Work session: loan deferral, Northpoint plan, housing zoning changes and $6 million housing budget amendment reviewed
September 20, 2022, 2:00 p.m. · City & County Building, 451 South State Street, Salt Lake City
Council members were briefed on deferring Emergency Loan Program repayments to 2024, the Northpoint Small Area Plan, shared housing, parking and RMF-30 zoning changes, small cell wireless rules and Budget Amendment No. 3. Straw polls backed an adaptive reuse option for shared housing and rounding up parking for bicycles. These are pending, unapproved minutes.
From the draft minutes. Updated October 14, 2026.
Decisions at a glance
Agenda, item by item
Item 1 · Presentation
Updates from the Administration
Discussed
Staff reported COVID-19 cases down 27%, 98% occupancy at resource centers and upcoming resource fairs. The Public Utilities director said 100% of the state is in drought, Deer Creek reservoir is 45% full, and the city remains in Stage II of its Water Shortage Contingency Plan. Council Members and staff discussed using a more humane term than abatement for homeless camp cleanups, winter water conservation and Great Salt Lake levels.
Item 2 · Budget
Deferral of Emergency Loan Program repayments to Dec. 31, 2024
Discussed
Economic development staff said the program lent $1 million in interest-free loans of $5,000 to $20,000 to 52 businesses and nonprofits starting in 2020; two repaid in full, two closed permanently, and 50 have not repaid. The ordinance would defer repayment from Dec. 31, 2021 to Dec. 31, 2024. Council Members discussed an opt-in path, converting loans to grants (which would require a public benefit analysis), a repayment discount and a forgiveness process. The executive director noted that turning loans into grants could prompt similar requests on development loans.
- Payment$1.00 million
Item 3 · General plan
Northpoint Small Area Plan
Discussed
Planners presented the plan for the area between the airport and the city's northern boundary along 2200 West, with goals including limiting impacts on farming and wildlife habitat, a 100-foot buffer from sensitive wetlands, native landscaping and annexation of contiguous parcels. Council Members Puy and Petro-Eschler discussed active farming in the area, pressure to allow commercial development and protecting property owners. Next steps are a Planning Commission recommendation and return to Council.
Item 4 · City code
Housing zoning amendments: shared housing, off-street parking, RMF-30
Discussed
Planning staff briefed three proposals. Shared housing would allow shared kitchens or baths in more zones, with two people per room and management plans; members asked about private bathrooms, caps per unit and security, and all present supported a straw poll to draft an adaptive reuse option and a cap on people per unit. On parking, consensus was reached on 13 of 14 issues and members supported rounding up requirements to include bicycle parking. For RMF-30, staff proposed reducing minimum lot area per unit, removing minimum lot width and giving a two-unit bonus for preserving an existing multi-family building.
Item 6-7 · Development
The Other Side Village lease terms and rezone (follow-up)
Discussed
Staff said the full parcel was valued at $8,230,000 in 2022 excluding remediation costs, and the pilot would sit on eight acres at the southeast corner. The proposed lease is 40 years at $1 a year with a renewal option subject to Council approval. Council Members discussed a development agreement, a grocery or food store on site, fencing around the tiny homes, and whether to rezone only the pilot area or the 28.5-acre remainder now or later. Staff explained document timing before Council could decide.
- Land deal$1 to The Other Side Academy
Item 8 · Budget
Budget Amendment No. 3 for fiscal year 2022-23
Discussed
Staff presented 20 proposed changes across seven funds, with $538,000 coming from fund balance and balance projected at 16.7%, $15.9 million above the 13% target. Items included $3,055,700 for refuse packers, $6 million for deeply affordable housing, $500,000 for governmental immunity, a $36.68 million federal BRIC grant to retrofit the City Creek Water Treatment Plant, $2.1 million for 300 West active transportation, $950,000 for Parley's Trail and $1 million in parks impact fees for the Marmalade Plaza project. Sales tax revenue rose 17% in fiscal 2022. In a straw poll, all present supported the Know Your Neighbor grant on condition that no staff position be created without funding.
- Purchase$3.06 million
- Budget$6.00 million
- Grant$36.7 million to Federal BRIC program
- Budget$1.00 million
Item 9 · City code
Small wireless facilities in the public way
Discussed
Staff presented an ordinance with design standards requiring small cell facilities to use existing or replacement utility poles where available, match nearby poles in color, height and fluting including in historic districts, prioritize busier collector streets over local streets, and sit at property line intersections if placed on local streets. State and federal law give providers the right to use the right-of-way subject to municipal rules. Council Member Wharton asked about aesthetic requirements.
Item 10 · Appointment
Interview: City Engineer nominee Mark Stephens
Discussed
The Council interviewed Mark Stephens for appointment as city engineer; a vote was scheduled for the formal meeting.
Item 11 · Appointment
Interview: Housing Advisory and Appeals Board nominee
Discussed
The Council interviewed Terressa Clark for the Housing Advisory and Appeals Board for a term ending Dec. 31, 2026; the appointment was placed on the consent agenda.
Other
Closed session
Approved · 6-0
The Council voted to enter closed session to discuss real property lease or purchase strategy and attorney-client matters. Closed session ran from 6:30 to 6:55 p.m. and the minutes record no further detail.
What residents said
Drought and water supplyFarmland and wetlands at NorthpointShared housing standards