Salt Lake commission OKs new housing at site where snack factory burned down

Sifting through project concerns

The proposed project aligns with Salt Lake City’s Ballpark Station Area Plan, which was introduced in 2021 and later adopted, Alfandre told the commission on Wednesday. Jeff Sandstrom, a Ballpark Community Council board member, wrote to the commission to express his support for the measure, provided it was “in harmony” with the plan.

Commissioners didn’t seem to have a problem with the proposal’s connection with the plan, nor its building’s height. Some did have concerns with the building’s length along two streets, though.

An exception is required for buildings longer than 200 feet. A mix of materials, such as bricks and different fiber cement siding colors, would be used to help break up the design so that it doesn’t feel like one large building side, Alfandre and Younger explained. City planners deemed it enough to grant an exception.

“We find that the project generally meets (planned development) standards by providing a dense urban environment that improves the urban design of the Ballpark neighborhood, which are the main goals of the master plan,” Younger said.

However, Commissioner Amy Barry said she had concerns, noting that she has yet to see a “successful” workaround to the 200-foot rule in the seven years she’s been on the board.

“I’m not necessarily convinced that it would not look like a very large building, especially given this corner is somewhat more compact,” she said.

As Alfandre requested design feedback, Commissioner Landon Kraczek agreed that he believes it’s an issue that the commission has “been struggling with” from various applications. He requested a meeting with city planning staff to know how to “thread this needle” on the topic in the future, but also motioned to approve the proposal.

Questions were also raised about an August 2023 application that indicated the project could bring housing ownership to the neighborhood. Portions of city documents still referenced this, leading to confusion among residents in the neighborhood.

Bringing affordable ownership — or any ownership — would be a plus, as a vast majority of residents are renters because of a lack of options, said Amy Hawkins, chairwoman of the Ballpark Community Council.

“We just really want to see our neighborhood as a place where people could gain a foothold, gain equity. There aren’t many missing middle opportunities — or even condo opportunities in Salt Lake City,” she said.

That was a “mistake,” although the company has offered ownership opportunities with other projects, Alfandre explained. Commissioners shrugged off any concerns there, noting that more recent documents were clear that it would provide rented units, before the narrow 3-2 vote.

No construction timetable was provided.

Related stories: Make minimum wage? You need to work a lot more to afford the average Utah rent