.1 million to four projects around the city.
Included in the HDLP application are details of the project, which would consist of 70 one-bedroom apartment units offered to people making at or below 30% AMI. At that mark, the units would be considered deeply affordable, which the city hopes to add more of in the coming years. All utilities would be paid by the landlord as well.
Project Details
- 70 one-bedrooms
- 70 total
A project summary of the development says the building will be designed for people who are homeless, at risk of becoming homeless or have a mental health disorder. The summary also says the project’s “housing and services will be fully integrated, with on-site staff and a comprehensive supportive services model focused on long-term stabilization.”
Those living at 200 West will have support services available to them via First Step House, the project summary says, including case management and medical and behavioral health treatment. The building would also have on-site life skills classes that are voluntary and “designed to promote housing stability, recovery, and wellbeing,” the summary says.
1055 and 1049 S. 200 West, the two single-family homes that would be demolished to make way for the 200 West Apartments. The C9 Flats apartment building can be seen on the right and in the background. Image via Google Maps
The building would be located less than a quarter-mile from the UTA TRAX Ballpark Station near 1300 South, which services the Blue, Red and Green lines. A structured parking garage would also be included on site for staff and residents, the project narrative says.
The complex would also include ground-floor activation with a dedicated behavioral health clinic, which would be operated by First Step House and be available to all building residents and some members of the public, the narrative says.
If built, the 200 West Apartments would be the latest project by First Step House, which currently operates three other facilities around Salt Lake City. In total, the organization has 161 units across the city, which it says are fully leased, according to documents in the HDLP application.
In addition to 200 West, First Step House is also seeking to build a 50 unit project in Central City along 800 South. The group is hoping to use zoning incentives to build additional units at that site, as previous plans submitted to the city in 2024 had the project consisting of only 34 units.
Deeply affordable units like ones being proposed by First Step House are in short supply around Salt Lake City. As part of the city’s Housing SLC effort, the city government set a goal to build 2,000 deeply affordable units before June 2028. As of Dec. 31, the city is short by over 1,500 units, according to the city’s affordable housing dashboard.
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