Well, I keep putting up posts saying that the nationwide trend of zoning reform is coming, it will be the case of the irresistible force meeting the immovable object, that resistance is futile…  There are plenty of examples of states and cities around the country that are making the moves, everything from making ADUs by-right uses in all residential zones to elimination of exclusive single-family residential zones, just google zoning reform and you’ll get a bunch of references.

Hold the presses, gang.  It’s no longer a matter of when, but… it’s here in our fair (but great!) state, now!

Yeah, yeah, I hear some of you saying, we know, the legislature made ADUs by-right permitted uses in many (but not all!) residential zones in many (but not all!) local governments around the state.  And yes, that sort of qualifies.

But the one thing that has sort of been flying under the radar is Salt Lake City’s initiative that has been underway for some time now, called Affordable Housing Incentives.  Unlike the many other such efforts around the country I mentioned earlier that are getting national media attention, this one isn’t so much.  It’s kind of baffling why not.

It certainly isn’t because it’s not like other “zoning reform” efforts elsewhere.  This one would, according to the planning division’s staff report, among other things,

allow townhouses, 3-4 unit buildings, and cottage developments on properties that are currently zoned for single- or two-family homes and are located within 1/4 mile of high frequency transit or are located adjacent to arterial streets. Permit twin and two-family homes in these zoning districts where they are not currently allowed.

The city’s Planning Commission held a hearing on the proposal on May 11, and as you might expect, it attracted a lot of comment from the public, most of it negative.  Interestingly enough, however, it seems that the reaction was negative from both sides!  There were those who opposed it because of the perceived negative impact to single-family neighborhoods (expected), but also those supportive of allowing more affordable housing were critical of the proposal, largely because they think it doesn’t go far enough.  An excellent story in the City Weekly summarizes the controversy pretty well – Street Fight Everyone in SLC says they want more affordable housing—until the city plans to put it near them.  The story describes well the pushback from the various neighborhood councils throughout the city (boy do I remember in my days at the city going around to the various groups trying to get buy-in for the first attempt to allow more ADUs in the city – wow!)

critics of the plan decried a future where traditional homes could be torn down and replaced with duplexes and triplexes. Speakers claimed this incursion would unleash troubles ranging from water shortages to depressed property values to cheaper construction methods.

On the other side of the ledger,

the reason some renters’ and low-income housing advocates like Wasatch Tenants United and Crossroads Urban Center oppose the plan—is its definition of “affordable.” In its current form, individuals earning at or below 80% of the Area Median Income (AMI) would pay rent no greater than 30% of their take-home pay.

The Planning Commission voted to table the proposal at the May 11 meeting to allow staff time to consider the comments and make possible modifications.  It will be back.

So the zoning reform “wave” has indeed reached us here in quiet little out-of-the-way Utah.  The Incentives proposal is by no means the only one – a piece in Building Salt Lake summarizes the various policy changes making their way towards consideration by the city’s decision makers – Downtown heights, affordable housing and ADUs. A policy wave is about to hit City Council.

And just to put another cherry on top of the ice cream pile of national zoning reform flavors, the American Planning Association’s President-Elect, Angela Brooks, just put out a statement calling for planners nationwide to take the lead in zoning reform efforts in their communities.  She says in part:

With movement on reform across all levels of government, planners will never have a better chance to influence local, state, and federal policies that so directly affect the housing work we are uniquely positioned to lead. As your president-elect, I look forward to advocating for locally driven reforms that meet the unique needs of our communities.

Zoning reform has, indeed, become a national cause, and is now here too.