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Council briefed on resolution seeking exemptions for six station-area plans
Summary
Salt Lake City staff briefed the council on a draft resolution to seek state exemptions from station-area planning requirements for six light-rail and BRT stations, citing large areas of non-city land at several sites and limited local benefit at one station.
Salt Lake City Council members were briefed Wednesday on a draft resolution that would ask the Wasatch Front Regional Council (WFRC) to accept exemptions from state-required station-area plans for six transit stations.
City planning staff said state law requires a station-area planning effort for every fixed-rail or bus-rapid-transit station within a city or within a half-mile of a station. The city currently counts 34 stations and has already certified 14 station-area plans, staff said.
Staff said the six stations for which the city is seeking exemptions include four on the University of Utah campus, the Salt Lake City airport station, and the River Trail station (located in West Valley City on the south side of I-201). Planning Director Nick Norris said the university parcels are largely state, federal or institutional land outside the city’s zoning authority, and the airport station’s half-mile area is essentially all airport property. He also said Salt Lake City holds only about 6% of the River Trail station’s half-mile area and that pedestrian connections within the city’s portion are limited, reducing the likely local benefits of a station-area plan.
Why it matters: State code allows municipalities to request exemptions when a station-area plan would be impractical or add little local benefit. If a council resolution is adopted, staff said they would forward the resolution and an attached report to WFRC for consideration. WFRC is the regional body that reviews and approves such exceptions.
What staff presented: Norris displayed a tentative schedule showing the city’s progress on certifying station-area plans; the city already exceeded the state’s near-term requirement, staff said. They also showed maps and images of the Airport and River Trail areas and described why the university and federal lands limit Salt Lake City’s ability to exercise land-use controls in those station areas.
Council response: Council Member Dugan asked how often WFRC grants exceptions; staff said most requests for exceptions that have been submitted to WFRC have been granted. Staff noted that the Stadium (ballpark) station might draw more scrutiny because more city-owned land is involved; if WFRC declines an exemption for that station, staff said the city could address it during a future update to the central community plan.
Next steps: The draft resolution and staff report are included in the council packet. If the council adopts a resolution, staff will forward the materials to WFRC for review.
