Planning Commission forwards MU‑3 rezoning for 1300 South properties with affordable-unit pledge

Salt Lake City’s Planning Commission voted unanimously on Nov. 12 to recommend that the City Council approve a zoning map amendment that would reclassify three parcels on 1300 South (near 2260–2290 E. 1300 South) from single‑family R‑17000 to MU‑3 mixed‑use zoning. Staff said the rezoning would allow a roughly 26‑unit for‑sale community with about eight townhomes and 18 condominium units and identified community benefits and conditions to be finalized by the council.

Planner Brooke (staff) told commissioners the applicant proposes to dedicate 10 percent of the new units to households earning no more than 80 percent of area median income as the community benefit and that staff recommends approval with conditions that would be secured in a development agreement. Staff also recommended tenant‑relocation assistance and a requirement that the developer either replace demolished housing or pay into the city’s housing fund in accordance with code.

Joe Johnson and Matt Knight, representing J Development (applicant), described the project as a neighborhood‑oriented, for‑sale development that preserves pedestrian access, locates most parking underneath buildings, and seeks to coordinate with the East Bench Community Council and the city’s capital improvement program (CIP) to address sidewalk and streetscape needs. The applicant cited a traffic analysis they said shows a 2.4 percent increase in daily trips and characterized that as a low impact on surrounding roadways.

Neighbors and community groups raised safety and traffic concerns during public comment. Several residents who live near the proposed site said an S‑curve at 23rd and 13th South and seasonal icing create frequent winter collisions; they urged the commission to push the city council to require ingress/egress patterns and traffic‑calming measures that reduce stacking on 13th South. The East Bench Community Council’s representative asked the commission to require access to underground parking be entry‑only from 13th South, with egress routed to 23rd East where feasible.

Commissioners asked staff and the applicant about their authority to require seller financing or rent limits as part of a community benefit. Staff explained that the City Council — not the commission — has final discretion to structure community benefits and may require rent stabilization or payments into the city housing fund under the code when tenants are displaced. Commissioners also confirmed that the MU‑3 zone has a minimum 5‑foot setback and that reductions or other modifications would be considered later through plan‑development or design‑review processes.

After deliberation the commission adopted a motion recommending the City Council adopt the rezoning as recommended by staff, while also asking the council to review components of the city’s “Thriving Salt Lake” policies to ensure the community‑benefit commitments are robust. The recommendation forwards the zoning change and attendant development‑agreement negotiation to the City Council; any final conditions, including specific housing affordability terms and tenant‑relocation details, will be formalized by the council.