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 modify the height limit; the final count reported on the record was 6–0 in favor (Council member Cooley not present earlier in the meeting).

The council then considered item 13, a set of four map revisions. Planning staff described one technical fix that would square off a small group of corner parcels already allowed extra height and simplify the code by extending the 65‑foot height allowance to any parcel within 65 feet of a corner rather than only a tiny designated sliver. After discussion the council supported the set of subpoints (13.1–13.4) with a modified direction to change properties along Green Street to MU‑6 as shown on the presentation map; the straw poll was recorded 6–0 in support.

On item 14, changes to public noticing language, planning staff said state law updated noticing categories in 2024 (class A and class B notices) and then adopted a ministerial notice option this year to avoid mailed notices for truly ministerial amendments. The proposed code changes would define the city’s geographic‑area rules and align local code with the state’s ministerial notice rules for certain zoning amendments. Planning staff told the council this would not eliminate the city’s authority to send mailed notices when staff or council chose to do so; the straw poll to approve the modifications was recorded 6–0.

Several higher‑profile map change requests followed. A property owner request to rezone parcels along North Temple from MU‑5 to MU‑8 — which would allow roughly three additional stories — prompted the lengthiest debate about transitions, setbacks and neighborhood plans. Planning staff noted the area’s North Temple small‑area plan is older and is being updated; some council members said higher density on North Temple made sense to match nearby parcels, while others asked staff to review consistency with the small‑area plan. The council took a straw poll in favor of expanding MU‑8 in the specified area; the count recorded in the meeting transcript was 6–0.

A related request near 1435 South State Street to change several parcels to MU‑8 drew more divided reaction. Several council members said State Street could support more height but expressed concern about immediate adjacency to single‑family homes and preferred addressing broader master‑plan updates before spot rezones. The chair called a straw poll on the spot rezoning; the outcome reported was four yes and one no (four yes, one no; remaining members not on record).

The council also voted by straw poll to make “kennel” a conditional use (rather than outright permitted) in several MU zones so planning review could mitigate potential noise or other neighborhood impacts; that straw poll was recorded 6–0. Council members also supported a staff request to study whether certain interior blocks in MU‑5 and above that retain intact single‑family uses might be candidates for downzoning to MU‑2 or MU‑3: the council asked staff to draft legislative intent for a study and the straw poll recorded in the meeting was 6–0.

What happens next: planning staff said they will incorporate the council’s directions into the final drafts for the May 6 public hearing; several council members asked for additional neighborhood‑level analysis and small‑area plan cross‑checks on the North Temple and State Street requests before final votes.

Ending: The council’s straw polls do not constitute final ordinances. The items discussed will be revised per council direction and returned at public hearings where members may vote formally on ordinances, map amendments and text changes.