The historic site of an LDS Church ward building that became the namesake for the Liberty Wells neighborhood will make way for 24 for-sale townhomes under a new proposal filed with the city.
Developers are hoping the city will agree to rezone the property from R-1-5000 to RMF-35, one of the city’s recently updated missing middle zoning types.
The 1.03-acre property is currently vacant, as the church initially moved to sell the building and require the buyer to demolish it. The church was preparing to raze the building itself when it burned down in May 2024.
On Monday, representatives from Castlewood Development filed a rezone request with the city showing what could be built on the now-vacant property.
“The Wells on 5th proposal represents a thoughtful, context-sensitive infill development that directly responds to Salt Lake City’s adopted plans, established neighborhood character, and demonstrated housing needs,” the developers wrote in the application.
The new homes would each include at least 1,700 square feet, four bedrooms, 3.5 baths and two-car garages. They are being pitched as family-friendly homes, given the bedroom layout with three bedrooms on the third floor plus a playground built on the development’s southwest side.
Liberty Wells is generally considered open to new infill development, though there have historically been relatively few opportunities for multifamily development on the interior of the largely single-family neighborhood west and south of Liberty Park.
Castlewood noted that the project site is within a third of a mile from a Trax stop in South Salt Lake along 500 East. There are also bus routes on 2100 South and 500 East.
An illustrative rendering of the landscape plan for the townhomes at the former Wells Ward. Renderings by Mint Architecture and Castlewood Development.
The townhome project would also bring modest density (just under 24 units per acre) into the neighborhood from the perimeter along 2100 South, where townhome projects continue to be built along 2100 South in Salt Lake City.
“As developable land within Salt Lake City becomes increasingly scarce, there is a strong policy emphasis on infill development and the preservation of existing housing stock,” the developers wrote. “This project advances those goals by delivering 24 new ownership units on a vacant parcel, without demolishing or displacing existing homes.”
Castlewood noted that the three streets bounding the project — 500 East, Hollywood Avenue and Redondo Avenue — each have existing infrastructure that can support the development.
The buildings within the proposed development are oriented away from 500 East, and the materials included in the application don’t show what the units with frontage along 500 East would look like.
From the architectural renderings included in the application, it appears that the units facing 500 East would include a residential doorway and bedroom window at the ground floor, a window and balcony on the second floor, and three windows on the third floor. A landscape rendering doesn’t show in detail how the end units might interact with the sidewalk or street along 500 East.
The renderings do reflect a winding sidewalk in the middle of the development, leading from 500 East to the proposed play area. There would also be a sidewalk from Redondo to the play area and interior of the proposed development. It’s not clear if that walkway or play zone would be built as an offering for the broader neighborhood, though public use isn’t likely given the private nature of the development.
The open space proposed for the project is being pitched as a benefit to the community, as Castlewood is proposing to include nearly three times as much open space as is required by the RMF-35 zone.
Castlewood said that it would cap the new buildings at 30 feet, shorter than the 35 feet of height allowed in the RMF-35 zone. The adjacent R-1 zoning allows for homes to be up to 28 feet tall, though that could increase to 30 feet under a proposed update to the city’s single-family zoning.
The church still owns the Wells Ward site, at 1990 S. 500 E., indicating Castlewood is under contract pending city approval of the rezone request and master plan amendment.
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