Summer Update - September 2020

Dear KEEPers,                                                                                                                        

Happy Labor Day Weekend!  On behalf of the Board we hope that you, your family and friends are in good health, have had opportunities to connect with those you hold dear and are enjoying these last warm days of summer.  Our main areas of concern these past few months have been the SLC Councils Affordable Housing Overlay and the Topologies Design Guide. We will do our best to keep you informed  on the issues that directly impact Yalecrest and surrounding neighborhoods.

Here’s an update on what the Board has been working on over the summer. 

Signage Update, by Lisette Gibson

The Signage Committee for KEEP Yalecrest has been busy working this summer with Salt Lake City Staff on obtaining permits for perimeter and interior Yalecrest Historic District signs to be installed later this year or next year. The perimeter signs noting that Yalecrest is a National Register Historic District are planned for the following locations (1300 East, Sunnyside Avenue, 900 South, 1900 East and 1300 South). 

Signage will be added to our six Local Historic District street signs (Princeton Park, Harvard Avenue 1300 East to 1800 East, Normandie Circle and Douglas Park (1500 block of Hubbard Ave). All designs are in process. 

KEEPYalecrest was awarded a grant from the Salt Lake City Capital Improvement Project for the signage. 

Example of perimeter sign:

Councilman Dan Dugan’s Virtual District Meeting, by Jan Hemming

KEEP Board members Virginia Hylton and Jan Hemming attended Dan Dugan’s virtual meeting. Hot button issues like the Affordable Housing Overlay, local street parking, Foothill congestion, the Street and Intersection Topologies Design Guide and the recently approved City Budget were discussed during a one-hour virtual meeting with 6^th District City Councilman Dan Dugan on August 25^th.

Dugan opened the meeting with a report about how the city’s economy is rebounding from the COVID-19 pandemic, with positive gains in restaurant, retail and sales while manufacturing and trade were flat.

A good portion of the evening was devoted to questions about the controversial Affordable Housing Overlay proposal. Councilman Dugan said he doubted the Council would take a vote on the measure before January. He also thought areas near transit stops were more preferable locations for AHO buildings rather than traditional neighborhoods like Yalecrest, although some callers pressed for more information. Dugan said the Council will hold additional public hearings this year. 

Questions were raised about one-sided street parking, a concept proposed for some neighborhoods in the Topologies Design Guide, but Dugan didn’t think single-sided parking was realistic. 

Lastly, one caller reported a recent uptick in burglaries and break-ins in Yalecrest, and asked Dugan to watch for any correlation with the 6% cut in the city’s police budget.

Yalecrest Walkabout, by Lynn Pershing

 KEEPYalecrest members and former Yalecrest Neighborhood Council Chairs Lynn, Lisette, Jon invited the City and City Councilman Dan Dugan (District 6) to a “Yalecrest Walkabout” to learn “What makes a good neighborhood” and discuss Yalecrest unique attributes that meet multiple housing options proposed in the Affordable Housing Overlay 

Attendees:

KEEPYalecrest

Lynn K. Pershing, Hostess, KEEPYalecrest Board Member

Lisette Gibson, KEEPYalecrest Board Member

Jon Dewey, KEEPYalecrest member 

Jill Greenwood (KEEPYalecrest Chair and photographer)

City Council    

Dan Dugan, District 6 dan.dugan@slcgov.com

City Planning Department  

 Sara Javoronok, Principal Planner & AHO document author, sara.javoronok@slcgov.com

Kristina Gilmore, Principal Planner, kristina.gilmore@slcgov.com 

Mayor’s Office

Jaime Stokes, Community Liaison, Jamie.stokes@slcgov.com

What attributes make a “Good, Safe and Desirable Neighborhood’?

1. Infrastructure:  Walkability to small-scale commercial business (Harmons’ Grocery, Jolly Pharmacy and 2 small restaurants at 1300 S and 1700 E), Anderson Foothill Library, 2 elementary schools, 2 churches, proximity to major employers (UofU, Primary Children’s Hospital, Research Park, VA, Downtown, cultural activities and freeway access.)

2. Large tree-lined shady narrow streets with Sidewalks, street lighting primarily property owner owned, that encourage safe, cool, resident + pets walking all times of the day.  “Active neighborhoods are safer neighborhoods”

3. Open Green Space Parks: Laird Park and Lee Charles Miller nature Park and Bird Refuge 1709 E 900 S discussing the multi-use (young children soccer, Niche Homes Movie Night, very popular one-of-a-kind large tree shaded children’s’ playground with the only swings and large sandbox in the City, and Miller Park with its wooded, cool deep ravine encompassing the babbling Red Butte Creek and trails.

4. Housing types: Variety of housing types: owner, rentals, multifamily 1 story duplexes located at corners of intersections that maintain street face cohesion and identity. Six different architectural styles including Iconic Tudors, English Cottages on mainly small 0.12-0.16-acre R1/5000 lots and smaller homes

5.  Friendly street faces with front yards chair (Adirondack styled) seating areas inviting neighbors and walks to chat.

The Route

Walkabout started in Laird Park (1190 S between Princeton and Laird Aves) on 1800 E, walked North on 1800 E on sidewalks under large shady ash trees to Herbert Ave to view the consequence of domino effect demolitions/new construction over-height, scale and mass mega mansions in 100 yr. old Historic Yalecrest.  Walked back South on 1800 E to Princeton Park LHD (1700 block of Princeton Ave) noting the well-maintained smaller homes, welcoming landscaping, traffic calming structures, pointing out the affordable 1500-1700 Cottage District on the West and the benefits of a small Commercial Neighborhood zoning corner on the South.

Yalecrest and concerns with the AHO

1. Invest in creating better neighborhoods throughout the City using the criteria found in YC: increase green space/parks, walkability with sidewalks, park strip trees, CN zoning for small scale infrastructure at corner intersections (small grocery markets, pharmacy, libraries, small neighborhood restaurants). Create “villages”.  “Active neighborhoods are safer neighborhoods”
2. Prohibit Demolitions of existing lower priced habitable SF housing to build new SF mega mansions or MF housing in established historic neighborhoods.  Demolition and new construction multiplies landfill waste.  Conflict with current City ordinances in sustainability, air quality, pollution and street topographies.  Limit new structure height, scale and mass (envelope) to be compatible with existing housing.  New construction is ALWAYS more expensive housing.  Limit size, height and # units, maintain setbacks and put unattached garages in the rear to ensure compatibility in established historic neighborhoods.  
3. Reinstate “conditional use” (advance notification to abutting property owners, Community Councils and 501c3 organizations operating within the neighborhood of any new construction (house, ADU, MF) or % AMI housing. No over-the-counter approvals of ADUs, MF housing, % AMI housing in established historic neighborhoods.  “Respectful neighbors are good neighbors”
4. Keep MF housing number (10% or 2 per 26 on a street face) and location of middle housing to intersection corners so it doesn’t overwhelm existing neighborhoods and change street face cohesion and identity.  Lower Avenues real estate destroyed in 1970-s when houses were demolished for insertion of 2 level material incompatible apartments oriented “on end”.
5. Affordable House (2-3 BR, 1-2 BA) Rentals already available in YC and average price is same as a 1 BR 1BA studio in downtown high rise (see rentcafe.com) and less expensive than Sandy, Draper, South Jordan.  New construction is always less affordable.
6. Increase State/County/City Tax credit to greater than 20% to encourage renovation, rehabilitation and restoration of older multi-family apartments within City.  
7. Invest in creating better neighborhoods throughout the City using the criteria found in YC: increase green space/parks, walkability with sidewalks, park strip trees, CN zoning for small scale infrastructure at corner intersections (small grocery markets, pharmacy, libraries, small neighborhood restaurants). “Active neighborhoods are safer neighborhoods

Annual Membership Meeting

Lastly, we sent out a SAVE THE DATE for our Annual Meeting. Though we initially thought we were going to meet in September, (and due to the circumstances, we all find ourselves in) hosting the event at someone’s home was not going to work out…so we changed to plan B. 

We decided to move the Annual Meeting to October. Taking advantage of the cooler weather and meeting outdoors, would give us the opportunity to say hello and visit with neighbors we haven’t seen in a while…with everyone’s utmost safety in mind. 

~ Please bring your own folding chair. (We will bring a few extras just in case)

~ Please wear a mask. Also, if needed… sunglasses/hat since we will be out in the sun.

~ A restroom will be available at 1193 S. 1300 E. 

~ Individual bottled water and sodas will be served along with professionally prepared pastries

~ Hand sanitizer/wipes will be available

~ 1-3pm, Saturday, October 10^th at The Harvard Triangle/ 1300 East Harvard Avenue

Also, we will be asking members attending the Annual Meeting to vote on the slate of new Board Member positions. If you have any questions or concerns, please bring them up at the meeting and we will answer them to the best of our ability. This slate will be sent out to our membership prior to the meeting.  

We are also working on an on-line walking tour available by October.

If you're not a member please consider joining and if you are a member, thank you for your support!

…we look forward to seeing you Saturday, October 10th at our Annual Meeting

Visit us at: keepyalecrest.org

Jill Greenwood, President