Salt Lake City planning staff outline multi-year schedule to update community plans

Planning staff presented a multi-year schedule to update Salt Lake Citys community plans and related station-area plans, telling the Planning Commission they plan to phase the work over the next several years and aim to complete major work by 2031.

The director said state code requires certain elements in the citys general planincluding land use, transportation, a moderate-income housing element and station-area plans around fixed-rail stationsand staff outlined a three-phase public-engagement process for each community plan: existing-conditions review, visioning, and draft-and-review. Staff said the city maintains 10 community plans and roughly 22 small-area plans embedded within them; staff also noted there are about 34 station-area plans state code can require around rail stations, though many already have certified plans or received exceptions.

Staff identified immediate items: the Northwest plan has been transmitted to City Council, the Avenues draft is expected to be published for public review next week, and the Capitol Hill plan is a few months behind. Central Community and Sugar House were listed as near-term priorities because of associated station-area work, and staff said downtown, East Bench and the Northwest quadrant will follow so the overall program wraps up in the 20262031 window. Staff also noted that changes in staffing levels, development pressure and state law can alter the schedule.

The director flagged a related construction project: a local agreement to extend the S-Line in Sugar House is funded and demolition permits are underway for CRA-owned properties adjacent to the S-Line corridor; development on those parcels will be deferred until the transit work is complete.

Commissioners asked how small-area studies will be integrated; staff said many small-area policies are folded into larger community plans (for example, the Rose Park small-area policies were reviewed for incorporation into the Northwest plan). Commissioners also asked whether the Planning Commission reviews the City Creek plan; staff said City Creek is part of the general plan and the commission would have a role in review. The presentation closed with staff inviting additional questions and identifying the upcoming public-engagement schedule for each plan.

Next step: staff will start public outreach for the Avenues plan and continue existing-conditions analyses for Central Community, with formal transmittal to City Council expected for several plans over the coming year.