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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCouncil Provided Information - 10/7/2025COUNCIL STAFF REPORT CITY COUNCIL of SALT LAKE CITY TO:City Council Members FROM: Nick Tarbet, Policy Analyst DATE:October 7, 2025 RE:Public Lands Text Amendment & Street Vacation at Approximately 240 W 200 N (West High Rebuild Related Zoning Amendments) PROJECT TIMELINE: Briefing: August 19, 2025 Set Date: August 19, 2025 Public Hearing: Sept 2, 2025 Potential Action: Oct 7, 2025 NEW INFORMATION The Council deferred action on September 9. However, the Council did not ask for changes to the ordinance. It is on the October 7 agenda for potential action. The following information was provided for the September 9 Council meeting. It is provided again for background purposes. PUBLIC HEARING SUMMARY Four people spoke during the September 2 public hearings about the proposed changes. They expressed concerns that the proposed design for the new school is not consistent with city plans and about the impact to the historic neighborhoods along 200 west / 200 north due to increased vehicle traffic accessing the new parking. Others said the preservation of the historic West High should have Page | 2 been more important for the school district. Some encouraged the Council to vote against the street vacation hoping this would prevent the construction from going forward. The following information was provided for the September 2 public hearing. It is provided again for background purposes. WORK SESSION SUMMARY The following information was provided for the August 19 briefing. It is provided again for background purposes. ISSUE AT-A-GLANCE The Council will be briefed on a proposed Text Amendment & Street Vacation at Approximately 240 West 200 North, related to the reconstruction of West High School. The proposed changes include: a.Zoning Text Amendment: The amendments alter building height restrictions, buffering requirements, and allowed uses. Additionally, new construction would be exempt from review associated with the Historic Preservation Overlay District. Case Number: PLNPCM2025-00320 b.Street Vacation: Street vacation for a 130-foot-wide and 530-foot-long portion of 200 N between 300 West and 200 West, which is currently incorporated into West High School's campus. This application would vacate public ownership and interest of a portion of the street. Case Number: PLNPCM2025-00321 Mayor Mendenhall initiated a petition to amend the Public Lands Zoning District to enact Temporary Land Use Regulations (TLUR) adopted by the City Council in March 2025 on a permanent basis. Those changes are: 1.Max building height up to 125 feet for public schools. Page | 3 2.Setbacks decreased when next to any zoning district that isn’t residential. 3.Allowed obstructions in required yards introduced. 4.K-12 Public Schools exempted from Historic Preservation Overlay District Provisions. 5.Any K-12 public school alteration will be approved by the Planning Division. 6.Modifications for Health and Safety Purposes are permitted according to the planning director. The Planning Commission forward a negative recommendation for the text amendment and a positive recommendation for the street vacation. STREET CLOSURE PROCESS The street closure process is dictated by Section 10-9a-609.5 Utah State Code which is included below for reference. 10-9a-609.5. Petition to vacate a public street. (1)In lieu of vacating some or all of a public street through a plat or amended plat in accordance with Sections 10-9a-603 through 10-9a-609, a legislative body may approve a petition to vacate a public street in accordance with this section. (2)A petition to vacate some or all of a public street or municipal utility easement shall include: (a)the name and address of each owner of record of land that is: (i)adjacent to the public street or municipal utility easement between the two nearest public street intersections; or (ii)accessed exclusively by or within 300 feet of the public street or municipal utility easement; (b)proof of written notice to operators of utilities and culinary water or sanitary sewer facilities located within the bounds of the public street or municipal utility easement sought to be vacated; and (c)the signature of each owner under Subsection (2)(a) who consents to the vacation. (3)If a petition is submitted containing a request to vacate some or all of a public street or municipal utility easement, the legislative body shall hold a public hearing in accordance with Section 10-9a- 208 and determine whether: (a)good cause exists for the vacation; and (b)the public interest or any person will be materially injured by the proposed vacation. (4)The legislative body may adopt an ordinance granting a petition to vacate some or all of a public street or municipal utility easement if the legislative body finds that: (a)good cause exists for the vacation; and (b)neither the public interest nor any person will be materially injured by the vacation. Page | 4 (5)If the legislative body adopts an ordinance vacating some or all of a public street or municipal utility easement, the legislative body shall ensure that one or both of the following is recorded in the office of the recorder of the county in which the land is located: (a)a plat reflecting the vacation; or (b)(i)an ordinance described in Subsection (4); and (ii)a legal description of the public street to be vacated. (6)The action of the legislative body vacating some or all of a public street or municipal utility easement that has been dedicated to public use: (a)operates to the extent to which it is vacated, upon the effective date of the recorded plat or ordinance, as a revocation of the acceptance of and the relinquishment of the municipality's fee in the vacated public street or municipal utility easement; and (b)may not be construed to impair: (i)any right-of-way or easement of any parcel or lot owner; (ii)the rights of any public utility; or (iii)the rights of a culinary water authority or sanitary sewer authority. (7)(a)A municipality may submit a petition, in accordance with Subsection (2), and initiate and complete a process to vacate some or all of a public street. (b)If a municipality submits a petition and initiates a process under Subsection (7)(a): (i)the legislative body shall hold a public hearing; (ii)the petition and process may not apply to or affect a public utility easement, except to the extent: (A)the easement is not a protected utility easement as defined in Section 54-3-27; (B)the easement is included within the public street; and (C)the notice to vacate the public street also contains a notice to vacate the easement; and (iii)a recorded ordinance to vacate a public street has the same legal effect as vacating a public street through a recorded plat or amended plat. (8)A legislative body may not approve a petition to vacate a public street under this section unless the vacation identifies and preserves any easements owned by a culinary water authority and sanitary sewer authority for existing facilities located within the public street.