Planning Division

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Northwest Community Plan Update

Northwest Community Plan Update

Salt Lake City is updating the Northwest Community Plan, originally adopted in 1992. This update aims to establish a vision for the Northwest Community for the next 15 years, including a revision of the North Temple Station Area Plan, and to align the overall plan with Plan Salt Lake.

Northwest Community Boundaries


Existing Conditions Report

This Existing Conditions Report provides a comprehensive overview of the Northwest Community’s current demographics, land use, connectivity, open space and natural resources, historic and cultural assets, and infrastructure. Serving as a “snapshot in time,” this report helps establish a foundational understanding of the Community’s present state.  

Draft Published: May 22, 2025


We want to hear from you!

The Northwest Community is evolving, and your input is essential to help guide its future development. Whether you’re interested in parks, housing, transportation, or community services, your feedback will play a key role in creating a plan that reflects the needs and values of everyone in our community.


Current Phase: Northwest Community Plan Draft

  • Share draft plan for public feedback (Available on October 24, 2025)
  • Community Meetings
  • Online Open House (Ongoing)
  • Commission & Council Public Hearings
  • Hold In-Person Events

Upcoming In-Person Engagement Events

Saturday, October 25 | 11 AM – 2 PM | Monster Block Party
Regional Athletic Complex – 2280 N Rose Park Ln

Tuesday, October 28 | 5:30 PM | Westside Coalition
NeighborWorks – 622 W 500 N

Saturday, November 1 | 10 AM – 1 PM | Pop-Up Event
Culture Coffee – 285 N 900 W

Thursday, November 20 | TBD | Backman Open Space Event
Bachman Elementary – 601 N 1500 W

Thursday, December 4 | TBD | Fairpark Community Council

Public Hearings

Wednesday, December 10 | 5:30 PM | Planning Commission (Public Hearing)
City Hall – 451 S State Street, Room 326

This hearing is scheduled to brief the commission and hear your input on the draft plan. No recommendation will be provided to the Planning Commission on this date.


Existing Conditions Engagement Summary

  • 147 Online Survey Responses
  • 9 In-Person Events
  • 6 Stakeholder Interviews

Key Takeaways from the survey results and in-person outreach events

Neighborhoods
  • There is a perception that the Northwest Community is “the wrong side of town”
  • Residents feel a general lack of a sense of community
  • Lack of public safety
  • Most residents expressed that they feel good about their quality of life in the Northwest Community 
  • Desire to highlight the diverse cultures in the community 
  • The community is close to Downtown but should be distinct through placemaking and embracing the diversity
  • Increase opportunities for mixed-use developments
  • Increase opportunities for new local businesses to locate within existing communities 
  • Broader capital improvement efforts to increase the urban tree canopy
  • Deep love for the diversity and sense of community within each neighborhood 
Growth 
  • Desire for mixed-income neighborhoods
  • TSA hasn’t been successful in terms of providing ground floor commercial spaces
  • Desire for more family-sized housing
  • Fear of gentrification and displacement with new development initiatives
  • Desire to capitalize on the “overflow” from the Power District
  • With the increase in housing, there is a greater need for commercial spaces
  • The community desires more amenities associated with everyday neighborhood needs
  • Mitigate displacement and gentrification
Housing 
  • Concentration of low-income households along North Temple
  • Support more affordable housing 
  • Support for more low-scale housing
  • Residents expressed a need for family-sized housing and home ownership opportunities
  • Child friendly amenities near housing developments
  • Belief that the neighborhoods are at capacity
  • Support for more low-medium density
  • Support and ease regulations for small multi-family developments
  • More townhome style development
  • Single-family homes have become too expensive for many
Transportation 
  • Residents expressed a lack of parking due to TSA developments not requiring enough
  • Not enough parking to support local businesses
  • There is a lack of bike infrastructure, especially west of 900 West
  • There are limited public transportation options, particularly north of North Temple 
  • No bus route north of 1000 N, no access to any public transit on the northern end 
  • It does not currently feel like a “walkable community”, with few destinations to walk or bike to
  • Safe walking paths
  • North Temple lacks permeability and cuts off access around many blocks 
  • No direct access from Trax to Fairpark
  • General support for improved road conditions
  • Slow traffic through the residential areas of the community
  • Arterial roadway improvements
  • Street calming
  • Ease access to public transportation and create better infrastructure
  • Create and widen ped bridges over Jordan River
  • Lack of crosswalks from UTA Trax to the neighborhoods
  • Mid-block crossings along Redwood Road 
  • Need more east/west ped and bike crossings
  • Public safety is an issue with walkability, biking and public transit
  • More people would use public transit if there were more stops and the schedule was better
Air Quality
  • There is a desire among residents to mitigate impacts from nearby industrial uses
  • Limit the industrial uses east of 2200 West
  • Public infrastructure investment in transportation to reduce the number of cars 
  • Increase urban tree canopy/vegetation
  • Need to acknowledge the air quality impact from the airport and Northpoint
Natural Environment 
  • Tree coverage is lacking in the community
  • There is a lot of trash and lack of maintenance in public spaces
  • Jordan River is a great asset but needs safety and cleanliness improvements 
  • Prioritize the Jordan River 
  • Improved access to trails
  • Incentivize removing turf
Parks & Recreation
  • Public parks and trails do not feel safe and many of these spaces have been taken over by the unhoused
  • Jordan River Trail could be an amazing resource, but is not fulfilling its potential
  • Parks and recreation resources need better lighting
  • Desire for more dog parks, pickleball courts, and other amenities that east side contains 
  • Public safety is a concern in all open space accessible to the community
  • The parks need more investment and kid age varied features
  • Inequities in the level of maintenance, investment, quantities and amenities
  • Ensure cleanliness of the public space so that the community feels safe to use the parks
  • Lack of bathrooms
  • More places to relax in the parks
  • Baby and toddler safe equipment (baby swings)
  • Desire for water features (splash pads/public pools)
  • Utilize the Utah State Fairgrounds as a community asset
  • Affordable amenities for families
  • Provide robust vegetation, trees or shade equipment in any provided public park so that the space can be enjoyable
  • Desire to address on-street parking associated with parks
Arts & Culture 
  • More support for cultural events and festivals
  • Desire for more public art
  • Placemaking efforts and consistency throughout the community
  • Public market 
  • Create more opportunities to celebrate the various cultures within the community
Equity 
  • Food desert (lack of access to fresh groceries)
  • Fewer public transportation options than the rest of the city (highest proportion of households without a car)
  • Higher rates of poor air quality 
  • Low rates of health insurance 
  • No existing healthcare facilities
  • Gentrification and displacement are a concern (want to protect and enhance existing diversity of neighborhood)
  • Language access
  • Higher rates of resettled refugees
  • High concentration of affordable housing 
Economy 
  • Gyms and recreational uses are limited
  • Businesses on North Temple are vacant and leaving due to impacts from those experiencing homelessness
  • Lack of amenities for kids and families near apartments, including retail
  • North Temple should be an impressive welcoming gateway to the city
  • How do we protect small businesses from being displaced by chains?
  • Commercial areas need more investment
  • Most people leave the area for employment and retail opportunities
  • Provide more subsidies and support to local businesses throughout the community
  • Support a diverse mix of commercial uses
  • Support commercial uses near walkable areas
  • Create incentives or support mechanisms to create new small businesses and support the ones already there
Beautiful City 
  • Desire for less industrious areas on south end
  • Want more cohesive neighborhood urban design 
  • Integrate/implement a comprehensive placemaking initiative
  • Capitalize on the river investment near the Power District
Government 
  • Zoning enforcement isn’t being applied equitably
  • Traffic and parking enforcement are problematic and often don’t show
  • How can the government support priorities of the community?
  • Parking infrastructure 
  • Improve call to haul to ensure cleanliness
  • Funding for unsheltered housing

Share Your Input

Share your feedback by emailing: [email protected]


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