Development could soon be underway along the northern rim of Salt Lake County — if the Salt Lake City Council approves an ordinance to annex land into the city.
City officials are inching closer toward a vote on the Northpoint annexation plan, which would add over 1,300 acres to the city’s boundaries in what was formerly unincorporated Salt Lake County land.
Members of the Salt Lake City Council were briefed on the plan by city staff members during a work session meeting Tuesday. The annexation area is generally along 2200 West and 2100 North up to the Davis County border.
Nick Tarbet, the city’s deputy director of legislation and policy, said much of the annexed land would either be zoned for agriculture or designated as an entirely new zone — Northpoint Light Industrial (M-1A) — which was adopted by the City Council during a meeting in January.
A handful of other parcels are owned by the Salt Lake City International Airport or designated as protected wetlands. The new M-1A zone was created to be similar to the existing zoning the area has through Salt Lake County, as well as to be in alignment with the small area plan that was passed in 2023.
Northpoint’s annexation has long been a goal for the city, and at least part of the area is expected to be developed into light industrial. Tarbet said the process took longer than the city hoped, mainly because they found inconsistencies between the border of Salt Lake and Davis counties.
Tarbet said if the annexation passes, construction will follow soon after. Judging from the zoning, that would likely mean warehouses and industrial space, something that’s always a need in Salt Lake City.
“If the council goes with this zoning, there are developers who have met early with planning just to get some initial feedback, (and) there will be construction very quickly,” Tarbet said.
The M-1A zone would allow for “light industrial, office, and research uses that produce minimal impact on adjacent residential and agricultural properties,” according to the ordinance passed in January. The maximum building height for the zone is 40 feet, and building sizes are limited to a maximum of 100,000 square feet.
Council members had two options Tuesday. One route was to designate M-1A zoning to all properties identified in plans as in a “transitional” area, which are areas largely found along 2200 West that would be most appropriate for redevelopment. The other option was to only designate M-1A zoning to landowners that had requested it.
They went with the latter option, which would allow landowners who want to keep their agricultural zone to do so.
Council Member Victoria Petro, who would represent the annexed area on the council, said her strong preference was to only give the M-1A zone to landowners who want it.
“The only pressure to make it something that can be commercialized is because current residential landowners have been requesting this out of us,” Petro said. “I like that it allows us, if some miracle happens where we can preserve it as (agriculture), that we do.”
She added that if a landowner wants the M-1A zone in the future and requests a rezone, the city can have its say and negotiate a development agreement. Petro said the annexation has been a topic of discussion for years, and landowners who want the M-1A zone have consistently voiced their opinions to the city.
Now with a path forward, planning staff will begin drafting an ordinance for the annexation and present it to the council, which will vote on whether or not to pass it. The city’s website indicates that a vote could take place as soon as its May 20 meeting.
0 Comments