Salt Lake City staff brief Historic Landmark Commission on Avenues community plan update; LDS Hospital site flagged as a key issue

City planning staff briefed the Salt Lake City Historic Landmark Commission on an update to the Avenues community plan, saying the plan area is roughly 3,000 acres and that the update aims to align neighborhood guidance with citywide policies such as Planned Salt Lake and Housing SLC.

Riley, a city planning staff member, said the Avenues plan “will help create a vision for the community for the next 10 years,” and described the project’s public-engagement sequence: opportunities and issues (completed), a “big ideas” stage currently under way, and a final vision stage leading to hearings and City Council consideration.

The presentation summarized an existing-conditions report and initial outreach. The Avenues contains about 8% of Salt Lake City’s population, many homes constructed before 1920, and a housing mix dominated by single-family homes with apartments representing about 39% of housing in parts of the Lower Avenues. Planners reported that 100% of Avenues households are within a 15-minute walk of a park, trailhead or the city cemetery, and cited notable parks including Popperton Park, Memory Grove and Eleventh Avenue Park.

Public engagement to date included six in-person events, eight stakeholder interviews and an online survey that produced 265 responses (the initial survey window closed Aug. 1). Staff said common themes from outreach were strong support for preserving the neighborhood’s historic character, concerns about housing cost and availability, transportation safety and access, and requests for more neighborhood-serving businesses.

Transportation matters highlighted in the briefing included frequent bus service every 15 minutes on parts of Ninth Avenue and South Temple (6 a.m.–7 p.m., Monday–Saturday) and 60-minute service on routes such as Eleventh Avenue, Virginia Street and Third Avenue. Staff noted residents raised speeding, unsafe intersections, bus speeds and the lack of bike infrastructure.

Preservation emerged as a central topic. Planners told the commission the Avenues local and national historic districts were adopted in 1978 and said many respondents value the historic overlay, though some owners asked for clearer information about what changes require review and for greater flexibility for repairs and minor alterations. Staff said the city could consider small process changes such as expanding items exempt from a certificate of appropriateness or delegating limited authority to staff.

The future of the LDS Hospital site was repeatedly raised during discussion. Staff said the middle portion of that property is currently zoned Urban Institutional, which permits housing and carries a 75-foot permitted height; a rough lidar estimate cited during the briefing put the existing hospital building at about 101 feet. Planning staff said they will address the site in this plan update and aim to publish initial concept alternatives in coming months, but emphasized they have no final decisions from the hospital about redevelopment.

Planners also described possible policy responses the update might include, such as guidance on compatible infill housing types (duplexes, townhomes, small single-family, small-scale multifamily of four to nine units), adaptive reuse, and targeted placemaking or beautification in commercial blocks. Staff said the plan team will share draft initiatives at upcoming public events, including the Avenue Street Fair on Sept. 13, and that the online open house will be updated throughout the process.

Commission members asked whether the plan could change how the commission reviews work in the historic district; staff said core review authorities — review of new construction and certificate of appropriateness rules for alterations — would remain, though small adjustments to process or the period of significance could be considered based on survey findings.

Staff closed the briefing by inviting further questions and additional public comment as the draft initiatives are developed.