UNAFFORDABLE UTAH

SLC neighborhood townhall questions Affordable Housing Incentives

Jun 10, 2022, 10:13 AM | Updated: Oct 12, 2022, 3:38 pm

SALT LAKE CITY — Thursday night, concerns arose at a community townhall in a Salt Lake City neighborhood over an affordable housing incentives proposal, that some worry is deeply flawed.

The neighborhood council that sponsored the town hall said they favor affordable housing, and they want to get to a ‘yes’ on a plan but residents wondered if the proposal in its current state would do what it intends.

Walking around Yalecrest, one might notice the quaint tree-lined streets and historic architecture.

Some of the homes are nearing a century in age.

“The majority of Yalecrest are English cottages,” Pershing explained. “They’re not very big, but they’re beautiful. They have architectural elements you just don’t get in a new house today.”

Pershing is president of the nonprofit Keep Educating and Encouraging Preservation (K.E.E.P.) Yalecrest, which she said helps people set up local historic districts in Yalecrest and works on community projects like repairing the vintage streetlamps.

She loves living in Yalecrest.

“I was just charmed by this neighborhood,” she said.

But she fears that charm could change with the Salt Lake City Affordable Housing Incentives proposal, which would amend zoning requirements to incentivize developers to include affordable housing units in their projects.

“My biggest concern is the ability to go anywhere and tear down a viable, single-family house,” Pershing expressed. “I don’t think we should be tearing down any houses in our city at this point. It’s especially damaging to historic districts.”

She worries the proposal would not just allow developers to buy a property and tear down a historic home, but that it would also allow them to build “anything they want without a design review.”

Additionally, she shared doubts that the proposal focuses enough on affordable housing, because it allows half or more of the units to be listed at full market price.

“They could call it multi-family housing incentives, but to call it affordable is really a misnomer,” she said.

Everything Pershing touched upon, became the focus of a townhall sponsored by both K.E.E.P. Yalecrest and the Yalecrest Neighborhood Council Thursday evening.

The townhall featured five speakers, including Pershing, as well as a Q and A panel.

Topics covered by the speakers included architecture, law, historic preservation, housing, and real estate.

Questions included impacts of the proposal on roads and infrastructure, enforceability of the plan, and its effectiveness.

“The most important question that practically no one is asking, will this make a difference?” asked Janet Hemming, chair of the Yalecrest Neighborhood Council, to the crowd of dozens. “Do the people that we care about—and we do—low-income people who need housing, will this help them?”

While not a city-run event, Salt Lake City Planning Director Nick Norris attended the townhall and listened from the audience.

“We are listening to what people’s concerns are, and we want to make changes to improve the proposal,” he said.

One example he gave from what he heard, included potential issues with enforcement of the proposal. He described how they share the concern of making sure the city has a way to enforce that the affordable units stay affordable, years and decades down the line.

Norris said the proposal does include design standards such as building heights, so that units would fit in with the neighborhood.

But as far as Thursday’s townhall, Norris said it’s an opportunity to learn from the community. The Planning Commission held a hearing in May, Norris said, and they’re still going through the comments from that meeting.

They plan to continue those hearings in the future.

“What we hope is that we can have constructive dialogue in that process,” he said. “So that we’re all working toward a common goal of improving the housing options in our city, in the most appropriate way that we can.”

KSL 5 TV Live

Unaffordable Utah

Homes in Centreville, Maryland...

By Anna Bahney, CNN

US mortgage rates climb to highest level since November

US mortgage rates jumped higher last week as uncertainty about the debt ceiling standoff sent bond yields rising.

4 days ago

This week on Sunday Edition, Doug sits down with former state senator Scott Howell to get his persp...

KSL TV

Sunday Edition: Democratic Presidential Election, Utah All-Day Kindergarten, Guiding Our Growth Program

This week on Sunday Edition, Doug talks with former state senator Scott Howell about the Democratic Nomination for the Presidential Election, Christine Elegante from the Utah State School Board about the all-day kindergarten program, and Envision Utah's Ari Bruening about the Guiding Our Growth Program.

23 days ago

A home stands for sale in a Brooklyn neighborhood with a limited supply of single family homes on M...

Ladd Egan

Utah’s $20k first-time homebuyer assistance program starts in July

Utah’s new $20,000 first-time homebuyer assistance program created by the legislature earlier this year is set to rollout in the beginning of July.

1 month ago

Two years ago, Mindy Herget and Brynn Christensen started brainstorming a side hustle while working...

Ladd Egan

Unaffordable Utah: Start a side gig to bring in extra cash

Looking for a way to stretch your family’s budget and battle inflation? A side gig could bring in extra income to make ends meet, pay off debt or make a large purchase.

1 month ago

Mortgage rates...

Anna Bahney, CNN and Ladd Egan, KSL TV

Mortgage rates climb to the highest level in a month

Mortgage rates rose this week, after five weeks of falling.

2 months ago

Mortgage rates...

Matt Gephardt & Sloan Schrage

Utah’s red-hot housing market is calming down, so is now a good time to buy a house?

It may not be the buying frenzy we saw a couple of years ago, but licensed realtor Jennifer Gilchrist said the Wasatch Front's housing market is still plenty robust, partly because we are now in the spring home-buying season.

2 months ago

Sponsored Articles

Brunette guy in headphones playing games on his desktop computer...

PC Laptops

Looking For a New Computer? Use This Desktop Buying Guide

Choosing a new desktop computer can come with a lot of questions, so we created this desktop buying guide.

Portrait of happy boy playing and splashing water in the swimming pool...

Get Out Pass

Family Fun Activities in Utah You Have to Try This Summer

These family fun activities will entertain you all summer, so if you ever feel stuck in a rut wondering what to do, refer to this guide!

Woman IT specialist in elegant suit working on notebook computer in data center next to server rack...

Les Olson

Your Complete Guide to Outsourcing IT Services

This guide covers everything you need to know about the different benefits of outsourcing IT services to meet your small business needs.

diverse group of friends dance outside under string lights...

Lighting Design

5 Frequently Asked Questions About Outdoor Lighting

Read for the most frequently asked questions about outdoor lighting to help narrow the search for your home.

Stack of old laptops with dark background...

PC Laptops

Old Laptop Upgrades You Need to Try Before Throwing it Away

Get the most out of your investment. Try these old laptop upgrades before throwing it out to keep it running fast and efficient.

Happy diverse college or university students are having fun on their graduation day...

BYU MBA at the Marriott School of Business

How to Choose What MBA Program is Right for You: Take this Quiz Before You Apply!

Wondering what MBA program is right for you? Take this quiz before you apply to see if it will help you meet your goals.

SLC neighborhood townhall questions Affordable Housing Incentives