South Salt Lake presents $1.6M pilot, HTRZ targets in housing update

At a Jan. 14 work meeting, South Salt Lake staff and housing partners outlined the city's current housing strategy and near-term projects aimed at expanding affordable ownership and rental options. Steve Lyon, South Salt Lake senior RDA and housing manager, and partners from Habitat for Humanity and Promise South Salt Lake reviewed a completed housing needs assessment (Sept. 23, 2024), community outreach conducted in early 2024, and policy priorities the council agreed to on Aug. 28, 2024: concerns about affordability, desire for more diverse housing options, need for larger (3'4 bedroom) units, and improvements to the existing housing stock.

Staff described Phase 1 strategies that include HTRZ incentives (adoption completed) projected to produce 10,000 units with a 12.5% affordable requirement; staff noted that of 2,000 units pending in the HTRZ, 682 would be affordable, with 546 at 60% AMI and 40% of those being 2+ bedroom units. The presentation also outlined a Homeowner Partnership pilot focused on acquiring and renovating abandoned or dilapidated homes for sale to households at 30'60% AMI, and a Community Land Trust approach to preserve long‑term affordability. Budgeted pilot funding was listed at $1,600,000 (approximately $1,100,000 CDBG and $500,000 city match). The presenters said next steps include coordination with Promise South Salt Lake, zoning and code updates to enable "missing middle" development, targeted property acquisition, and preparing FY26 grant applications (staff identified a FY26 CDBG grant application due in November).