17 Sep General Plan and Zoning Amendments
(This will be on the SHCC Land Use and Zoning LUZ agenda September 18 6 p.m. Sprague LIbrary)
The City’s Planning Division is considering updates to portions of the Land Use Code to implement
policies identified in Thriving in Place to mitigate involuntary displacement due to development
pressure. The updates include the creation of a new Title 19 General Plan and amendments to Title
21A.50 Amendments. The identified policy goals for the Planning Division include establishing a
community benefit policy for general plan and zoning amendments; the creation of a tenant relocation
assistance program for households that are displaced due to location-specific general plan and zoning
amendments; replacement housing requirements for demolitions associated with requested amendments;
and new standards for consideration when analyzing a zoning or general plan amendment that
encompasses impacts from potential displacement.
With this update, Title 18.64.050 Residential Demolition Provisions will be amended to include
provisions to ensure the replacement of housing units that have a similar rent and unit size if housing is
demolished. Title 18.97 Mitigation of Residential Housing Loss will be deleted and replaced with the
community benefit policy in Title 19 General Plans and Title 21A.50 Amendments. The community
benefit policy will ensure the replacement of naturally occurring affordable housing that is lost to
redevelopment and mitigate involuntary displacement.
The proposed amendments would:
• Define what the general plan is.
• Define contents of a general plan, such as consistency between land use designations that use the
same title but are defined differently in community plans.
• Add a section to the city code that identifies when a general plan amendment is required.
• Require a community benefit for zoning amendments or general plan amendments submitted by
a property owner for their own benefit.
• Require the replacement of demolished housing units at a similar rent prior to demolition.
• Establish factors for considering amendments, including factors related to displacement.
• Establish a tenant relocation assistance policy.
Additional information is on the city project webpage:
https://www.slc.gov/planning/2023/08/30/planning_tip/
Approval Criteria for the Zoning Text Amendments
For your reference, the following are criteria that the Planning Commission and City Council will use to
guide their recommendation or decision. The City’s technical staff will review the project to understand
if it complies with adopted policies and regulations. Input from your organization may be more general in
nature but we recommend that you also consider the below approval criteria:
1. Whether a proposed text amendment is consistent with the purposes, goals, objectives, and
policies of the City as stated through its various adopted planning documents;
2. Whether a proposed text amendment furthers the specific purpose statements of the zoning
ordinance;
3. Whether a proposed text amendment is consistent with the purposes and provisions of any
applicable overlay zoning districts which may impose additional standards; and
4. The extent to which a proposed text amendment implements best current, professional practices
of urban planning and design.
