Planning Commission backs partial street vacation at 1101 West 400 South, denies vacation along Fourth South

The Salt Lake City Planning Commission on Wednesday recommended that the City Council approve a partial street vacation on Eleventh West adjacent to 1101 West 400 South but deny a proposed vacation of the right-of-way along Fourth South (Poplar Grove Boulevard).

Planner Andy Hulka said the applicant, property owner Eric Sansom (represented at the hearing by Jason Seaton), asked to vacate roughly five feet of public right-of-way between the existing property line and the sidewalk to facilitate redevelopment of a 1906-era house and allow a new single-family residence to meet modern setback standards.

The nut graf: staff recommended approval of the portion on Eleventh West because the local street is a dead-end with no planned improvements, but recommended denial along Fourth South because Fourth South is an arterial corridor (about 106 feet of right-of-way) and city engineering and transportation staff prefer consistent corridor widths to preserve future options, including a planned viaduct trail two blocks away.

What the applicant said

Applicant Jason Seaton said the existing house’s stone foundation is in disrepair, exterior walls are unreinforced masonry, and the property sits in a FEMA AE flood zone; the owners want to rebuild and align the new house with the block’s immediate frontage. Seaton argued the requested five-foot strip would allow the rebuilt house to sit in line with neighboring properties and would not preclude future trail or sidewalk improvements.

Staff analysis and key facts

Andy Hulka summarized staff review: the city considers several standards when evaluating street vacations, and state code requires a City Council public hearing to determine whether the public interest would be materially injured. Fourth South functions as an arterial corridor with potential future multimodal improvements; transportation staff noted the Fourth South viaduct trail project begins two blocks away and recommended preserving right-of-way. Eleventh West is a local dead-end street (approximately 66-foot right-of-way) with retaining walls and stairs; staff concluded a partial vacation there would leave a consistent block-face width and pose fewer future-implementation constraints.

Previous variance and legal context

Seaton and Sansom said they previously pursued a setback variance to rebuild at the existing line; the variance was denied by the appeals hearing officer. Hulka noted that under the applicable city code (chapter 14.52) the council must find good cause and determine whether the vacation would materially injure the public.

Commission discussion and vote

Commissioners discussed urban-design consistency, engineering’s preference for continuous corridor right-of-way, and whether a single ‘‘missing tooth’’ in the Fourth South frontage would compromise future improvements. Commissioner questions noted that two outlying properties across the river skewed the block-face average used to calculate front-yard setbacks, which was the basis for the applicant’s request.

Commissioner Bree Shearer made the motion recommending the City Council approve vacating the portion adjacent to 1100 West (Eleventh West) and deny the vacation adjacent to 400 South; Commissioner Berry seconded. The roll call vote recorded seven yes votes and two no votes; the commission chair cast one of the two no votes. The commission’s recommendation will be delivered to City Council for public hearing and final action.

Ending

Planning staff noted that Council will hold the final public hearing; the commission’s recommendation preserves the city’s corridor flexibility on Fourth South while allowing the applicant to pursue relief on the Eleventh West frontage through Council action.