Utah Heritage Foundation

As you may know, what is being dubbed the Hub District has long been known as the Warehouse District.  That name even dates back to before The Gateway was even a thought!  The Hub District, an area with SL Central Station (formerly known as the Intermodal Hub) has been going through a planning process to give agency and government officials ideas as to what the future should look like.

As described by Envision Utah, the Depot District is one of six key locations identified in the Wasatch Choice for 2040 (WC2040). WC2040 is the land-use and transportation “Vision” for Salt Lake, Weber, Davis and Utah Counties, developed by elected officials and the public to improve our quality of life as our region experiences dramatic growth.  Implementing the Vision will allow us to absorb a 65% population growth (1.4 million additional residents) over the next 30 years, while enhancing our economy, protecting our beautiful natural areas, providing more housing and transportation choices, saving money and energy, and improving our air quality and health.

 

This came from the city after the most recent Planning Commission meeting.

"On August 10, 2011 The Planning Commission voted unanimously on the Small Neighborhood Business Amendment to forward a favorable recommendation of the proposed ordinance to the City Council.  Additional issues for discussion include; Parking impacts of commercial activities and other developments on residential properties.  Discussion of better illustrations and definitions for our sign ordinance and discuss the options and opportunities for property owners who may want to opt out of the future map amendment portion of the petition.  This would maintain their nonconforming status."

In short, this is really good news.  The amendment recognizes the value of small commercial buildings, many of the existing being historic, and the value of small businesses in neighborhoods across the city.  Anything that combines these two characteristics can only make Salt Lake City a better place.  Great work by the Planning Division.  Let's hope the city council is unanimous in voting for this.

As many of you know, Draper has been a center of growth with many popular destinations.  It seems like 123rd South grows leaps and bounds every time I go there from Salt Lake.  There has been an admirable job with respect to historic preservation in the city and within walking distance of the new Draper Town Center will be the new future UTA Trax Stop at the old IFA site which will include an interpretive element about the community's agricultural history with regards to chicken farming.

Within walking distance to here is the Draper Park School.  Owned by the city, it was built in 1912 and is currently offered with it's site for redevelopment, which could include rehabilitation as part of a mixed use transit-oriented development.  Proposals are due by December 1st.  The Park School has had several additions to it over the years, enlarging it and was eventually named for John Rockey Park, the first president of the University of Utah for whom the Park Building at the U is also named on President's Circle.  Park School was eventually used as Draper's City Hall until the city built their most recent building and vacated the structure.

As the building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, there are opportunities to reuse Park School and utilize the historic rehab tax credits.  More information on the credits can be found here and here.

By Jim Jenkin, Greater Avenues Community Council Chairman

Photos by UHF

In recent discussions of the Yalecrest Historic District, questions have arisen concerning the efficacy of the Avenues Historic District.

Ancestor Square returned to its roots, so to speak, when Nicki Pace and her husband Randall Richards (Painted Pony Restaurant) started the Downtown Farmers Market in 2008.  Of course buying local is the keenest sense of rural preservation and “localism,” or a place of meaningful interaction … where neighbors and local merchants share what's happening in their community.  Before Ancestor Square was a gleam in the eye of Nicki’s father, developer and historic preservation commissioner Brooks Pace; before it was the site of her grandfather Andy’s Big Hand Café; this Plat-of-Zion block was a veritable Eden in the redrock desert. 

Prominent pioneer plantsman and publisher Joseph Ellis Johnson (right) moved to St. George in 1865, cultivating trees, vines, and flowers and operating his nursery and seed business on the same block where Utah’s first snowbird, Brigham Young, started wintering in 1871 after acquiring the house begun by James Chesney in 1869 on the lot at the northwest corner.

In the December 2008 issue of Urbanus, the city's newsletter, an article was included discussing the Planning Division's evaluation of the current single and two-family zoning regulations. In summary, in 2005 and 2006 the City Council amended sections of the Zoning Ordinance in an effort to ensure that future single and two-family developments consider the neighborhood historic development patterns. The City Council has asked the Planning Division to evaluate these regulations to determine if they are meeting the goal of ensuring that new single and two-family homes, as well as additions to existing homes, are compatible with the neighborhood, and to identify those regulations that need clarification or refinement. The Planning Division is seeking your help with this project.

The city has developed a webpage that provides background information on the project, as well as links to two online questionnaires. One questionnaire is targeted towards architects, contractors, and property owners who have been involved with residential projects that were regulated by the current single and two-family zoning regulations.

The other questionnaire is targeted towards those who have not been involved in a specific project but are interested in residential development in their neighborhood. Both of these questionnaires can be found at: www.slcgov.com/CED/planning/pages/ComInfill.htm.

Please take a few moments of your time and fill out the applicable questionnaire. Your insight and consideration is very important to potentially revising the compatible infill and historic district ordinances and will help the city identify regulations that require further refinements.