After two strikes at developing a key corner in the Sugar House urban core, a developer is planning to take a third, more cautious swing.
Plans to develop a former Wells Fargo bank at 1095 E. 2100 South in Sugar House are being reworked to comply with existing zoning standards, according to emails exchanged in November between Salt Lake City staff and Harbor Bay Ventures, the Illinois-based firm that has tried to develop the site.
The email exchange was recently attached to Harbor Bay’s original, 2023 application to build a mixed-use project on the key Sugar House corner.
Initially, the developers asked for a custom zone that would have allowed it to build up to 305 feet, far above what was allowed in Sugar House at the time.
After intense initial pushback from the public and the city to that proposal, Harbor Bay revised its request but still sought to create a new zone for the property. That request sought to leap-frog work that was being done by city planners to consolidate mixed-use zoning districts across the city, which included the Wells Fargo site.
After that plan received a cold shoulder from the Planning Commission, Harbor Bay is preparing to come back with a third swing. This time, the proposal would comply with the existing zoning requirements, according to the email.
“As discussed on the phone a week ago, your team is reworking your initial concept and intend to redevelop the site at 1095 E 2100 S, but are no longer pursuing the two amendments and will redevelop under the newly created MU-11 zoning district,” Salt Lake City urban planner Amanda Roman wrote in an email to Harbor Bay CEO Mark Bell. The email is dated for Nov. 3, 2025.
Further, Roman told Bell that MU-11 allows heights up to 125 feet, though any building over 75 feet would require a design review. She added, “If the project requires Design Review, I will most likely be the planner working on the petition so please let me know if your team has questions regarding the MU-11 standards.”
Bell later responded to Roman’s email to confirm the withdrawal of the 2023 zoning amendment application, adding, “we look forward to working with you on the MU-11 zoning.”
Harbor Bay didn’t respond to a request for comment about its plans.
Following the initial shock of potentially having a massive 305-foot tower built in Sugar House, that proposal was later revised with an alternate pitch to create a new zone — MU-15 — and build a 155-foot, mass timber tower. That proposal was later rejected by the Salt Lake City Planning Commission in 2024, despite getting an initial thumbs up from city planning staff.
Since then, Salt Lake City has completely overhauled its mixed-use zoning code, and the former Wells Fargo parcel received the MU-11 zoning in that process.
The Wells Fargo parcel is just outside the boundary of buildings that can build higher than MU-11’s 125-foot cap. Parts of Sugar House and the Granary District are the only mixed-use areas outside of Downtown that can build up to 150 feet.
Ironically, the city has recently toyed with the notion of creating that MU-15 zone, though that idea arose, in part, due to the impending redevelopment of Smith’s Ballpark. One area of the city’s Ballpark NEXT plan includes a building that could be up to 150 feet, which triggered the discussion of whether or not the MU-15 zone should be created.
Though Harbor Bay seems to be reworking their proposal, no design review applications have been submitted to Salt Lake City as of Tuesday. It’s not clear when the proposal could be re-submitted to the city, nor is it clear when the development could be discussed in a public meeting.
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