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TO: |
Board of Trustees |
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THROUGH: |
Jay Fox, Executive Director |
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FROM: |
Jon Larsen, Chief Capital Services Officer |
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PRESENTER(S): |
Paul Drake, Director of Real Estate and TOD |
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Valarie Williams, TOC Project Specialist I |
TITLE:
title
R2026-03-07 - Resolution Adopting the South Salt Lake Downtown Connect Station Area Plan
end
AGENDA ITEM TYPE:
Resolution
RECOMMENDATION:
Approve the resolution adopting the South Salt Lake Downtown Connect Station Area Plan.
BACKGROUND:
In 2022, HB462 legislation mandated all cities with a fixed-guideway public transit station (rail or BRT) to develop and certify a Station Area Plan (SAP). Station Area Plans are intended to promote shared objectives of 1) increasing housing availability and affordability, 2) enhancing access to opportunities, 3) promoting sustainable environmental conditions, and 4) increasing transportation choices and connections. Supported by UTA, the associated Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO), Utah Department of Transportation, and other stakeholders, Station Area Plans are led by municipal staff to ensure general plans and zoning regulations will be updated for future Station Area Plan implementation. This Station Area Plan, “South Salt Lake Downtown Connect”, was led by the City of South Salt Lake and has been formally adopted by the City Council on May 14, 2025. The Wasatch Fron Regional Council certified the plan on October 23, 2025.
State Statute and UTA Board of Trustees Policy 5.1 require that Station Area Plans are reviewed by UTA’s Local Advisory Council and adopted by its Board of Trustees prior to pursuing development of UTA-owned property. The plan went to the Board of Trustees for a preliminary review on January 28, 2026, and the Local Advisory Council reviewed the plan on February 18, 2026.
DISCUSSION:
South Salt Lake, in coordination with UTA and Wasatch Front Regional Council (WFRC), worked to develop the Station Area Plans for South Salt Lake’s Central Pointe TRAX station, Central Pointe S-Line station and South Salt Lake City S-Line station. The plan proposes to create a Station Area Plan that fulfills the requirements of HB 462, communicates the city’s new plans for an approved Housing and Transit Reinvestment Zone (HTRZ), and updates the city’s downtown vision in order to guide new zoning for the neighborhood and direct capital improvement investment. Key project goals include creating a vibrant community celebrating creative and entrepreneurial energy, lively human-centric districts with a blend of housing options and economic drivers and capitalizing on the city’s location to create multi-modal connections to neighborhoods and the greater Salt Lake region. With a strong emphasis on removing impediments to accessibility by streamlining pedestrian, bicyclist, and vehicular traffic, South Salt Lake focuses on connectivity around their transit stations. The city also lays out plans to ensure all future development near the station are transit-oriented and equitable, supporting South Salt Lake’s community and bolstering UTA’s 2022-2030 Strategic Goals and Objectives.
ALTERNATIVES:
The Board may choose not to approve the South Salt Lake Downtown Connect Station Area Plan resolution. Without adoption by the Board of Trustees, UTA may not pursue development of its properties located within the South Salt Lake Downtown Connect station area.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The proposed South Salt Lake Downtown Connect Station Area Plan will better position UTA and South Salt Lake to coordinate redevelopment of the station area. This aligned coordination will promote future transit-oriented development in an efficient and fiscally responsible manner.
ATTACHMENTS:
• R2026-03-07 - Resolution Adopting the South Salt Lake Downtown Connect Station Area Plan
o Exhibit A - South Salt Lake Downtown Connect Station Area Plan