In a quick vote last week, the Salt Lake City Council approved a rezone ordinance that will clear the way for additional affordable housing units to be built in the Ballpark neighborhood.
The council voted unanimously to rezone three parcels of land owned by the Housing Authority of Salt Lake City (HASLC) from MU-11 and RMF-35 to MU-8. The parcels are located at 1726 Jefferson St. and 1750 Jefferson Circle, and the project is named Mansell Manor. Council members offered no additional discussion prior to approving the rezone last week.
The HASLC, a Building Salt Lake advertiser, first proposed the rezone last July. The application was filed weeks after the housing authority started moving its headquarters from 1776 S. West Temple, which is nearly adjacent to the rezoned parcels, to its new base at the historic Oquirrh Building on 400 East.
Initially, the rezone application called for a rezone to MU-5 that called for building, “approximately three new buildings containing approximately 250-280 units of affordable housing with attached resident amenities,” according to a narrative document submitted to Salt Lake City last year. The MU-5 carries a maximum height of 55 feet.
However, the plans evolved as the application progressed. The Salt Lake City Planning Commission heard the proposal and recommended upzoning the application to MU-8. The change was recommended because of the parcels’ proximity to an MU-11 parcel to the north and an MU-8 parcel to the south, as the planning commission believed MU-8 zoning would be a more appropriate zone between the two areas. MU-8 zoning carries a maximum height of 75 feet by right and 90 feet via design review.
The parcels that could be rezoned for the Mansell Manor project, highlighted in red. Image via Salt Lake City
Following the changes, city staff told the council in April the Mansell Manor plans now call for 160-200 housing units with one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments. The planning commission’s vote included a recommendation that at least 15% of units on the property should be rented or sold to families making 80% AMI or below, which was included in the ordinance.
As part of the rezone, the HASLC also must relocate those living in the 20 units located at the site currently, which is known as Jefferson Circle. Those buildings will be razed to make way for the new development. Those living in Jefferson Circle will be relocated, and builders are required by city code to offer similar units to those tenants at a similar price once the building is complete.
Council Member Victoria Petro asked back in April if those 20 units would count toward the units offered at 80% AMI. City staff said those would be separate and not count toward the affordable unit total.
With its approval, it’s not clear when construction could begin on the Mansell Manor project. The HASLC has other housing developments nearby, including Taylor Gardens and Taylor Springs, which are located to the south of the rezoned parcels.
Mansell Manor is just one of the numerous new housing projects the HASLC has lined up in the coming years. In addition to plans at the Fleet Block, the HASLC also has projects in the works in Sugar House, Ballpark and Central City, among other neighborhoods.
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