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City staff propose code change to clarify alley and street vacation process
Summary
Planning staff presented a text amendment to codify how Salt Lake City disposes of city-owned rights of way, adding new decision factors, methods for disposition, and clarifying when fees apply; engineering urged preserved easements for utilities.
Planning staff told the council the proposed amendment to chapter 14.52 would bring streets into the existing alley disposition framework and add four new consideration factors: impact on the general plan, property impacts, public utilities, and size factors. The change would also add methods for disposition including land exchange and a streamlined simple closure for certain public or private purposes, and define “low-density residential” as under 25 units per acre for vacation considerations.
Engineering staff cautioned that many alleyways and streets slated for vacation contain existing public and private utilities and that legal language should preserve easements in perpetuity. Mark Stevens, City Engineer, urged that "language should be put in any sort of plat or legal description that an easement in perpetuity is included to provide future and existing maintenance, upgrades, installations for utilities." Council members asked staff to ensure the code does not remove decisionmaking discretion and confirmed that fair market value remains the default fee for vacated property, with waivers permitted for other government entities.
