10/4/2023 - Meeting Materials REGULAR MEETING OF THE
REDEVELOPMENT ADVISORY COMMITTEE
Wednesday, October 4, 2023
4:00 p.m.
451 S State Street Room 118 Salt Lake City, Utah 84111
https://us06web.zoom.us/i/87069626829?pwd=QmN6MHRIcUlYMONZWTFOb3FQTOQOUT09
AGENDA
1. Roll Call
2. Announcements by the Staff
A. Staff Updates
3. Approval of the minutes
A. Review and Approval of the September 6, 2023 Minutes
Members will review the September 6, 2023 meeting minutes and consider for approval.
4. Business
A. High Opportunity Areas: Proposed Map Update—Austin Taylor, Project Manager and Tracy
Tran, Senior Project Manager
Members will receive an update on the proposed map of the High Opportunity Areas and may provide
a recommendation to the RDA Board of Directors.
5. Adjournment
People with disabilities may make requests for reasonable accommodation no later than 48 hours in advance
to attend this Redevelopment Advisory Committee. Accommodation may include alternate formats,
interpreters, and other auxiliary aids. This is an accessible facility. For questions, requests, or additional
information, please contact the RDA at 801-535-7240.
MINUTES OF THE
REDEVELOPMENT ADVISORY COMMITTEE
September 6, 2023
The following Members were present:
Mojdeh Sakaki, Baxter Reecer, Rosa Bandeirinha, Nic Peterson, Mark Isaac
The following Members were absent:
Brian Doughty, Amy Rowland
Present Agency Staff:
Danny Walz— Director, Cara Lindsley— Deputy Director, Ashley Ogden - Senior Project Manager,
Marcus Lee— Project Coordinator, Tracy Tran —Senior Project Manager, Robyn Stine - Office Manager
Present City Staff:
Allison Parks—Senior City Attorney
Present Guests:
Luke Garrott
Business:
1. Announcements by the Staff
None
2. Progress Update: Station Center Vision & Implementation Plan—Ashley Ogden, Senior Project
Manager
Ashley Ogden, Senior Project Manager, provided an update on the Station Center Vision &
Implementation Plan. Ms. Ogden said staff began working with a group of consultants including
Perkins+Will, HR&A Advisors, Kimley-Horn, and Phil Myrick, in February 2023 to establish a vision
and implementation plan for Station Center, an assemblage of RDA-owned property in the Depot
District between 200 and 400 South and 500 and 600 West. She noted the consultants will be in
Salt Lake City to meet with stakeholders and to attend the September RDA Board meeting and
encouraged the RAC members to attend for an even more comprehensive update.
Ms. Ogden first shared the draft Design Framework, which is organized around the district theme
of 'community health and wellness,' and identifies spaces for the arts, culture, local food options,
home-grown entrepreneurs, life sciences industry anchors, and sports & recreation. 300 South will
be reconstructed into a pedestrian-focused festival street, and part of 500 West will be redesigned
as part of the larger Green Loop system.
Ms. Ogden said potential district governance mechanisms should accommodate a living/breathing
development with constant programming and activation. She said the consultant study should be
completed by the end of the year and will include a recommended phasing strategy. The RDA will
design and construct the district's public improvements and will release RFPs for private developers
to make proposals for specific sites.
Discussion:
• It was mentioned that this project needs a catalyst, a trigger mechanism to get the area off
and running, an initial visionary who is willing to come in and be the pioneer.
• It was mentioned that a separate planned project to connect 500 West under the North
Temple Viaduct from Hardware to Gateway will help to make the 500 West plans on this
project successful.
• It was commented that having a connection through the Rio Grande Depot between 500
West and Pioneer Park would be great.
• It was stated that without housing it would be difficult for the project to be successful.
• It was recommended to directly address how this plan may impact the unsheltered
community, many of whom currently reside in this area.
• A comment was made about the lack of connectivity to the east.
• A question was raised about who would handle the cost of the utility work. It was stated
that the RDA is committed to funding the infrastructure needed, including utilities and
buildout of the street network.
3. Adiournment
There being no further business the meeting was adjourned.
Mojdeh Sakaki, Chairperson
This document along with the digital recording constitute the official minutes of the Redevelopment Advisory
Committee held September 6, 2023.
MAYOR ERIN MENDENHALL DANNY WALZ
Executive Director ;; ;i . Director
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REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY of SALT LAKE CITY
STAFF MEMO
DATE: September 29, 2023
PREPARED BY: Austin Taylor, Project Manager
Tracy Tran, Senior Project Manager
RE: High Opportunity Areas: Proposed Map Update
REQUESTED ACTION: Review and consider approving updated data set, ranking methodology,
and map for High Opportunity Areas
POLICY ITEM: Affordable Housing
BUDGET IMPACTS: The RDA currently has $2.7 million budgeted to fund affordable housing
projects in High Opportunity Areas
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY/BACKGROUND
The Redevelopment Agency of Salt Lake City("RDA") is proposing an update to the data set, ranking
system, and eligibility map of the City's High Opportunity Areas. The High Opportunity Area map
identifies Census Tracts in Salt Lake City in which low-income households have convenient access to
physical and social assets (such as employment, education, and high-income neighbors)that increase
their chance of improving their economic situation.
In 2015, the Kern C Gardner Policy Institute created the Opportunity Index. The Index used a set of
economic- and housing-related metrics (such as median household incomes, home ownership rates,
and housing cost burden rates)to determine Census Tracts in Salt Lake City in which low-income
households would have the greatest opportunity of improving their economic situation. In 2017, the
RDA Board,using the Opportunity Index, set aside $4.5M to finance affordable housing development
within High Opportunity Areas. Since then, the RDA Board has received and approved one loan
application for these funds.
RDA staff seeks to update the High Opportunity Area map to expand affordable housing funding
opportunities and incentives. The RDA's proposed update includes the following changes:
SALT LAKE CITY CORPORATION
451 SOUTH STATE STREET,ROOM 118 WWW.SLC.GOV-WWW.SLCRDA.COM
P.O.BOX 145518,SALT LAKE CITY,UTAH 84114-5518 TEL 801-535-7240-FAX 801-535-7245
1. An expanded data set with the most current data available and a more wholistic view of
community assets
2. A revised ranking system that factors in a wholistic set of metrics and prioritizes housing and
economic data
3. An updated map,using revised data, which shows the Census Tracts in which affordable
housing projects are eligible for High Opportunity Area loans
CHALLENGES WITH CURRENT HIGH OPPORTUNITY AREA MAP
RDA staff is proposing to update the High Opportunity Area Map because of the following challenges:
I. The current map's data—from 2011 to 2015is outdated
2. The current data set's metrics do not acknowledge many important community assets that
increase a low-income household's ability to improve their economic situation, such as crime
rates,proximity to childcare, and education level of the neighborhood population
3. Land within the current map's eligible Census Tracts is difficult to develop affordable housing
on for one of more of the following reasons:
a. Large areas zoned for only single-family detached housing
b. Limited area zoned for multifamily housing
c. Historic district overlays
d. Small parcel sizes
e. Few vacant parcels
f. Lack of IRS-designated Qualified Census Tracts and Difficult Development Areas,
which boost a Low Income Tax Credit-funded project's tax credit eligibility by up to
30%
Together, these challenges have limited the number of affordable housing developments the RDA has
been able to fund within high opportunity areas. The RDA currently has $2.7 million in funds set aside
from the initial $4.5 million 2017 allocation.
PROPOSED HIGH OPPORTUNITY AREA DATA AND MAP UPDATE
RDA staffs proposed update to the High Opportunity Area data and map includes the following
changes:
1. Updated the Opportunity Index model data sources with current data.
2. Additional metrics that acknowledge a more wholistic set of community assets
3. A new data weighting system that factors in a wholistic set of metrics and prioritizes housing
and economic data
4. Removed Census Tracts without residential zoning (such as Northwest Quadrant and other
industrial land)
5. Removed Census Tracts that have only a small portion of land inside Salt Lake City boundaries
6. After updating the map with the changes listed above, two Census Tracts that were surrounded
entirely by High Opportunity Area Census Tracts, but did not show up as High Opportunity
Area Census Tracts. These two Census Tracts were added as High Opportunity Area Tracts to
prevent islands in similar neighborhoods.
These changes to the data set and weighting system update the map of Census Tracts in which
affordable housing development projects are eligible for High Opportunity Area funding. The
proposed map would remove Census Tracts in the East Central and Sugar House neighborhoods while
adding Census Tracts in The Avenues, Central City, East Central, East Liberty, Liberty Wells, and
Sugar House neighborhoods. Many Census Tracts in Yalecrest, Wasatch Hollow, Foothill, East Bench,
and Bonneville Hills remain. This proposed change would increase the overall land area and more than
double the land area that allows for multifamily dwellings classified as High Opportunity Areas.
NEXT STEPS
Following input from the Redevelopment Advisory Committee, RDA staff will take this item to The
RDA Board for consideration.
PREVIOUS BOARD ACTION
• In 2017, the RDA Board set aside $4.5M to finance affordable housing projects in High
Opportunity Area Census Tracts
• In 2019, the RDA Board approved a$1.8M loan for Richmond Flats affordable housing project
at 2960 South Richmond Street
ATTACHMENTS
A. Current vs Proposed Metrics and Data Weighting
B. Current vs Proposed High Opportunity Area Census Tracts
C. Proposed High Opportunity Area Map
ATTACHMENT A: CURRENT VS PROPOSED METRICS AND WEIGHTING
oescription
MM r•r •r
Unemployment Percentage of civilian labor force age 16 and over without a job. Yes Yes Ix 2x
Poverty
Food Assistance/SNAP Percentage of households receiving Food Assistance/SNAP Benefits in the last 12 Yes Yes Ix 2x
Benefits months.
Income a _---
lod,. Total number of jobs accessible by car and transit. Yes Yes 1x 2x
Commute Time —A _---
Cliddcare Fau,ities Proximity to childcare facilities. No Yes 1x
School Report Card Mean school score reported by the Utah State Board of Education School Report Yes Yes 1x 1x
Card.
Bacheleft ag m I _---
Crinre Mean count of crimes recorded by the SLCPD in the last 12 months. No Yes 1x
Grocery Stores mity 10 grocery stores. _---
Open Space F ru-city x;_i,- �a_, No Yes 1x
Tilansit Proximity to transit stops including -__—
stations.
Community Services Proximity to community services Including food banks,human services.and No Yes lx
government offices.
Community Centers —I -__—
Jw nsured Percentage of the population without health insurance. No Yes 1x
Asthma AiM _---
Obesity Percentage of the adult population with obesity. No Yes 1x
lation with depression. —_---
Healthcare Facilities Proximity to healthcare facilities. No Yes 1x
Hom 'occupied housing units occupied ny the
Cust Burden Percentage of 1_1- -1 1 _.per-,Ilia ro,e tnan 3Ui;of income on housing costs. No Yes Ix
Home Value of owrleFO euft _---
F,{mily Sized Units Percentage of housing units with 3 or more bedrooms. No Yes Ix
Crowding z _---
Occupied Units Percent of units that are Occupied Yes Yes lx 1x
low-ComLoans _ _---
ATTACHMENT B: CURRENT VS PROPOSED HIGH OPPORTUNITY AREA CENSUS
TRACTS
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Current High Opportunity Area Census Tracts Proposed High Opportunity Area Census Tracts
ATTACHMENT C: PROPOSED HIGH OPPORTUNITY AREA MAP
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High Opportunity Muitifaniiy Zones
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- High Opportunity Census Tracts
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