Salt Lake City's Planning Commission voted 4-2 to forward a positive recommendation on a rezone that could bring up to 35 new for-sale homes to three parcels in the Glendale neighborhood, with every unit committed to income-restricted buyers. The proposal covers 1379 and 1395 W. Van Buren Ave. and 1384 W. Harris Ave., roughly 1.25 acres that currently sit in a single-family zone. The vote sends the plan to the Salt Lake City Council for final approval.
The petition, tracked by the city as PLNPCM2026-00369, falls within Council District 2, represented by Council Member Alejandro Puy, according to the Salt Lake City Planning Division. As reported by Building Salt Lake, the applicants are seeking to rezone the three parcels from R-1-7000 to RMF-30, a shift that a staff report cited by the outlet says could allow between 26 and 35 housing units on the site.
Why One House Came Down Before the Vote
The three parcels held two homes before the proposal, and one has already been torn down. The single-family home at 1395 W. Van Buren Ave. was demolished. The second home, at 1379 W. Van Buren Ave., is slated to remain untouched and preserved as an owner-occupied residence.
Hunter Huffman, a principal at HigherDesign, told the commission the rezone would let the project and its units be designed holistically rather than lot by lot, the outlet's report notes. Huffman also suggested continuous open green space could serve as an added community benefit. Commissioner Anna Sullivan pushed back, questioning why the developer pursued a rezone at all instead of building under the existing zoning, and she argued the proposal looked like spot zoning inconsistent with city plans before casting one of two votes against it.
Every Unit Pledged to Income-Restricted Buyers
Under the plan, the project calls for all units to be affordable as a community benefit, with none of the standard affordable housing incentives being sought in exchange. The proposal would sell 50% of units at 80% of Area Median Income or less, 25% at 100% AMI or less, and the remaining 25% at 120% AMI or less, the same report states. Each unit is committed to containing at least two bedrooms.
The proposal sets income thresholds for buyers, including an 80% of AMI ceiling for half the project's units.
Concessions Meant to Ease Neighborhood Worries
Landowners want to maintain 40% lot coverage on each parcel, matching the R-1-7000 requirement, while RMF-30 zoning would otherwise permit up to 50%. Pitched-roof structures would be capped at 30 feet, and the applicants included buffer yards intended to keep parking requirements unchanged. The plans evolved after the proposal was last discussed in July, as staff evaluated possible conditions on parking and setback buffers.
Commissioner Lilah Rosenfield said the proposal made sense as a larger site in a beautiful neighborhood and voted for approval, while Commissioner Richard Leverett said it offers neighborhood ownership opportunities and supports multigenerational housing. Both joined Jeffrey Barrett, who broke the tie, and Aimee Burrows in voting yes. Sullivan and Commissioner Brian Scott voted no, and new Commissioner Ben Raskin abstained because it was his first meeting.
A Neighborhood Divided at the Podium
A Neighborhood Divided at the Podium Opposition was visible well before the vote. The Glendale Neighborhood Council held a dedicated public meeting on the Van Buren proposal in June. At a Planning Commission meeting, some residents showed up wearing t-shirts with the word rezone crossed out. Building Salt Lake reports that the plan could include 26 to 35 units.
The rezone pitch arrives alongside other city efforts aimed at building homeownership in Glendale. Salt Lake City's Redevelopment Agency approved $6.46 million in May for two residential projects in the neighborhood designed to convert renters into owners through down-payment assistance and community land trusts, as Hoodline previously reported.
A Bigger Zoning Fight Still Looms
The same commission meeting also took public comment on a separate proposal known as the Expanding Housing Options ordinance. Dozens of speakers weighed in for and against it, but the commission postponed its planned vote because of an issue with the public notice, with a new vote possibly coming later in September.
The City Council will have final say on the Van Buren project, while how the broader Expanding Housing Options changes might reshape baseline zoning rules before this rezone reaches a final vote remains an open question. For now, the Glendale proposal heads to the council with a narrow commission endorsement and a neighborhood still split over what the change means for its future.
