Salt Lake City weighs zoning changes to expand housing
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Salt Lake City is weighing new zoning rules that would allow property owners to expand housing options on their land.
Why it matters: The city aims to make it easier for residents in lower-density neighborhoods to build townhomes, duplexes and small single-family dwellings on their properties to combat the state's housing shortages and rising home costs.
- Those types of housing options, known as "missing middle housing," can cost tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars less than a typical single-family home.
State of play: Some of the new rules would increase building heights, remove lot width requirements, and raise building coverage in key residential zones.
- The changes would apply to about 33,500 properties in the city. Around 35% of those properties are large enough to accommodate an additional small lot, the city estimates.
Yes, but: Some residents and community councils say the new rules could diminish a neighborhood's identity, overwhelm infrastructure and lead to parking congestion.
- "If density was the solution for affordability, New York would be cheap," resident Lynn Schwarz said during a planning commission meeting last week.
- A group of residents called the Neighborhood Housing Alliance is circulating a Change.org petition urging the city to hit pause on the zoning proposal.
What they're saying: The proposal is designed to minimize potential impacts that homeowners have expressed concerns about, including privacy and neighborhood character, Alicia Seeley, a principal planner for the city, tells Axios.
- She says "there will always be trade-offs when adding more housing stock to existing neighborhoods."
The big picture: The proposal comes as Salt Lake City residents are becoming increasingly priced out of owning a home.
- The median cost for a single-family home in Salt Lake County hit an all-time high of $645,000 in the second quarter of 2026, per the Salt Lake Board of Realtors.
- About 91% of Utah renters cannot afford the average monthly mortgage payment, according to a new study from the University of Utah's Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute.
Zoom out: The proposed rules come after the Salt Lake City Council initiated a study in 2023 to explore changes to single-family residential zoning districts.
- That year, the city relaxed rules for accessory dwelling units (ADUs).
What we're watching: The Salt Lake City Planning Commission is expected to vote on the new rules on Sept. 23 for City Council recommendation.