Will Salt Lake City’s Zoning Reforms Create More Affordable Housing?

The city’s new rules allow for more flexibility in housing development, but other market forces could limit production.

1 minute read

December 13, 2023, 11:00 AM PST

By Diana Ionescu @aworkoffiction


View of residential neighborhood with large homes with tall mountains and cloudy sunset sky in background in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Residential neighborhood in Salt Lake City, Utah. | Jason / Adobe Stock

Salt Lake City passed a set of zoning reforms dubbed the Affordable Housing Incentives program, which could open the door to more affordable housing construction in the city that, like many others, is struggling to meet demand.

According to Sean Higgins of KUER, the new rules permit quadplexes in all residential zones, with the potential for another one to three-story addition in some areas, reduce parking requirements, and make changes that streamline the planning process. Projects will still have to comply with setbacks, building heights, and other building requirements.

As in other cities, the changes appear sweeping but will likely only affect a small percentage of properties due to the cost of construction and other considerations. “In the end, whether the incentives succeed in their intended goal of creating more affordable housing largely depends on the will of homebuilders.”

Monday, December 11, 2023 in KUER

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