The Salt Lake City Council unanimously approved an ordinance that made a number of immediate changes to the city’s design review standards that aim at stopping variances from zoning rules that have frequently been used by developers.
The entire process was first prompted by the city Planning Commission concerns in 2023, according to planning staff.
The ordinance passed last week is largely in line with the changes discussed among council members last month, though there were some revisions. The changes include updates to massing and facade length, among other updates.
Massing
Massing now has more parameters.
According to the ordinance, buildings taller than three stories must have a “distinct base to create a sense of human scale orientation.”
Buildings taller than 50 feet must have a base of at least 20 feet. Buildings taller than 100 feet must have a minimum three-story base or be consistent with the existing street wall.
Facade length
Building facade length is one aspect that’s been revised since the council’s last discussion.
Previously there hasn’t been a cap on a building’s length if it goes through a design review. That has led to buildings that stretch entire Salt Lake City blocks.
The new rules would only allow building length to be increased up to 25% of the prescribed maximum building length in a zone.
Amanda Roman, an urban designer for Salt Lake City, said in July that the 25% maximum would result in a maximum city-wide building length of 250 feet.
The building facade length cap is a notable change, as numerous existing apartment buildings in the city would exceed that 250-foot length.
Shorter facades are generally considered to contribute to a more walkable urban form, as pedestrians are offered more variety by more buildings and changes in building length.
The council included an exception to the new 25% cap on longer facades.
Projects meeting affordable housing incentives spelled out in city code for a given zone can get a 75% increase of the prescribed maximum building length. Those projects also must get design review approval and maintain ground floor use requirements.
Ground floor activation
Ground floor use requirements are another aspect that are frequently altered during the design review process — but won’t be anymore.
For buildings in zones with a ground floor use requirement, that requirement can no longer be reduced through the design review process, according to the ordinance.
In zones without a specified percentage for required ground floor use activation, the ordinance says at least 75% of the ground floor now must have active use.
The facade length cap and ground floor requirements do not impact certain kinds of buildings, including, “utility buildings and structures (other than the offices for utility providers), stadiums/arenas, libraries, convention centers, places of worship, government offices, public and private schools, universities, movie theaters, live performance theaters,” and other buildings determined by the city zoning administrator, according to the ordinance.
Window recesses
One potential change that previously concerned some council members was a proposal to change the window recesses for all new construction. Council Member Darin Mano, who is an architect, said in July such a change could make projects more expensive. That requirement was not included in the ordinance passed Tuesday.
Projects going through a design review also now must have a streetscape study that shows how the building would integrate with the existing block. The study would include, “the building height, height of the ground floor or building base, street facing façade length, front yard setback, and location of vehicular entrances of existing buildings,” the ordinance says.
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