City Council - Regular Meeting

Hey, hey, hey. Heat. Heat.

How are you? Heat. Heat.

Heat. Heat. Council to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Council chair.

Okay. So, uh let me start with some uh welcome uh announcements and the rules uh about this meeting. Uh again, thank you for joining us today. Before we move through the agenda, I wanted to um uh highlight some of these uh rules. Um, we welcome everyone regardless of your opinion or your side of an issue because you will have people with varying opinions on important issues. The council's goal is to make the meetings a a place where people feel safe and comfortable participating. This is the most local level of government government and it is um key value of ours to ensure that we have created a respectful and safe environment so no one feels intimidated uh out of free uh participation. Uh this is also this also allows us to ensure that the meeting can continue and we can conduct uh the schedule city business. uh we will uh each of you we invite each of you to contribute to this space to speak your mind and to welcome others do the same. In order to create this welcoming and safe space, we will pause the meeting at any action that causes disruption uh to our ability to conduct the meeting or any safety concern involving threats um or unprotected speech. If there are repeated actions or comments, it may result in removal from the meeting. To avoid intimidating others, please avoid the use of threatening and discriminatory language. Uh do not insult others based on religion, ethnicity, race, color, gender, sexual orientation, or physical ability. Whether you agree or disagree with someone's comment, clapping, cheering, shouting, booing, snapping, gesturing, obstruction, or discouraging others from commenting, it is not allowed. As a

reminder, as council members, we refrain from reacting or responding to allow everyone everyone to share their opinion freely. This is to keep our reactions from affecting your ability to share your opinion freely. If you would like to follow up with any of us, please see the council staff or if you're online, you can reach out uh through the Zoom chat to for contact information. When making your comments, please address the body and not any individual elected official. If you have a handout for the council, please raise your hand and a council staff will will assist you. Council staff are available during and after the meeting to help you help you with any questions or information sharing. The full meeting rules are listed at the door uh and our staff will post the link in our s in our Zoom uh page. As a reminder uh as a reminder uh of our public comment registration process, individuals might register to comment on scheduled public hearing items until the hearing is closed. For the general comment section, we will accept signups until 7:30m. The general comment section is limited to a maximum of one hour and will only include commenters who register before the 7:30 p.m. deadline. If you're here to give comment, please sign up. And remember that it is possible that not everyone who sign up may be able to speak. This brings us to item A4, which is approving the council meetings from December 2nd, 2025. And I need a motion.

I move for approval. Second. I have a motion by council member Dugan and a second by council member Lopez Chavez. Uh all of those in favor say I. I. I.

All of uh any oppose? This motion carries unanimously. Um that uh brings us now to the public hearing section of the agenda. This section of the agenda are a specific proposals before the council that require a public hearing. Uh your comments should pertain to the specific hearing at hand. If you go off topic, we will ask you to stop your comment. In order to create a welcoming and safe space, we'll pass the meeting at any disruption to to our ability to conduct the meeting. Um and uh if you are uh on Zoom uh and and uh and you want to comment in this public hearing, please unmount unmute your microphone when your name is is called. Each person will have two minutes. If you reach the two-minute mark, the host will announce time and your and your microphone will be muted. We will be calling those names in order of signups. If you need staff assistance in the room, you can raise your hand and staff member will will assist you. And if you're online, you can contact um uh Ash ashke from our staff who can assist you. If you're unable to finish your comment in those two minutes allowed, you can share the rest of your comments through email. Uh or you can mail our office. Um you can also call us. Uh contact information is listed at slc.govconsel. If you also have a handout for us, uh you can not notify the council staff uh and they will bring it up to to us. Um now let's go to the first public hearing um is item B1 which is an ordinance Sony amendment uh at approximately 256 East 300 South. Brian Fulmer uh council policy analyst will give us a short introduction. Brian,

thank you Mr. Chair. This is a proposal to amend the zoning map for the property you you referenced from its current MU8 or mixeduse 8 to D1 or central business district. The current proposal is to construct an approximately 180 foot hotel on the site. Thank you. Uh thank you. Um and please Taylor start with the first comment.

Thank you Mr. Chair. We have about 13 people registered to speak to this item. The first will be Marilyn Cooch, followed by Taylor Ma, and then Travis Starling. Marilyn, you may now unmute. Thank you so much. My husband and I have a home uh we considered our home at 230 East Broadway in the Broadway Towers on the 7th floor. We have lived here for 13 years and have enjoyed being able to have um a view not only of the skyline but also of the changing of the seasons. With the proposed building of this hotel, it would greatly block and disturb the quietness of our neighborhood within the city center, but also it would lead to a very uh disruptive uh location of of a hotel that would lead to more business and busyness within our area. Uh we also are not only um advocates for um maintaining the structure of what is currently here in our um location, but we want the cityscape to be maintained. Um we have currently um a belief that if it if this were to go forward, it would actually um look out of place. It would again the design and what they're trying to propose would lead to even further um changes to what is currently um established within this neighborhood. We also have in the neighborhood an area where there are children across the street and other families that are um needing safety and there would be um just an issue with having um people coming in and out uh right across the street from the YMCA, but particularly the need and the desire for more space

would begin to take over not only our area but the other area for um apartments and single family dwellings. Thank you. And next will be Taylor Mott, followed by Travis Starley and then Cindy Cromer. Taylor, you may now unmute.

Hi, good evening. Uh, my name is Taylor Mott and I'm a homeowner at Broadway Tower located to the west of the lot in question. Um, I'm here to oppose the proposed reszone from MU8 to MU to D1. Uh, my concerns are four-fold. First, the scale. A building of up to 180 or 225 ft, including no height cap under D1, is more than double what the current uh MU8 zoning allows. This is not a modest up zone. It would obstruct light and views for every resident on the east side of our building, including upper floor units. Second, the fit. This site, this block sits outside the the city's established downtown boundary. The planning comm commission recognized this uh when it voted against the reszone in 2024, citing conflicts with the surrounding neighborhood character. Nothing about that context has changed. Third, the infra the infrastructure. The planning commission also noted that existing utilities do not support the D1 scale development. Without a approving a reszone without addressing that gap would place an outsized burden on the surrounding area. And fourth, the use. The current MU8 zoning encourages residential development with ground flooror retail, exactly the kind of mixeduse community oriented development that belongs on this stretch of Broadway. A large hotel brings late night activity and additional traffic to a street that is predominantly residential in character. I would ask the council to uphold the planning commission's prior recommendation and deny the reszone to D1. Thank you. And next is Travis Starley, followed by Cindy Chromemer and then Amy Atkins. Travis, you may not unmute. Hi, my name is Travis Starley. I'm speaking on behalf of the Central City

Neighborhood Council regarding the proposed zoning map amendment. Uh CCNC's concern is about the long-term zoning decision, not just one project concept. zoning outlasts any individual proposal. If this property is reszoned to D1, that would permanently expand developmental development rights and allow a much greater level of height, intensity, and use and use than the surrounding block has today. This block is not characterized by downtown tower scale development. It is defined by a mix of residential buildings and small neighborhood businesses with a predominantly two to fourstory pattern. The planning commission forwarded a negative recommendation on this reszone and we urge the council to take that recommendation seriously. This area sits near downtown, but it also functions as a transition area into central city. The central community master plan emphasizes protecting neighborhood character, supporting appropriate mixeduse development, and ensuring thoughtful transitions between the downtown core and surrounding residential areas. CCNC supports redevelopment. We are not opposed to growth, but the growth should be consistent with adopted plans compatible with neighborhood context and paired with clear community benefit when major additional development capacity is requested. In this case, CCNC does not support extending D1 zone zoning to this midblock location. We ask the council to reject this application and preserve a zoning framework that better reflects the scale and character of the surrounding neighborhood. Thank you.

Next is Cindy Cromer, followed by Amy Atkinson's and then Marissa Mills. Cindy is here in person.

My name is Cindy Cromer. I want to make three points tonight. The first two are ones that I made to you recently and are relevant to the requested reasonzoning. I'll keep them short. You've heard them. The third one is new and wonderful. It is a summary of building a community. It's close to poetry to me. Unfortunately, I'm not the author of how to build community, but you'll get a copy. First, a remark about your authority over zoning. It is the same comment I made on the requested reszoning for Silverado nearby. You have the authority to steer development in Salt Lake. You have indicated that greater height for buildings should occur to the south and west. I agree completely. You also need strategies for filling in the holes in the downtown core where we now have surface parking lots and billboards. You have two requests for reszoning which ask you to steer the height to the east. Silverado and this one. If you do that, I promise you that you will get more such requests to the east. Lots of them. They will replace developments which could have occurred where you indicated you want them to the south and west. Secondly, the concept of community benefits has run a muk. I have been saying this for over a year, ever since the planning division accepted two-bedroom units at market rate as a community benefit in the avenues. A bike station is small change when you upzone from an MU3 to an MU8. Please review how the concept of community benefit is being implemented when you get clear of the budget. And now for the new remark. Hotels have relatively little to do with building community. To make my point, I'm sending you a wonderful statement on how to build community. Some of the behaviors can be accomplished in a hotel, but they are far more likely to occur in a neighborhood of long-term residents and neighborhood businesses. It doesn't matter whether the residents are owners or renters. The duration of showing up

matters. As you read the list when you get it, I urge you to think about which h I've never seen her go over. Next is Amy Atkinson's followed by Marissa Mills and then Ben Engel. Amy's here in person.

Hello. My husband and I own a unit at Broadway Towers um which is adjacent to the site. The current zoning is residential mixeduse which allows moderate height and density. The proposed reszone to D1 is a major shift. It removes any maximum height limit and allows the most intense development in the city. While the current proposal is a 180 foot hotel, the zoning change would allow significantly taller structures in the future with limited ability for the city to restrict them. There are already taller buildings nearby and from my understanding those were built under zoning that still maintains height limits. that shows development can occur without eliminating those controls. This area functions as a transition between downtown and residential uses and this proposal skips that transition and expands downtown core zoning outward. Reszoning decisions should align with the city's general plan and demonstrate a clear public benefit. I don't see that demonstrated here, especially given the long-term impacts that this change would allow. I urge the council to deny the reszone or consider a designation that maintains reasonable height limits and compatibility. Thank you.

Next is Marissa Mills followed by Ben Engel and then Jay Nelson. Marissa, you may now unmute.

Hello. Uh my name is Marissa Mills. I am a homeowner in Broadway Towers um on the seventh floor east facing. Uh so first of all the main thought that came to my mind was the loss of light and views of mountains and everything east facing. Um but in addition to that uh the stretch of third south is only one lane in each direction and it's already quite congested a lot of times in the day. Um especially near second east and I know that that as mentioned is the cut off between downtown and some of the more residential neighborhoods. Um, adding more density here will increase traffic on a street that's already constrained and it also raises safety concerns for residents, pedestrians, and cyclists. Second, parking. Parking is already limited, and many of us rely on street parking every day. Increased density without adequate parking solutions will push overflow into surrounding residential streets and make an already difficult situation worse. This uh area also has uh character and unique neighborhood feel and small businesses and local spots that contribute to its identity. It's not just an extension of downtown. It's a distinct more residential and community oriented area. And expanding higher density zoning into this area risks eroding that character and changing the li livability for the people who already call it home. Lastly, I don't believe the existing infrastructure, whether that's traffic flow, parking, or overall capacity has been adequately addressed to support this level of increased density. I'm not opposed to growth, but I do believe it needs to be aligned with the realities on the ground, and right now, this proposal feels misaligned with the existing conditions of this neighborhood. Thank you.

Next is Ben Angel, followed by Jay Nelson, and then Em Nelson. Ben first. Hello. Uh my name is Ben Engel. I live on uh 100 South between Second and Third East. Uh we've got u a little neighborhood cleanup group. Call ourselves Neighbors Who Care. Um kind of under the Central City Neighborhood Council. And um you know, when we talk about neighbors who care, uh I I always try to encourage our developers to be good neighbors. Like um I believe this property was an apartment building back in 1991. had a fire that burned it down. All those people losing their homes. Um, and you know, they they talk about millions of dollars in damage back then. I imagine there was probably some kind of an insurance payment on them. But in the meantime, what we've had is a surface parking lot. Uh, until now since ' 91. Um, you know, that surface parking lots are not something that we want in our neighborhoods. We do want development, but we want development that's going to benefit our community. And I don't think there's any community benefit in a hotel. Um especially one that seems to be uh intended to be continued owned by the same people that have not been good neighbors up until this point. So I uh I'm also uh thankful to all you. I'm inspired. Um I'm proud to be a resident of the city because of you guys. And the city has gone to a great lengths to plan how we want our city to develop. and that did not include a D1 zone here. So, uh I I I would just discourage you from approving this up zone. Thanks.

Next is Jay Nelson, followed by Emily Nelson and then Dorothy Harmony. Jay is here in person.

Um if this were a normal hotel, I would agree with some of the people who have spoken before me. However, um If you look into the the details of this particular hotel, it is going to be an art focused hotel. It's done in an art deco design and it has a large um multi- gallery setup in it. It's designed to help hundreds of local artists every year um to increase the amount of money they make and and a lot of artists are not doing very well these days. And I'm a former professional photographer and artist and I want to speak out on behalf of local artists, make a plea in their behalf. Um, artists have been hit very hard by AI and certain segments of artists have um, lost their jobs to a very good degree. About a fourth of illustrators have lost their jobs already due to AI. And uh, this hotel is again, it's not a normal hotel. It's aiming at the high end. It's it's designed to bring in um high high-end buyers of art and to help local artists in a big way. The gallery would is designed. It's high up on the building. So, it has a good view. It would be an amazing location for an art gallery. And there are many other benefits which the building has. So nearby people would not be able to not have to walk very far for groceries. It has a close groceries. Parking would not be an issue in the area because a lot of parking is planned um in the structure. So and that would make things so much better for the area.

It would provide a lot more jobs for the area. And again, just a plea on behalf of artists. Hi. Next will be Emily Nelson, followed by Dorothy Hamry, and then Annie Isacson. Emily is here in person.

Hi. The site's immediate neighborhood is currently in new apartments in over supply with 40% vacancies, but this project proposes to add a lot of cultural uses, employment, and services. The construction will take at least three years, and in that time, we expect that the growth of Utah will continue. So, the site owners are working out a feasibility for an overall mixed use combined with long-term housing added. The goal is to add more housing units with the help of a D1 reszone than they could now build on the site with the new restrictions they have under MU8. The proposed site is in the blocks art district. It is served by the free fair zone at Library Station. It's in the Broadway district of downtown plan. It's in the corporate utilities district of the east downtown plan called an extension to the central district central business district. The eastern extents of D1 are actually midb block between 200 and 300 east and many D1 parcels are on the same block as this site. The planning commission needed two more votes to vote to recommend and three were concerned with unlimited height and we have not been asking for any unlimited height. This decision has always rested with the city council as elected officials. The council has latitude to consider the needs they see in their own districts. Utility lines are a non-issue if they need to be enlarged, which they don't. They didn't under the current design. It would be a normal construction project if they needed to be enlarged. We have been including a 4,000t gallery and support spaces, and that kind of use does require a program behind it. See artillutah.com. Artists in Utah and the west are very dispersed and the programs here are designed to work with the vast western state situation to increase their visibility and sales to increase the local use of art collection for financial investment in general. Since the proposal this proposal by the city council to inter include long-term housing was recent today the owners are

asking for a little extension to propose the needed and therefore financially possible Next will be Dorothy Hamry and then Annie Isacson. Dorothy is here in person. Uh good evening. Four years ago, actually five years ago, I bought the condo in the Samson Aladena complex. Um my son who is disabled, 53, lives on the first floor. Um, it really this whole proposal would impact the environment of the community. Namely, it would cast a big shadow on our building. And what attracted me to our present residence is the sunny sun exposure and the sunny windows. Um, it's a very cheery place. The neighborhood is safe for my son. Um, it's a residential area. People are friendly and helpful and a it's a nice community. And I think the the idea of having a transient motel or hotel, even though it may attract artists, which is a nice thing, um certainly doesn't fit the flavor of the neighborhood. So, I'm very much opposed to the proposing of resoning. Thank you.

And next will be Annie Isacson, who's here. Hi, I'm Annie Isacson. I'm the HOA president of Samson Altadena. Um, we are on the corner of 300 South 300 East. We are on the local and national historic registry. Um, firstly I want to show you these are our buildings. This is now the overland properties as they exist and these two are parking lots. So if we were to see the overland bill to their limit that they could build due to the local historic landmark status. This is the maximum they can build. They need to step away from our roof line at a 45 degree angle. If the Storus built out their lot, this is what they would have to build. This is what the Wads are proposing. The other thing I want to state, so as you know, here's the city county building. Here's the library. Here are little historic buildings. This is the Broadway Tower that several people have spoken. This is what the Wads are proposing at 185 ft. And when Mr. Wade presented to the work sessions, he said, "Actually, we want to build it up to 225 ft."

That's 185 ft. So, if you live in the metro, you're looking at a Chinese wall. And I really don't think this is an appropriate thing to do to our community. Build a Chinese wall 3/4 of the way across the center of the block. It's MU8. Please leave it that way. Thank you. And that was the final register commenter for this item.

Okay, that that thank you for all those that made the comments. Um I'm looking for a motion. Uh Mr. Chair, I move that the council close the public hearing and defer action to a future council meeting. Second. Okay. I have a motion by council member Lope Chavez and a second by council member Warden. Um I'm going to call the vote. All of those in favor say I. I. I.

Any oppose? Okay. That motion's carries unanimously. We are going to be moving on on the agenda. Uh we're going to go to item B2 which is an ordinance zoning map amendment at approximately 1073 South Navajo Street. Now we're going to be welcoming Austin Kimmel who's our council policy analyst to give us a short introduction on the item. Thanks Council Chair. This is a public hearing for a proposal to amend the zoning map amendment at a par for a parcel at 1073 South Navajo Street from R15000 which is a single family residential zone to RMF30 lowdensity multif family residential zone. The applicant states they plan to retain the existing two-bedroom single family home and build an additional excuse me build additional fourale family-sized homes on the property. The proposed ordinance requires the petitioner to enter a development agreement with Salt Lake City with two specific conditions. The first is that the existing home on the site be retained and the second that any additional dwelling units over four units must be for sale. Thank you.

Um thank you Austin uh Taylor. Uh please uh notify our first commenter. Thank you Mr. Chair. We have three people registered to speak to this item. The first will be Jennifer Madreal, followed by Rachel Hall, and then Greg Garcia. Jennifer, you may now unmute.

Hi, thanks. Um, my name is Jennifer Madreal. I'm the um newly appointed chair of the Glendale Neighborhood Council. Um, and I've been in the position for just over two months. Um, so I'm a little bit concerned about um diving into anything. Um, as I've uh I was not aware of the reszone, so I was consequently unable to present this at one of our public meetings um just to let them know about the date for public comment and to get feedback from them. Um RMF30 is going to set precedent for this entire street. Um and this it really can't be supported with highdensity housing by our current infrastructure, including just the ability to get into or out of the block. Um Glendale is historically redland and probably half of those properties are owned by real estate investors. So um we would love to see a real plan with um the deed restricting and to make sure that that is going to be applied to any reszone that goes forward. Um we really want to preserve the character of the neighborhood as set out in the official westside plan uh which is nearly uh entirely R5 and R seven single family mid-century modern and ranch style homes. Uh so I urge the city council to take the time to ensure a plan for um all RF30 reszones going forward before approving any reszone uh and consider the best zoning type for this area area if RMF30 is even the right um type. So I also would encourage the council to allow for one more period of public comment after I'm able to present this at our monthly meeting this month. Uh, I've met with the property owner and while I'm sure he's got the best intentions for the neighborhood, others who follow this precedent may not.

Next will be Rachel Hall, followed by Greg Garcia. Rachel, you may now unmute.

Yeah. Hi, thanks for having me. Um, I currently live across the street from the proposed property and am newer to the Glendale neighborhood and this proposal has caused a lot of distress in our neighborhood about what's going to happen just like these changes and it seems like all of our neighbors are really pro like maybe some some housing um some you know tiny homes some ADUs but um we would really like to see some proposed plans of what might be happening to this property before this zoning change goes through. Um I've been on Navajo Street. We bought our home about nine months ago and there's so much predatory practices of, you know, every day I'm out in the front yard, people drive by asking if they can buy it off you because they are hoping for the city to approve these money-making zoning laws that will completely change the vibe of Glendale. And it's been so hard to find good housing in Salt Lake. Um, there's still young folks out here that want single family homes. They want these starter homes. Um, they are small and the lots are big. I think there's a lot of cool potential here, but I don't think that what's happening across the property from mine is um, going to make the neighborhood better. So, just would really love more time for my neighbors to be able to speak up against this and just to be able to decide since this is the first one happening on our street. Um, just the intention and what we're trying to create here. There also isn't infrastructure for parking or our our really old sewer line to be able to support um much more urban infill on this street. So unless the city decides

to fix some of those issues, I just urge you to pause on this. And next will be Greg Garcia who's here in person.

Hi, I'm Greg Garcia. I'm live at 1078 directly in front of the proposed property and I'm not really excited about it. I you already there's already a development going down at the circle that is already going to bring in a lot of traffic, let alone have something directly in front of me. I really enjoy the neighborhood. I've been there for eight years. Um my neighbors are great. It's just kind of frustrating that they want to change the environment of the area. So, I just would like to have this turned down because I really enjoy our neighborhood and really there's been nothing talked about as far as like traffic through that area. Like I say, there's a big structure going down less than a quarter mile and nobody's planned for any of that traffic to come through. So, just something to consider. Thank you. That is the final register commenter for this item.

Thank you. For those that share your comments, I uh will need a motion. I move the council close the public hearing and defer action to a future council meeting. Second. A motion by council member Petro and a second by council member Lopez Chavez. Any discussion? Okay. Can I call the vote? All those in favor say I. I I I

Any oppose? This motion carries unanimously. I am going to keep on moving through the agenda. Uh we're going we are at the section C section of the agenda which is the potential action items. Um and item C1 is the ordinance uh for the expiration of the land use approval text amendment. And I need a motion. Mr. Chair, I move that the council adopt the ordinance. Second council member by uh motion by council member Dugan and a second by Dr. Chavez. Uh any uh discussion? All of those in favor say I. I. I.

Any oppose? This motion carries unanimously. I uh moving through the agenda. Item C2 is an ordinance for the Sugar House Hotel Plan and Sunny M amendment at approximately 211 South 1300 East. And I will uh I'm looking for a motion. Mr. Chair, I move that the council reject the ordinance. Second. Um uh I have a motion by council member Young and a second by council member Petro. Any discussion? Mr. Chair, if I can just reserve a point of personal privilege to explain explain my vote after the council votes. I'd appreciate it.

Um uh anybody else? Okay, I'm going to call the vote. All those in favor of the motion say I. I. Any oppose? This motion carries unanimously. Now is your time.

Thank you. So to my community members, um, Sugar House Park is one of our community's most valued public spaces. It's the landmark that many neighbors, including myself, use to tell people where we live in the city, and it represents a shared identity and point of pride for the area. The level of engagement we saw throughout the process reflects just how deeply people care about its future and the role it plays in shaping the character of our neighborhood. My vote to reject the request today reflects a concern about precedent. Expanding the business district beyond what is outlined in our adopted community plan, particularly when our updated mixeduse zoning is still in its first year, feels premature. We've not yet seen the full potential of development within the existing business core and I believe we should allow that work to take shape before considering expansions of the business district that could have long-term implications for Sugar House. This decision was informed by the thoughtful and substantive input we heard from neighbors, including an organized effort by our leaders and trustees with the Sugar House Community Council. Residents raised important considerations around building scale and transitions, impacts to neighborhood livability, and the relationship of this site to Sugar House Park. Others spoke about broader questions of long-term planning alignment, the importance of honoring the community plan, and how incremental decisions today really shape the future of our community. These perspectives reinforce the need to take a measured approach. I want to sincerely thank the applicant for their professionalism and collaboration throughout the process. They have been a class act. I'm also deeply appreciative of the many neighbors, community organizations, and subject matter

experts who took the time to engage in the conversation and share their expertise. Our community is stronger when people care, and this process has clearly demonstrated how much our residents value the future of our city and especially cherished public spaces like Sugar House Park. I'm proud to represent this community and look forward to continued engagement as we build our future together. Thank you.

Thank you, Council Member Young. I would like to echo your your your sentiment on this. Thank you all for the work that you've done to to um help us understand um the community sentiment about this but also um understand uh the issues on the ground and how it felt you know for park users and how it will feel for those utilizing the site. So thank you for the work on this. Um we're moving on through the agenda. There is no new business and there is not unfinished business. Uh but there is a consent portion of the agenda. Um I need a a motion move for approval. Second.

I have a motion by council member Wharton that I feel like I'm the only one who heard that heard it. Uh and uh second by council member Lopez Chavez. All of those in favor say I. I.

Any oppose? This uh motion carries unanimously to approve the consent agenda. And now we're moving to the section G of uh the public comment section of our meeting. Um are there any questions to the mayor or the mayor design from the council? Okay, there's none. Thank you uh all of those uh representing the mayor and the administration right there. Um, as far as the general comment uh portion of the agenda, um, this section is for the public comment of any city business not scheduled public for a public hearing. It is a limited to a maximum of one hour and to only those individuals who register to speak before 7:30 p.m. Our meeting rules apply to these general comments. uh please avoid disruptions or threats or we will ask a staff member to assist you out of the meeting. Also, as a reminder, comments that include profanity, personal attacks, intimidation or discriminatory language are not persuasive or compelling to this council. They will there are no helpful helpful to create a respectful and safe environment. Um we will be calling the names in the order they sign up. Um and each person will have two minutes. Um, make sure realize that not everybody may be able to speak. Um, if you need staff assistance, please raise your hand if you're in the meeting. Uh, if you, uh, are online, you can contact Ashk, uh, from our staff to assist you. Uh, if you're unable to finish your comments, like I mentioned earlier, uh, please share the the rest of your message via email, mail, or call our office. Taylor, can you please begin with our first general comment? Thank you, Mr. Chair. The first will be Issa Akuna Zarate, followed by Shannon

Jones and then TJ Young. Issa is here in person. Hello, my name is Issa Akuna or sorry, Issa Akuna. I'm a constituent from District 3 in Salt Lake City, Utah. I want to emphasize my thanks to the mayor and the city council for doing everything they can and promising that they'll do everything they can to fight the mega detention center that was just bought by ICE. Um I also wanted to talk about maybe some things that you guys could do. Um four different cities blocked warehouses that were bought by ICE and they bought a mor moratorum. I don't know how to say it correctly, but it's a permit to halt and pause things in certain amount of time. Kansas City passed a 5-year moratorum. Seattle passed a one-year moratorum. King County, Washington passed a moratorum. I understand that the building is outside of the city council's limits. So, it would fall to the county council to pass a moratorum, but I urge anyone that has connections to please talk to those people and see if there's anything that they can do. Um, I come from immigrants. My dad immigrated from Colombia. I would not be here without him. And I saw the sacrifice and hardships that he had to go through just to access everyday things that um people with citizenship can. And if this ICE detention center opened, there would be terror on the west side of Salt Lake City. And I don't think to go through that. Um, I have many people close to me who are undocumented and they have said that they don't even leave their house only to work and no one should live like that. And me as a daughter of immigrants, I have felt so much pain and just fear for my parents and anyone who just doesn't look white because that's

who they're targeting. And I also urge the city council to um speak out against the Matis courthouse that has been the baiffs have been working with ICE and there have been people detained there. Thank you. Next will be Shannon Jones followed by TJ Young and then Rio Ramirez. Shannon, you may now unmute.

Yes. Yes. Thank you. My name is Shannon Jones. I'd like to thank the city council for the opportunity to speak as a district 3 resident. I'm a researcher at the University of Utah and the executive director of the university's center for community nutrition. However, tonight I'm speaking on my personal behalf, not on behalf of the university. Urban farm programs that employ individuals experiencing homelessness while providing free organic produ uh produce to the community are exceptionally rare in the United States. In my research, I have been able to find only one program specific for women experiencing homelessness. That program is Wasach Community Gardens Green Team Program. I've been fortunate enough to collaborate with colleagues from the green team for many years along with colleagues from the university and green team staff. We received funding from the National Science Foundation to understand how this one-of-a-kind program works. As far as I'm aware, it's the only grant ever funded by the National Science Foundation that recognized experts with lived expertise in homelessness as full co-investigators on a research project. This was a significant achievement to have one of the world's most prestigious science institutions recognize the innovation of the green team farm. At the national level, current homelessness related priorities are deimplementing evidence-based practices. Salt Lake has the opportunity to counter these regressive decisions and support a model that may provide practice relevant evidence of how person-entered approaches and practices influence health behaviors and health equity for

women experiencing homelessness. I respectfully ask the council to fund the green team program through the community development block grant. Thank you for your consideration. Next will be TJ Young, followed by Rio Ramirez, and then Katie Dwer. TJ's here in person.

Hi, I'm TJ, a resident of Sugar House. I've run a community-led daily ice watch for over 14 months now. I'm here tonight to extend my support to the mayor and council for any and all efforts they can continue to pursue to slow and stop the warehouse at 6020 West 300 South from becoming an ICE mega detention center, a concentration camp at Topaz 2.0. So far in 2026, 15 known deaths have occurred in ICE detention and the number of deaths in 2025 exceeded the highest seen in over two decades. With the detainment centers ICE already owns, there are widespread credible reports of overcrowding, inadequate plumbing, moldy, rotten food, and undrinkable water. There are problems with underst staffing, a lack of adequate medical care, and a constant barrage of dehumanizing language and treatment of our immigrant friends, family, and neighbors. Our friends, our family, and our neighbors. Routinely, ICE is lying about incidents continuing to violate both human and constitutional rights. Locally, there are at least two incidents where ICE agents have been caught on video lying. Both times trying to charge people with federal crimes when none occurred. I thank the mayor and council for your strong sance stance against the ICE detention center so far and support all policies, environmental restrictions, lawsuits or anything else that can stop this warehouse from moving forward. Thank you for your continued efforts and thank you for your time.

Next will be Rio Ramirez, followed by Katie Dwire and then Paul Miller goes here in person.

Good evening. My name is Rio Ramirez. I'm the lead representative for the Carpenters Union Local 801. Everyone you see here holding up a sign is a member of the Carpenters Union and their family. For the last several years, during this time of the year, we show up to raise awareness about tax fraction industry. It is estimated that the construction tax route is responsible for cheating communities out of millions of dollars in tax revenue. That's millions of dollars in lost tax revenue that could be used for building and renovating schools, repairing roads, caring for veterans, sheltering homeless, and funding other essential public programs. The the prevalence of construction industry tax fraud has reached crisis levels and must be stopped. This April 6 through the 18th, local 801 and the city of South Lake and the United Brotherhood of Carpenters are taking part of the National Tax Route Days of Action, a week and a half long series of events to raise awareness of our construction tax route industry, a range of practices where employers evade their tax responsibilities in several ways. Often they intentionally mclassify workers as independent contractors and pay workers in cash only arrangements. As a result, this business significantly reduce their income tax and payroll tax responsibilities and defraud communities out of much needed tax revenue. And now as communities are facing budget shortfalls, it's more important than ever to crack down on these bad actor employers who are stealing from the residents of Salt Lake City and all over the state of Utah. Thank you so much city council members for your support and the opportunity to speak up.

Next will be Katie Dwer followed by Paul Miller and then Jackson Early. Katie's here in person. Hello and thank you. I'm Katie Dwire, the executive director at Wasach Community Gardens. Uh we are requesting $50,000 in CDBG funding to support the Green Team job training program, our farm-based job training program for women facing or experiencing homelessness. As of now, we are not recommended for uh this particular funding in the upcoming cycle. I'd like to be clear uh this program is about more than just 16 participants. Indeed, each year we provide paid jobs, intensive training, and case management to roughly 16 women, helping them access housing, build employment skills, and secure stable work. And about 80% of them achieve housing and employment within six months. But their impact extends far beyond their own program participation. And this is a pivotal element to our story. These women are the workforce behind City Farm, a 1.4 acre certified organic urban farm in Salt Lake City's District 2. These 16 program participants grow thousands of produce thousands of pounds of fresh produce distributed to local partners, reaching roughly 1,000 lowincome residents who might otherwise not have access to healthy food. In any given year, more than 40% of the Utah population served in shelters has received food grown by our green team. These 16 women also grow 45,000 seedlings for our spring plant sale, putting food producing plants into the hands of 3,000 households across the valley. Proceeds from the sale reinvest directly into our program serving low-income residents. Just two years ago, our city farm was a vacant weedy lot. Today, it is a hub for regenerative agriculture, education, and community engagement on the west side. Hundreds of residents visit each year to learn, volunteer, and to see for themselves the food generating power created by this program. The green team is more than just a job training program. It's a

multiplier. 16 women empowering 4,000 people across Salt Lake City to grow and eat healthy local food. We hope you'll reconsider CDBG funding for the green team in recognition of the full scope of this impact. And thank you very much. Next will be Paul Miller followed by Jackson Early and then Sean Ramos's here in person.

Yeah, I'm super grateful for uh Mayor Menhal's actions uh of withholding water from the ice facility uh to preserve our water resources. Let's ignore the fact that they drink and shower at home and they just be drinking and showering at the ice facility instead. But we don't need those bastards still in our limited water resources. That's why I'm glad you did what you did. Heck, the legislature couldn't even get no driver's licenses for illegals passed or no public funds for entitlements going to illegals. That's why I'm proud of you for Mayor Men and Holm for taking this into your own hands. I'm really surprised your base thinks that your actions are to punish ICE or ICE agents when in reality they can bring water from home and shower at home. I'm re uh but I'd like to bring to everyone's attention who was going to these ICE facilities. An illegal named Israel Escoy Estep was caught kidnapping a 15year-old girl and raping her last week in Ogden. Jorge Louise Martinez, an illegal cotton Kentucky. Also kidnapping and raping a 15-year-old girl. Herardo Areo Turbide, an illegal caught young teen caught getting young teens drunk to make child porn and to distribute it. Juan Padilla Victoria, an illegal alien who is con who has convictions for domestic battery, aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, DUI, carrying a concealed weapon, and re-entering the US after removal, which is a felony. Now, I don't want these oxygen thieves stealing our water resources either. To be honest, I don't see how anyone would want these horrible people in our communities. I personally wouldn't piss on their heads if their hair was on fire. So, thank you, Mayor, and God bless.

Next will be Jackson Early, followed by Shawn Ramos, and then Heather Smith. Jackson, here in person. Say that name again one one more time. Taylor Jackson Early,

are you here? If not, let's go to the next comment.

Next will be Sean Ramos, followed by Heather Smith, and then Olive Peterson Jacobe. Sean's here in person. Good evening, council members. My name is Sean Edward Ramos. I'm a certified emission spectre who worked at a shop in Rose Park until just recently. I'm also proud to say I'm now the vice chair for precinct 21 for the Democratic Party. Have you ever gone to work every day afraid that your coworker may be abducted at gunpoint? Have you ever gone for a run on the Jordan River Trail and seen a homeless man with no legs? Have you ever found a woman unconscious on the track platform and had to revive her with the locks on? Because I have. These aren't abstract policy debates to me. These are things I have seen and experienced in our city with my own two eyes. When I step outside, I feel moral injury. I feel moral injury. I see suffering while public officials tell us there's no money for public housing, healthcare, or child care. But somehow there's always money for over policing, surveillance, and subsidies for wealthy developers. Working in working people in Salt Lake City need real investments in public welfare. We need housing for everyone, not just those who can afford it. We need child care so families can stay employed. We need fast, accessible public transportation so working people aren't trapped by the cost of owning a car. And most of all, we need policies and initiatives centered around compassion and dignity for our most vulnerable communities. Right now, many of us feel like our government has stopped working for ordinary people. So my question to this council is simple. Who is this city

being run for? Thank you. No, no, no, not allowed. Next will be Heather Smith, followed by Olive Peterson Jacobe and then Haley Hernandez. Heather, you may now unmute.

Hello, my name is Heather Smith. I am calling in from St. George, Utah. I am opposed to the ICE center that is planned at 6020 West 300 South in Salt Lake City. I appreciate any efforts to oppose this warehouse being turned into a detention center which is inhumane. We cannot use this type of building for this purpose. I am supportive of criminals being detained by our police officers as usual. I do not feel that people who are trying to immigrate to this country through whatever means they have found need to be held captive especially children especially women and pregnant women and I've been hearing horrors of the ICE detention centers around the country for over a year now and I cannot stand it to be in my state. Please do everything you can and I thank you for what you have done already. Next will be Olive Peterson Jacobe followed by Haley Hernandez and then Diane Crim. All of you may now unmute. My name is Olive Peterson Jacobe. I live in district 5 and I am also here tonight uh to request that the city does more does anything it possibly can to prevent uh the ICE detention center uh from being opened. Um, I understand that the mayor has cited environmental impact and uh undue strain on water and sewage infrastructure as

well as first responders and traffic. Um, I think those are all perfect. Those are all perfectly fine things to site. Uh I am very concerned about how we will actually enforce the limitations on water use uh that were recently um passed. Um I don't believe that anyone empowered by this administration will accurately report uh anything regarding these detention facilities. Um, and I certainly don't believe that they will listen if we politely ask them to stop using so much water or politely ask them to stop brutalizing innocent uh, immigrants. Um, so I think anything we can do preemptively before the facility is opened, uh, anything we can do to stop it from being open in the first place, it absolutely must be done. Um, an unwillingness to take politically risky action at this time uh will put blood on the hands of this council and the hands on any community members who might be compelled to join uh up and work at this detention facility. Um, I think we should shut off their water and sewage access now. Don't give them a chance to uh overuse. uh you should enshrine the rights of protesters and do everything you can to make sure we can exercise our first

time. Next will be Haley Hernandez followed by Diane Crim. Haley is here in person.

Hello, my name is Haley. Thank you for this opportunity. I am here to ask city council to take every measure necessary to prevent the operation of the detention center at a warehouse north 6000 west 300 south. I have the privilege of being the daughter of a Mexican immigrant father who is now a US citizen and business owner. My mother Marianne Ernnandez is Da and Hickory Apache woman. I have seen and feel in my bones how the land of my people has been stripped from us by non-existent borders. As well, I have seen the outcomes of aggressive immigration enforcement, not just in 2025 or 2026, but every year since this country's birth, understanding this land was originally Mexico. It was originally indigenous. It is your responsibility as city council to take every necessary measure to put an end to an illegal and d dead deadly immigration center run by ICE, including the outlying of a 7,000 bed shelter. Are you aware there have there have been more than 30,000 habius corpus petitions in federal court alleging illegal detention since Trump took office. At least 14 migrants have died in US Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody between January and April. Does Salt Lake City Council want to continue these deadly federal practices, allow our neighbors to be criminalized? Do you want to continue the legacy of Topaz Camp? As a granddaughter of a survivor of a native boarding school, I have felt and continue to see the racism that placed my adolescent grandfather in a detention center disguised an educ as an educational opportunity. This gener generational trauma that has rippled through my blood continues in my niece and nephew. I hope you understand the power you hold right now.

Please do everything necessary to put an end to this. Children and families don't deserve to be locked up. Thank you.

Next will be Diane Prim who is here. In light of some earlier comments, I'm going to change for my prepared remarks. But I do want to say thank you for all of the efforts that you have made in finding ways to stop the ice warehouse. Warehouses are for products, not people. I just retired as a middle school math teacher. Math is your friend. And it has been the friend of many 12 and 13year-old humans that have come through my classroom and they learned to be excellent problem solvers and I appreciate the problem solving that you have done. I now am retired and I have a lot of energy for this particular problem. So I will be searching for every possible way to help you stop this. I do want to point out um from some earlier comments that we are not deporting just criminals. 70 to 73% have no crim criminal convictions. We are making horrible mistakes and we cannot stand for it and I appreciate all of your good work. Know that I will be working too and we are excellent problem solvers. Go math. That was the final registered commenter.

Okay. Thank you everyone for uh for sharing your comments. Uh this concludes our select city council uh meeting for today. Um this uh council this formal meeting now stands adjourned.