PROCEEDINGS OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH
REGULAR SESSION
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 1988
The City Council of Salt Lake City, Utah, met in regular session on Thursday, November 17, 1988, at 8:55 p.m. in Suite 300, City Hall, 324 South State Street.
The following Council Members were present: Florence Bittner Sydney Fonnesbeck Alan Hardman Tom Godfrey Roselyn Kirk Willie Stoler. Councilmember Horrocks was absent from the meeting.
Mayor Palmer DePaulis, Roger Cutler, City Attorney, Kathryn Marshall, City Recorder, were also absent.
Councilmember Godfrey presided at and conducted the meeting.
UNFINISHED COUNCIL BUSINESS
#1. RE: An ordinance amending Chapter 21.64 dealing with surface use, structured parking and demolition restrictions in Commercial “C-4” districts pursuant to Petitions 400-647 and 400-648 by John Pingree for the R/UDAT Steering Committee.
ACTION: Councilmember Kirk moved and Councilmember Fonnesbeck seconded to adopt Ordinance 77 of 1988, which motion carried, all members present voted aye except Councilmembers Bittner and Stoler who voted nay.
DISCUSSION: Councilmember Bittner said she believed the ordinance would cause more problems than it would solve and would cause disinvestment in the downtown area. She thought they would be putting additional restrictions upon property owners and making it more attractive for them to move to the county. She said in principle she did not approve of the ordinance. Councilmember Stoler said many financial people from downtown opposed this ordinance at the public hearings yet the Council was not willing to listen to them. He said he had a difficult time getting involved with property rights.
Councilmember Kirk said there were also a lot of people, like the Central Business District, who supported the ordinance. She said the Council listened really well and had received a lot of objective advice. She said she thought it would be positive for the downtown area because it would start a dialogue and be a constant communication process. She said if she thought it was bad for downtown she would vote against the ordinance.
Councilmember Fonnesbeck indicated that the people she listened to in this issue included the planners, architects, retail merchants, Planning and Zoning Commission, Capital City Committee, and the Central Business District. She said the majority of people who spoke were in favor of the ordinance and there was not a single organized group that spoke in opposition. Councilmember Bittner indicated that she thought this would cause problems for the owners of small, unusable buildings and the buildings would remain vacant. She said the biggest offender was the Redevelopment Agency since they probably had more vacant land and parking lots than any other landlord. She said there would be a substantial economic impact for the Redevelopment Agency to comply with this ordinance.
She said she thought everyone wanted to improve downtown Salt Lake City but had a basic disagreement on the best action for revitalization. She thought it was a good idea to listen to the investors who had indicated they would not invest in downtown if the ordinance passed.
(P 88-289 and P 88-290)
The meeting adjourned at 9:15 p.m.