SALT LAKE CITY PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING
Room 126 of the City & County Building
451 South State Street, Salt Lake City, Utah
A roll is being kept of all who attended the Planning Commission Meeting. The meeting was called to order at 5:32:13 PM. Audio recordings of the Planning Commission meetings are retained in the Planning Office for an indefinite period of time.
Present for the Planning Commission meeting were: Commissioners Michael Fife, Michael Gallegos, James Guilkey, Carolynn Hoskins, Matt Lyon, Marie Taylor and Mary Woodhead. Chairperson Emily Drown, Vice Chair Clark Ruttinger, Commissioners Angela Dean and Matthew Wirthlin were excused.
Planning Staff members present at the meeting were: Wilford Sommerkorn, Planning Director; Michaela Oktay, Planning Manager; Carl Leith, Senior Planner; Michael Maloy, Principal Planner; Michelle Moeller, Senior Secretary and Paul Nielson, Senior City Attorney.
Commissioner Gallegos stated items PLNPCM2014-00178, PLNPCM2014-00207 and PLNPCM2014-00141 were postponed.
REPORT OF THE CHAIR AND VICE CHAIR 5:34:17 PM
Commissioner Gallegos excused Chairperson Drown and Vice Chairperson Ruttinger. He had nothing to report.
REPORT OF THE DIRECTOR 5:34:32 PM
Mr. Wilford Sommerkorn, Planning Director, stated the City Council approved the changes to the ordinance allowing assisted living facilities in the Sugar House Commercial Zones. He reviewed the Appeals Hearing items for the Volunteers of America and the Road Home facility. Mr. Sommerkorn stated the Hearing Officer had not issued a ruling on either of the petitions. He reviewed the upcoming lawsuit for the Century Link utility box in the avenues and stated Staff would keep the Commission updated on the issue as it progressed.
5:37:01 PM
Commissioner Lyon joined the meeting.
5:37:05 PM
Design Guidelines for Historic Apartments and Multi-Family Buildings- Mayor Ralph Becker initiated a petition to create Design Guidelines for Historic Apartments and Multifamily Buildings in Salt Lake City regulated by the H Historic Preservation Overlay Zoning District. The design guidelines will provide design advice to owners and applicants, and serve to guide the review and decisions of the Historic Landmark Commission and Staff. The design guidelines are new and will supplement the current design guidelines for Residential and Commercial historic
buildings and signs. They reflect best practices in information, guidance, organization and clarity. No sections of the Zoning Ordinance will be modified or affected by this petition. On April 3, 2014, the Historic Landmark Commission forwarded a positive recommendation to City Council to adopt the guidelines. The Planning Commission is required to review the Design Guidelines because it is a land use document, and to forward a recommendation to City Council concerning its adoption. (Staff contact: Carl Leith at (801) 535-7758, or carl.leith@slcgov.com.) Case number PLNPCM2012-00870
Mr. Carl Leith, Senior Planner, reviewed the petition as presented in the Staff Report (located in the case file). He stated Staff was recommending that the Planning Commission forward a favorable recommendation to the City Council regarding the petition.
The Commission and Staff discussed the following:
• The effect the guidelines would have on buildings converted to multi-family versus buildings originally built as apartments and multi-family structures.
o The guidelines would not regulate the conversion of buildings as other zoning regulations would be used to regulate those structures.
• Accessibility in Historic areas, how to best address those issues and inform the public on how to make historic structures accessible.
PUBLIC HEARING 5:48:20 PM
Commissioner Gallegos opened the Public Hearing; seeing no one in the audience wished to speak to the petition, Commissioner Gallegos closed the Public Hearing.
MOTION 5:48:38 PM
Commissioner Woodhead stated regarding petition PLNHLC2012-00870 Design Guidelines for Historic Apartment and Multifamily Buildings; based on the findings in the Staff Report, public hearing, testimony and plans presented, she moved that the Planning Commission forward a favorable recommendation to the City Council for the adoption of the design guidelines. Commissioner Taylor seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously.
5:49:58 PM
Downtown Master Plan – As part of the planning process for the Downtown Master Plan, planning staff will brief the Planning Commission on the status of the project. Planning Staff will be reviewing various sections of the Draft Plan with the Commission. (Staff contact: Nick Norris at (801) 535-6173 or nick.norris@slcgov.com)
Mr. Doug Dansie, Senior Planner, reviewed the petition as presented in the Staff Report (located in the case file). He stated that Staff was recommending that the Planning Commission review the document and forward any further comments or corrections to Staff.
The Commission and Staff discussed the following:
• The estimated increase of nine thousand housing units by 2040, and if that would be infill or new development.
o It would be infill, high rise, townhomes and communities such as Gateway.
• If the Northwest Quadrant was included in the plan or if it had been removed.
o The Northwest Quadrant was not part of this plan.
o The nine thousand units would be for the downtown area only.
• The estimate was meant to be a minimum and not a cap on the amount of units that would be available in the area or surrounding areas.
• The Commission asked for the significance and reasoning of the proposed number of units (nine thousand) to be brought back to a future meeting.
• How the estimated nine thousand compared to other surrounding areas.
• Was the nine thousand high enough for the proposal.
o Staff wanted to set a realistic expectation for the proposal.
• The current number of housing units in downtown Salt Lake.
• How the proposed units would be incorporated in the city.
• How many of the nine thousand units would be affordable housing.
o The Salt Lake City Housing Division would be submitting their policies and plans for the city which would set their expectations for affordable housing.
o These policies would be carried out through different neighborhoods in the city.
• How affordability was determined.
o There were a number of factors that played into how affordability was determined and that plan would be brought before the Planning Commission for approval.
6:10:16 PM
Commissioner Dean joined the meeting.
The Commission and Staff discuss the following:
• Ways to discourage current developments from becoming abandoned or neglected, something to promote them to remain viable.
o That was something the Commission did not have control over.
• Restrictions put on developments regarding square footage for retail spaces and how this could be addressed in the future.
• How to address mall style retail and making retail part of the fabric of downtown.
• Keeping retail, building and structures that have a sense of context and permanence instead of revamping the same blocks every twenty years.
• If a gap analysis on what retail was missing, downtown, had been conducted.
o This was done, privately, on an ongoing basis.
• How retail fluctuates, changes and shapes the community.
• What made Salt Lake City “Artful and Unique”.
• Adding the view corridor to the master plan.
• Finding ways to allow festivals and special events to move through the City process easier therefore attracting more of them to the city.
• Signage, way-finding and parking in downtown.
• Midblock walkways.
o Signage would help people to use these walkways.
• Better signage for public parking.
• Safety of downtown
o Incorporate the use of the policies such as those used in the past to review the safety of projects.
• Connecting trails such as Parley’s and the Jordan River trails.
• If there were ways to encourage people to use the trails and visit the festivals.
o May be included in the Art and Culture area of the plan.
• How billboards would be addressed in the plan.
• How to mitigate the reliance of meeting the goals under “Is Connected” by the cooperation of UTA.
6:56:58 PM
Bird Safe Building Design
Mr. Wilford Sommerkorn, Planning Director, reviewed the research information collected by Staff as outlined in the memo (located in the case file). He asked the Commission for direction on how they would like to address the issue.
The Commission and Staff discussed the following:
• A time frame would not need to be an issue. The issue was to get it in the queue and look at it in the future.
• The list of cons in the memo.
• How to apply the proposal to existing and future buildings.
• The current issues with bird strikes.
• Tying the proposal to the form based code.
• The next steps and process for a petition.
• Creating general design standards that would apply to all areas of the City as done in other States.
• Getting private entities to assist with expertise on the issue.
MOTION 7:10:59 PM
Commissioner Dean stated regarding a petition request for Bird Safe Buildings Regulations, she moved that the Planning Commission initiate a petition to Staff to explore how the city may integrate design standards, ordinance or other integrations with the City requirements as time permits and see how they may fit in with existing city policies, design standards and ordinances. Commissioner Woodhead seconded the motion.
The Commission and Staff discussed the definition of initiating a petition and the process it follows.
The motion passed unanimously.
APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES FROM THE MAY 28, 2014, MEETING. 7:14:45 PM
MOTION 7:15:01 PM
Commissioner Taylor moved to approve the May 28, 2014. Commissioner Fife seconded the motion with corrections. The motion passed unanimously. Commissioner Hoskins abstained from voting as she was not present at the subject meeting.
Mr. Sommerkorn reported on the meeting schedule for July and that the July 30, meeting would be canceled unless there were pressing issues requiring review.
The meeting adjourned at 7:16:31 PM