Council advances multiple mixed‑use zoning consolidations, takes straw polls on height, signage and notices

Salt Lake City Council members moved forward with a series of straw‑poll decisions April 15 as planning staff walked the council through the remaining items in a citywide mixed‑use zoning consolidation.

The session covered a range of proposed edits to zone maps and text — from increasing private directional sign height limits to mapping changes in East Central and along North Temple and State Street — and ended with multiple straw polls that approved many of planning’s recommendations and flagged several items for further study.

Planning staff opened discussion by reviewing the remaining eight straw‑poll items, saying council members had already taken positions on the first 11. At item 12 the council considered increasing the maximum height for private directional signs from 4 feet to 8 feet; planning staff said the change would allow “a regular eye‑level sign” in contexts where developers had previously been limited to lower signs. Council member Young asked, “What is a private directional sign?” and planning staff clarified these are signs on private property that indicate parking or circulation and may face a public right of way. The council took a straw poll to…