Salt Lake City commission backs clarifying zoning exemptions for public utilities

Salt Lake City’s Historic Landmark Commission voted unanimously to forward a mayor-initiated zoning text amendment clarifying utility exemptions and allowing additional administrative review for some public-utility structures in the city’s historic overlay.

The amendment (case PLN PCM 2024-01352) was presented by planning staff member David, who said the change would explicitly add government-owned antennas and fences or walls that restrict access to utility sites to the list of uses exempted from zoning design standards. It also clarifies utility-related footnotes, slightly tweaks the code definition of “utility” and adds an administrative-review pathway for certain public-utility construction that would otherwise require a public hearing in the historic overlay.

The measure’s purpose, David said, is to resolve practical conflicts between utility operational needs and the standards intended for traditional buildings: “...it’s really difficult for utilities to meet zoning requirements and meet the standards as they’re intended for buildings,” he said, adding that administrative review would preserve a 45-day public notice period while removing the formal public-hearing step for some cases.

Why it matters: the change is intended to speed delivery of essential infrastructure that staff said can sometimes be delayed by a full hearing process — for example, when rapid repairs are needed for pump houses or other public-safety systems. David told commissioners that staff would still refer large or controversial projects to the Historic Landmark Commission (HLC) if public feedback or scale warranted it.

During public comment, Liberty Park historian Cindy Cromer urged caution, saying she was “very much opposed to waiving requirements in historic districts” and that exempting utilities could produce inequities if private property owners remain subject to stricter design rules. Cromer reminded the commission of past instances when public processes altered or halted utility projects in parks and said those reviews prevented costly or unnecessary work.

Commission discussion centered on scale and precedent. Several commissioners said they supported administrative review for small or time-sensitive installations while preserving the commission’s ability to require a full hearing for substantial or highly visible structures. Staff reiterated that the proposal does not remove material- or durability-based requirements and that administrative review would not be automatic for larger principal structures: “If we got a lot of feedback, then we certainly would bring it to HLC,” David said.

Action and next steps: Commissioner Adrian White moved, and Commissioner Emily Kearns seconded, that the commission forward a recommendation to adopt the zoning text amendment to city council. The motion passed on a recorded vote of 6-0. The file will proceed to City Council for consideration; the transcript shows the commission’s recommendation but does not record any City Council action.

The commission did not set any conditions tied to specific projects during the meeting, and staff said routine notifications to property owners within 300 feet would still apply for new principal-structure reviews.

Ending note: The staff presentation said the changes would not apply to cell towers and would preserve review for solar panels and certain other infrastructure. Staff recommended approval to the City Council and commissioners agreed to forward that recommendation for the council’s decision.