Council hears hours of comment on Northpoint Small Area Plan and defers action; approves ranked choice voting pilot and first ARPA business grants
March 7, 2023, 7:00 p.m.
After a hearing that ran past 10 p.m., the Council deferred action on the Northpoint Small Area Plan, with dozens of speakers on each side. It unanimously voted to join the state ranked choice voting pilot for the 2023 municipal election and approved local business ARPA grants, with two members recusing on specific grants. Of Budget Amendment No. 5, the Council adopted only a $2 million tenant assistance item that night.
From the approved minutes. Updated October 14, 2026.
Decisions at a glance
| Item | Result |
|---|---|
| Budget Amendment No. 5 for fiscal year 2022-23 (public hearing) | Approved · 7-0 |
| Zoning text on landscape materials (public hearing) | Tabled · 7-0 |
| Right-of-way permit notification fee (public hearing) | Continued · 7-0 |
| Glendale Regional Park Plan (public hearing) | Tabled · 7-0 |
| Northpoint Small Area Plan (public hearing) | Tabled · 7-0 |
| Ranked choice voting pilot program | Approved · 7-0 |
| Local business assistance ARPA grant awards | Approved · 7-0 |
| Interlocal agreement to transfer a MITS vehicle to West Valley City | Approved · 7-0 |
| Consent: hearing dates set, grant holding account items and appointments | Approved · 7-0 |
Agenda, item by item
Item B1 · Budget
Budget Amendment No. 5 for fiscal year 2022-23 (public hearing)
Approved · 7-0
Staff described 24 proposed amendments totaling $33,321,895 in expenditures, $6,240,349 of it from fund balance, which would leave the fund balance at 22.9%, about $40.5 million above the 13% minimum target. There was no public comment. The Council adopted Ordinance 11 of 2023 only for item E-1, $2 million from Treasury emergency rental assistance funds for Salt Lake City tenant assistance through the Utah Rent Relief Program, and continued the hearing for the rest.
- Grant$2.00 million to Utah Rent Relief Program
Item B2 · City code
Zoning text on landscape materials (public hearing)
Tabled · 7-0
The hearing covered limits on turf grass to qualify the city for water-wise rebate programs. One speaker supported it and asked that preferred turf types and rock sizes be specified and that golf not be exempt; another discussed park strip watering and rock versus mulch maintenance. The Council closed the hearing and deferred action.
- Petition No.: PLNPCM2022-01055
Item B3 · Taxes and fees
Right-of-way permit notification fee (public hearing)
Continued · 7-0
At staff's request, the Council continued the public hearing on the proposed postcard notification fee for public way permits to a future meeting. No one spoke.
Item B4 · Parks
Glendale Regional Park Plan (public hearing)
Tabled · 7-0
Speakers welcomed the park and asked for more information on the Jordan River Trail, tennis or pickleball courts, a concessionaire, swimming pool and stage, parking and boat launch access for river cleanup volunteers, and construction of the park in a timely way. The Council closed the hearing and deferred action.
Item B5 · General plan
Northpoint Small Area Plan (public hearing)
Tabled · 7-0
About 18 speakers supported the plan and roughly 40 opposed it. Supporters said there was no data showing harm to the Great Salt Lake, argued industrial zoning would bring high-paying jobs and higher land values, said the plan protected wetlands and offered a middle ground for residents who wish to stay or sell, and thanked staff. Opponents said the city did not need more warehouses, raised air quality, traffic and health effects, loss of nearly 60 single-family homes, harm to wetlands and migratory bird nesting, and city service costs, asked that 3200 West remain unpaved and gated, called for a comprehensive impact review and a 180-day moratorium, and some favored Business Park zoning. The Council closed the hearing and deferred action.
- Petition No.: PLNPCM2022-00687
Item F1 · Other
Ranked choice voting pilot program
Approved · 7-0
The Council adopted Resolution 05 of 2023 to participate in the state-authorized Municipal Alternative Voting Methods Pilot Program, using ranked choice voting in the 2023 municipal general election.
Item F2 · Budget
Local business assistance ARPA grant awards
Approved · 7-0
The Council adopted Ordinance 12 of 2023 approving American Rescue Plan Act local business assistance grants in the funding log except items 2, 5, 7, 17, 27, 35, 37 and 41, then approved items 2, 5, 7, 17, 35, 37 and 41 in a separate vote with Council Member Ana Valdemoros recused, and item 27 in a third vote with Council Member Victoria Petro recused. The minutes do not state the reasons for the recusals.
- GrantAmount not given
Item F3 · Contract
Interlocal agreement to transfer a MITS vehicle to West Valley City
Approved · 7-0
The Council adopted Resolution 06 of 2023 approving an interlocal agreement to transfer a Mobile Interoperable Tactical Solution vehicle, bought with Urban Areas Security Initiative grant funds, from Salt Lake City to West Valley City.
Item G1-G9 · Other
Consent: hearing dates set, grant holding account items and appointments
Approved · 7-0
The Council set a March 21 hearing on the fiscal 2023-24 One-Year Action Plan for CDBG, HOME, ESG and HOPWA funds; a March 21 hearing on the rezone and master plan amendment at 865 South 500 East (Petitioner the applicant); a March 21 hearing on the electric vehicle readiness parking amendment; an April 4 hearing on a Homeless Resource Center overlay and text amendment; and confirmed the March 21 ADU hearing. It reconsidered and approved Grant Holding Account Items (Batch No. 5) and appointed Hannah Nielsen to the Arts Council and Pamela Silberman and Will Terry to the Human Rights Commission.
What residents said
Warehouse development near Great Salt LakeAir qualityWetlandsLoss of homes in Northpoint areaPark amenities
Speakers asked the Council to protect Miller Park as a bird refuge, raised mental health harms of encampment abatements, and asked that the Glendale Park plan include a completed canal trail, dark-sky lighting, protected bike lanes and a perimeter trail.