Fleet Block Rezone
December 2023 Update
At its December 5, 2023 meeting, the City Council voted to create a new form-based zoning district (Form-Based Mixed Use 11 or FB-MU-11) and applied it to the Fleet Block, which is between 300 and 400 West and 800 and 900 South. As part of its decision, the Council also voted to establish the southeast portion of the block as a public square. The future public square will feature commissioned artwork and create open space in a part of the city that has historically lacked green and open space.
The new FB-MU-11 zoning district expands what types of things can be built on the property. The previous zoning district, Public Land, allowed uses such as government buildings. The new zoning can support more flexible, community-oriented development, such as community resource spaces, affordable family housing, and public space.
The zoning decision doesn’t determine the exact uses or design of the future public square or open space. Those uses and designs will be determined after the rezoning of the block. The City will begin a public process, which includes working with the community to determine the design and future use of the property.
Additional information on the City Council public input and adoption process can be found on the City Council’s Fleet Block webpage.
January 2022 Request for Information (RFI) for Development of the Fleet Block
In January 2022, Salt Lake City released a Request for Information (RFI) regarding the redevelopment of the Fleet Block. View a PDF of the RFI here. That RFI is now closed.
2022 Art Healing and Process Updates
At its Tuesday, November 22 meeting, the Council received an update from the Mayor’s Administration on the status of the Fleet Block property. Since 2020, the Council has been reviewing a proposal to create a new land use designation, or zone, called Form-Based Urban Neighborhood 3 or FB-UN3. The Council is also considering applying the FB-UN3 zone to the Fleet Block property.
At the meeting, the Council expressed support for honoring the community memorial space, maximizing the connectivity and activation to the 9 Line Trail, and expressed interest in exploring the mix of uses that may fit under the proposed zoning. The Council also expressed general support for creating the new FB-UN3 zone and said they would continue discussing how the zone could be applied to the Fleet Block in the future.
Art Healing
In October of 2021, several relatives of those whose faces appear on the Fleet Block participated in bimonthly meetings that included grief counseling, art healing sessions and talks about the future of the property.
Since the City is the property owner of the majority of Fleet Block, there are many options available to ensure a community space and the murals are part of the future of the block. The Administration and the Council could collaborate to set aside a portion of the block to be used as a park/open space and incorporate the murals into that space. This could be done before or after the block is rezoned.
Do you have the comment or concern about the Art Healing process? Use the comment form below to share your thoughts.
2019 Project Timeline
Planning Commission Public Hearing - December 2019
The Fleet Block zoning proposal went to the Planning Commission for a public hearing and recommendation on December 11th.
The proposal was slightly revised since the October 2019 public draft. The revisions were minor and generally involved clarifications to avoid code conflicts. The full staff report for the proposal, which includes an updated summary of the proposal, can be downloaded from the following location:
Fleet Block Zoning Amendments Staff Report
The Planning Commission held a public hearing and forwarded a positive recommendation with considerations to the City Council
Zoning Regulation Proposal – October 2019
Staff has developed the below regulation proposal based on the input received at a public open house and Planning Commission meeting (discussed below), and analysis of current City codes and associated Master Plan policies. The proposed zone is called the Form Based Urban Neighborhood 3 (FB-UN-3) zone and is similar to the Form Based Urban Neighborhood 2 zone that regulates development in the nearby Central 9 neighborhood. The primary differences are that the proposed zone will allow taller development and more commercial uses than the neighboring zone. The information below includes a graphical summary of the proposed zoning regulations and the full text of the proposed regulations.
- FB-UN3 Full Draft Text of Regulations ; individual sections:
Staff anticipates taking the proposal to Planning Commission by the end of the year and may make further changes to the proposal based on public input. Please contact the City staff planner noted below with any questions or comments or if you’d like to meet with staff to discuss the proposed regulations.
Planning Commission Work Session – July 2019
Planning staff took the open house material and draft code language to the Planning Commission for a work session, to brief the commission and get their preliminary input, on July 31st. A copy of the staff report and the presentation are below:
FB-UN-3 Zoning Proposal History – July 2019
The City held an Open House at the Fleet Block site on Monday July 8th. More than 50 people, including nearby residents and business owners, attended the open house. The materials from that open house are available below:
Frequently Asked Questions
How long has the redevelopment and rezone discussion been in process?
- This zoning amendment was initiated in March 2019 by then-Mayor Biskupski.
- The redevelopment of Fleet Block has been discussed for over 10 years since the Fleet maintenance facility was relocated from this block.
- The City’s Downtown Master Plan, adopted in 2016, identifies this block for redevelopment that “demonstrates the best of urban family living and industry, the mixing of land uses once thought to be incompatible, and improved connections that focus on putting people first.”
Is there a way to build in protections into the zoning for the murals as the space transitions into a 'Form-Based Urban Neighborhood'? Could the City include requirements to preserve the murals in the sale agreement of the property?
- Zoning may not be the most suitable tool to protect the murals.
- However, since the City owns the majority of the Fleet Block and the buildings where the murals are, the City has many options to consider protections for the murals. These may include: designating the area as a park, paying to protect them, requiring any future property owner to include them in development, changing the size or scope of the rezone so the area where the murals are located is not included in the rezoning, etc.
- The Council has expressed an intent to hold future briefings with the administration to discuss the zoning amendments and the community interest in the murals.
Can the City ensure there is a public space on the block and decide what is included in a gathering space?
- During the October 6 work session briefing on the purposed rezone, multiple Council Members expressed interest in including parks/open/green space as part of the redevelopment of the block.
- Since the City owns the majority of the Fleet Block, the City has many options to ensure park/green space is included as part of the block’s future development.
- Open space and Parks are permitted uses in the proposed zone.
- There will be future briefings with the administration to discuss how best to ensure open space is guaranteed to be part of this future development in order to preserve a community gathering place on this block.
- Parks does not have responsibility for the Fleet Block. But it is anticipated they will be included in the future discussions about its redevelopment.
Is there a timeline for the redevelopment of the block, including demolition of the existing buildings?
- Currently, there is not a timeline for when redevelopment of the block will begin.
- The rezoning is the first of many steps that will guide the future development of this area. The City has many options on how to proceed with the development of the block: they may choose to subdivide the block and sell it to different developers or work with a master developer. No decisions have been made at this time. As the property owner, the City is in a very strong position to make sure the redevelopment of the block meets our policy goals.
Are there options for the City to place conditions on the property in order to consider preserving the murals?
Since the City is the property owner of the majority of Fleet Block, there are many options available to ensure a community space and the murals are part of the future of the block. The Administration and the Council could collaborate to set aside a portion of the block to be used as a park/open space and incorporate the murals into that space. This could be done before or after the block is rezoned.
If you have any comments or questions on the proposal, or would like to meet and discuss the proposal with City staff, please contact the City planning staff managing the proposal:
Daniel Echeverria // daniel.echeverria@slc.gov // 801-535-7165