Salt Lake City is considering whether to change zoning for three residential properties near 800 East and 400 South, clearing the way for a proposed five-story, 109-unit mixed-use building called The Viv. The proposal from Hardage Hospitality includes ground-floor commercial space and could displace seven homes in a National Register historic district, according to FOX 13 News Utah. The City Council has not voted.
The decision involves two related but distinct changes: a zoning-map amendment and an amendment to the community plan. The Planning Commission recommended approving the rezone 4-3, but recommended denying the plan amendment 6-1; it also tabled a related design review, FOX 13 reported. Those split recommendations leave the council to consider a proposal without a unified commission position.
The properties sit along a zoning boundary: the corner lot is already zoned for mixed-use development, while the three residential lots beside it are zoned for moderate-density multifamily housing. Neighbors say they support new housing on the corner property but oppose changing the zoning and plan for the adjoining lots. The council’s May 5 meeting recap identifies the proposal as a 109-unit mixed-use building at roughly 346, 350 and 354 South 800 East.
The dispute has immediate consequences for people living in the houses. FOX 13 reported that Ann-Michelle Neal lives in one of the affected homes and that a neighboring household has begun looking for another place as the rezone process continues. The council has not announced a vote date in the reporting provided.
Historic listing is not the same as local protection
The homes’ location in a National Register historic district does not, by itself, determine what can happen to them. Salt Lake City’s Historic Preservation office says National Register listing alone does not restrict an owner’s actions. The city also explains that National Register and local historic-district designations are not equivalent; the parcels’ local designation status would need to be checked separately, according to its guidance on local districts.
A past case illustrates why the distinction matters, but does not predict the outcome here. In Salt Lake City’s Central City Historic District, the Historic Landmark Commission approved demolition of two homes at Trolley Square and denied demolition of two others; the latter were later approved for relocation, Building Salt Lake reported in 2017. That was a separate redevelopment and a different review, so it does not establish what protections or decisions apply to the 800 East properties.
For the current proposal, the unresolved questions are whether the council will approve either amendment and what the homes’ local designation status is. Until the council acts, the project remains a proposal, and the commission’s divided recommendations are not a final decision.
