Planning commission hears Avenues community-plan update; residents emphasize housing compatibility and safety

The Planning Commission received a work-session briefing on the Avenues community-plan update, an informational item with no public hearing and no formal action.

Staff described the Avenues plan-area analysis, outreach activities and next steps. "This plan was identified as needing to be updated because it is the oldest community plan we have in Salt Lake City. It's almost as old as me," a staff presenter said, and noted the plan will align with citywide policies in Plan Salt Lake and the city housing plan to produce a 10-year vision through 2035.

What staff presented - Area and demographics: The Avenues plan area covers roughly 3,000 acres and contains about 8% of the city's population; development ages vary with nearly half of buildings constructed before 1920. - Historic and open-space context: The Avenues is within a national registered historic district and contains multiple local historic districts and 45 individually listed historic structures. - Transportation and parks: Highest traffic volumes occur on South Temple, Eleventh, Third and Second Avenue; the neighborhood is served by several bus routes including some parts of the frequent-service network. Staff reported that 100% of households are within a 15-minute walk of a park or trailhead. - Public engagement: The project team has held six in-person events, eight stakeholder interviews and an online survey with 265 responses. Residents rated quality of life highly (95% rated it good or very good) and listed housing cost/availability, transportation safety and lack of neighborhood-serving businesses as top issues.

Community feedback highlights Survey respondents generally supported adding housing while emphasizing compatibility: the most-preferred infill types were duplexes, townhomes, small single-family homes and small-scale multifamily (4'9 units). Common transportation concerns included speeding, unsafe intersections, limited bike infrastructure and transit frequency. Residents also asked for park maintenance, shade, restrooms and community garden space.

Commissioner comments and related topics Commissioners asked about wildfire risk where the neighborhood abuts the foothills, and staff said the Fire Department is developing a wildland-interface map that will be incorporated into future planning work and building-code changes. Commissioners also suggested outreach at neighborhood events such as the U Street block party and noted the need to reconcile plan-area boundaries so adjacent plans are congruent where possible.

Next steps The staff said the team is in the "big ideas" phase of engagement and will continue public outreach through fall, attend the Avenue Street Festival and return later with draft initiatives. Because the session was a work session, the commission offered feedback but took no vote.