Salt Lake City leaders are inching toward a major shift in how single-family neighborhoods can grow, after a Tuesday briefing on an "Expanding Housing Options" proposal that would let "Small Lot Dwellings" be built by right on lots as small as 2,000 square feet. The presentation prompted a round of pointed questions from several City Council members, but there was no vote, and staff said they will tweak the draft based on that feedback before bringing it back for a formal hearing. If it ultimately passes, the change could open the door to more duplexes, triplexes and compact for-sale homes in some of the city’s oldest residential areas.
What planners want to allow
Under the draft rules, Small Lot Dwellings would be a permitted, by-right use in the R-1, R-2, SR-1 and SR-1A zones. They could be built on lots as small as 2,000 square feet, with a maximum building footprint of 1,000 square feet for a single dwelling and up to 850 square feet per unit in duplexes, triplexes and fourplexes. The proposal would cap gross floor area at about 1,200 square feet per unit and require at least one off-street parking space per unit, according to Building Salt Lake.
Other zoning tweaks on the table
City staff also outlined a set of technical changes that would remove minimum lot-width requirements in R-1 and R-2, allow up to four units on flag lots, and bump roof-height limits: pitched roofs would go from 28 to 30 feet and flat roofs from 20 to 24 feet, according to the Salt Lake City work session packet. The materials stress that the concept is a text amendment rather than a rezoning and would not override historic-overlay protections. The draft also diverges from the 2023 Affordable Housing Incentives ordinance by dropping planning-application and restrictive-covenant requirements.
Council reaction
The council showed clear divisions over how far and how fast to go. Some members, including District 1’s Victoria Petro, said she "loves everything" in the draft. Others urged a slower approach after a series of recent land-use code changes. Council Member Dan Dugan pressed staff on whether a 6,000-square-foot R-1-7000 lot could be split into three separate, sellable parcels, and principal planner Ben Buckley said yes, provided any new homes meet the Small Lot Dwelling standards. The council ultimately took no vote and directed staff to revise the proposal based on the feedback, according to Building Salt Lake.
Why planners say the change is needed
Staff framed the overhaul as a response to mounting affordability pressures and shifting demographics. According to their briefing, the city’s median home price is roughly $615,000, while the household income needed to buy that median-priced home is around $162,230, well above Salt Lake City’s median income. Planners also reported that the city has gained overall population since 2000 while losing children, and they argue that loosening up single-family zoning could help attract and retain families. Those figures and the broader rationale are laid out in the staff materials, according to the Salt Lake City work session packet.
Next steps and where to weigh in
Staff said they will refine the draft and return to the council with a formal hearing date after additional outreach. The city has already scheduled public engagement events around Salt Lake City through late March. For event dates, background materials and ways to submit comments, residents can visit the Expanding Housing Options website on the city’s engagement portal.
Legal and neighborhood implications
Because the proposal is a text amendment rather than a map rezoning, it could apply citywide in the affected zones without triggering the parcel-by-parcel notice and hearing processes that often accompany rezones, a procedural wrinkle that unsettled some council members during the briefing. Supporters counter that the by-right approach is crucial to speed up the construction of smaller, for-sale homes. Skeptics worry the rule change could alter neighborhood character and increase pressure on already crowded on-street parking in areas with limited off-street options.
