Salt Lake City planning commission recommends Glendale rezone for affordable homes
Rule Changes Salt Lake City, UT localUp to 35 units could replace single-family lots; city council has final say
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Overview
Updated 1 hour agoSalt Lake City's Planning Commission voted Wednesday to recommend rezoning 1.25 acres in Glendale from single-family to low-density multifamily. The shift lets the property owner build up to 35 homes, with plans for about two dozen affordable, for-sale units.
More than 700 neighbors signed a petition against the change, and the Glendale Neighborhood Council opposed it unless density dropped to 8–10 units. The City Council holds the final vote, testing how Salt Lake balances its housing goals against a neighborhood's resistance.
Why it matters
If the rezone passes, Glendale trades single-family zoning for an affordable pocket neighborhood — and neighbors warn 10 more big lots could follow.
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People Involved
Organizations Involved
Appointed body that holds public hearings on zoning changes and makes recommendations to the City Council.
Elected community council that advises the city on planning issues for the Glendale neighborhood.
Elected body that holds the final public hearing and votes on the zoning map amendment.
Salt Lake City development news outlet that first reported the commission's vote.
Timeline
January 2024 September 2026
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Commission recommends approval
Today DecisionPlanning Commission votes to recommend the RMF-30 rezone, sending it to City Council.
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Commission tables rezone for conditions
HearingPlanning Commission deliberates, tables the request while staff and applicant discuss limits.
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Neighbors learn of proposal
CommunityResidents say they first heard of the rezone in 2026, despite planning since 2024.
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Applicant begins planning project
PlanningJonathan Marsh starts planning the housing development on his Glendale parcels.
Historical Context
2 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.
Minneapolis 2040 (2018)
Minneapolis became the first major U.S. city to end single-family-only zoning, allowing up to three units on every residential lot citywide. The plan passed after years of advocacy over housing costs and segregation.
The city saw modest new construction and a wave of legal and political backlash from homeowners.
In 2025, the Minnesota legislature intervened, curbing parts of the policy as part of a state preemption fight.
Shows how upzoning can pass on affordability grounds, then face years of organized homeowner resistance and partial rollback.
Oregon House Bill 2001 (2019)
Oregon banned single-family-only zoning in cities over 10,000 people, requiring duplexes and townhomes on most residential lots. It was the first statewide law of its kind.
Cities delayed implementation and fought over details of lot sizes and parking rules.
Several years in, most cities had not met the state's deadlines, and the legislature pushed enforcement.
Illustrates how top-down density mandates collide with local control and slow-walked implementation, a risk for the Glendale project.
