Salt Lake City planners urge R‑1 code consolidation, propose ‘small‑lot dwellings’ to add lower‑cost units

City planners returned to the Salt Lake City Council on Feb. 18 with a proposed rewrite of single‑family (R‑1) zoning intended to simplify standards and create an optional pathway for smaller, lower‑cost housing.

The planning team proposed three main changes: consolidate separate R‑1 code sections into a single chapter with a standards chart; remove front‑yard and height averaging requirements in favor of fixed setbacks and maximum heights; and add a new “small lot dwellings” option that would allow duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes and townhomes capped at four units per lot and limited by unit size.

Why it matters: planners said the changes aim to reduce developer uncertainty and construction costs in neighborhoods with high access to opportunity, and to create naturally lower‑priced “starter” units without rezoning entire blocks.

What planners proposed - Keep the R‑1 map zoning as currently drawn but consolidate and simplify the text so standards are easier to interpret. Planners recommended eliminating the existing front‑setback…