Oct. 18, 2023

Mayor Erin Mendenhall’s anti-displacement plan, Thriving in Place, was formally adopted by the Salt Lake City Council on Tuesday. Thriving in Place is a first-of-its-kind plan that will set the foundation for future policy and funding investments by Salt Lake City. 

Salt Lake City—working in conjunction with a consultant team led by David Driskell—developed the community-driven plan in two years with more than 2,500 public comments. It includes a two-year action plan serving as a roadmap for innovative and immediate strategies to address displacement and stabilize Salt Lake City’s renters.

“Understanding displacement in Salt Lake City and creating a plan to break down almost a century of systemic inequity has been a critical goal of my administration,” Mayor Erin Mendenhall said. “We started this work in 2021, and I’m so grateful for the City Council’s support and adoption of this plan so we can get to work carrying out the 22 action items that address the very real and often traumatic experiences of Salt Lakers.”

Data collected and analyzed for the plan showed there are high levels of resident displacement within Salt Lake City, as well as throughout the region, with no more affordable census tracts for renters to go if they are displaced. Over half of the City’s renters are cost-burdened, making them vulnerable to displacement pressure; this plan is the City’s response.

“Thriving in Place is a forward-thinking and unique plan that lays the foundation for vital policy discussions that help ensure everyone has a place to stay in our City,” said Salt Lake City Council Member Darin Mano. “It is a blueprint to a future where no one is priced out of their beloved neighborhoods, and where they can live and thrive in our City.”

Thriving in Place’s 22 strategic priorities are grounded in six goals:

• Protect the most vulnerable from displacement;
• Preserve the affordable housing we have;
• Produce more housing, especially affordable housing;
• Expand capacity for tenant support and affordable housing;
• Partner and collaborate to maximize impact; and
• Advocate for tenants at the state level.

“Thriving in Place represents a collaborative effort across departments and divisions within the City and with the community more broadly,” said Blake Thomas, Director of the Department of Community and Neighborhoods. “In developing the plan, we prioritized hearing from residents, particularly those most at risk of displacement. It will positively impact households in Salt Lake City, and we look forward to getting to work on implementation.”

The City dedicated more than $40 million to implement Thriving in Place initiatives in the Fiscal Year 2024-25 budget. A new Community Benefit Policy is currently open for public comment and will be presented to the Planning Commission in October. The City has already held two renter resource fairs since August to help Salt Lake renters learn their legal rights and connect with valuable nonprofit services, and more than $13 million will be released by the Redevelopment Agency of Salt Lake City for the development of affordable housing. The City will begin work on the Tenant Resource Center and Relocation Assistance program in the coming months.

To learn more about the plan that creates a city where people can stay in place and thrive, visit thrivinginplaceslc.org.