The Salt Lake City Council is considering a rezoning ordinance that would increase housing density in certain neighborhoods. Housing advocates have raised the alarm that this revision will spur the replacement of existing housing with new, more expensive units. Responding to this pressure, the City Council has delayed its vote by a month to the end of November to consider the revision’s potential impact on affordable housing.
Barriers to providing housing in multifamily zones include minimum lot area requirements, minimum lot width, allowing only one principle structure per lot, and expenses related to tearing down old units. The zoning ordinance (RMF-30) is intended to decrease lot requirements and allow for multiple housing types per lot. Proponents of the zoning change claim this will make it economically feasible to develop middle-income housing and will increase the diversity of housing types for all income levels.
Utah Renters Together and other affordable housing advocates are skeptical that RMF-30 would alleviate housing pressure in Salt Lake City. They argue that without protections in place, increased density will attract high-income tenants and risk the loss of naturally occurring affordable housing. Advocates recommend including a proposed affordable housing overlay in conjunction with the rezoning ordinance. They also state that the ordinance should not take effect until the City has considered a requirement of either a one-for-one rebuild of any affordable housing units demolished or a per unit fine payable to the local housing trust fund. The proposed overlay is being drafted by Salt Lake City’s Planning Commission, and advocates argue it should include an inclusionary zoning mandate or an in-lieu payment. “The RMF-30 proposal suggests that increased housing supply will lead to a simple ‘supply and demand’ relationship,” said June Hiatt, an organizer with Utah Renters Together, “but we have seen for years simply building more housing does not increase the supply of affordable housing, unless the city requires it to. Salt Lake City has an affordable housing crisis. This proposal as it is drafted will lead to gentrification and displacement of current residents, and it will exasperate housing affordability problems in our city.”
The Salt Lake City Council was receptive to concerns raised by affordable housing advocates and pushed its vote from the end of October to the end of November so that the council can further discuss the affordable housing implications.
For more information about the rezoning ordinance or Utah Renters Together, contact June Hiatt at: [email protected].