Could Salt Lake City’s west side get historic designation?

SALT LAKE CITY — Salt Lake City has two new historic districts. And now there’s a push to create historic districts for the city’s west side.

The Salt Lake City Council approved the historic designation for the affluent Laird and Princeton Heights areas. Now those areas are offering their help to the neighborhoods on the west side.

Council Chair Victoria Petro represents the west side, including Rose Park, and welcomes the help.

“There is a movement now for us to leverage that momentum and to take advantage of the skillsets that that Laird Heights community members are offering,” Petro said.

Petro believes it won’t be difficult to generate support for the plan.

“I don’t know that there are any communities in all of Utah that have the pride of place that the west side has,” she said. “We stand together.”

She said designating the neighborhoods as historic would protect west side communities from too much gentrification.

“The land value always stayed relatively low over here (Rose Park), but it’s always been the place where the American dream has been alive,” Petro said. “It’s always (been) the place where we are building the equity… and making those investments that leverage the next generation.”

Rose Park has a rich history of housing, created after World War II for returning soldiers.

Tammy Kikuchi is a reporter and anchor for KSL NewsRadio. 

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