Planning Commission makes way for more density in Salt Lake’s west side
An updated master plan for Salt Lake’s west side cleared an important step in Wednesday’s Salt Lake City Planning Commission meeting. The commission gave favorable recommendations to the city council for the rezoning of four key intersections in two of Salt Lake’s west side neighborhoods.
The city proposes rezoning select properties near the intersections: 900 West and 700 South, 900 West and 400 South, 400 South and Concord Street and the north side of Indiana Avenue between Navajo Street and Pueblo Streets. The four corridors are identified in the current draft of the West Salt Lake Lake Master Plan as key neighborhood nodes.
The master plan will provide the framework for future zoning and land use for the Popular Grove and Glendale neighborhoods, bounded by Interstates 15 and 215 to the east and west and Interstate 80 and State Road 201 to the north and south.
The city selected corridors that city leaders felt “are ripe for increasing economic or commercial activity, pedestrian traffic and recreation.” The city defines the nodes as “integrated centers of activity” that can be catalysts for development. The intention is to make the Salt Lake’s west side safer and more walkable.
The neighborhood nodes need to be rezoned to allow for more diverse uses and housing options within these nodes. The city is proposing to rezone four properties on the northwest corner of the 700 South and 900 West intersection from RMF-35 (Moderate Multi-Family Residential) and CN (Neighborhood Commercial) to CB (Community Business) zoning district.
Under the draft plan, the properties surrounding the other three neighborhood nodes will need to be rezoned to R-MU-35 (Residential/Mixed Use) zoning district. The mixed-use zoning will allow not only mixed-use projects but under R-MU-35 developments can be built up to a maximum of 35 feet outright, or up to 45 feet through the conditional building and site design review process.
The master plan will also call for improved mass transit on the west side. The Glendale and Poplar Grove neighborhoods have limited access to mass transit with only one high-frequency route that runs along Redwood Road, the western border of both neighborhoods. The city hopes to eventually see all city residents have access to public transit within 1,200 feet of their homes.
The planning commission’s favorable recommendations will now go before the Salt Lake City Council for final approval. The new zoning will make implementation of the west side master plan possible once the city council formally approves the current draft.
