This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

A prominent Utah home developer is canceling plans to build new apartments on Salt Lake City's South Temple after a city panel charged with protecting historic districts rejected his project several times.

After months of discussions, plan changes and public meetings, Bryson Garbett of Garbett Homes said he was forced to pull the plug due to costly delays, while voicing deep frustration about being given what he claims was conflicting guidance from the city's Historic Landmark Commission.

"I really don't see in the process any end to it," the company president said Monday. We're no closer now than we were. In fact, we're further away."

Garbett had proposed a six-story residential and commercial building on a vacant lot on the southeast corner of 500 East and South Temple, to be known as Hardison Apartments. The mixed-use complex was designed to include about 166 studio, one- and two-bedroom rentals; 5,000 square feet of retail space; and more than 200 parking stalls.

Although the project didn't involve demolishing existing structures, its South Temple location put it within a designated historic district, requiring review by the landmark commission for a certificate of appropriateness to the neighborhood's historic character.

In meetings since December, commissioners raised varied concerns, including the structure's height, design, materials, exterior facades, a lack of setbacks from the sidewalk and potential impacts on nearby properties.

Several neighbors and leading builders also weighed in against it — in writing and via public testimony.

"I am grateful that the commission did not fold under the pressure of a big developer," wrote Kevin Holman, an Avenues resident and temple interior designer for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, though he later noted he was not speaking on behalf of his employer. "It is important that we carefully evaluate all new proposals to ensure that the mistakes of the past few years are not perpetuated."

Kirk Huffaker with the Utah Heritage Foundation said Garbett's proposal "would not fit the context" of historic South Temple, which deserves a sense of scale and setbacks "that give the street elegance and breathing room."

Appointed by the mayor's office, commission members are barred from discussing matters pending before them outside a public meeting, according to Carl Leith, a senior planner with Salt Lake City assigned to vet Garbett's application.

At a Dec. 3 meeting, the commission raised a list of concerns and delayed approval of Garbett's project to allow for changes by CRSA Architecture in Salt Lake City.

The revised blueprints then drew endorsements from Leith and other staff planners, who urged its approval at a Jan. 7 meeting.

The changes also won over several neighbors as well as new City Councilman Derek Kitchen, whose District 4 includes that stretch of South Temple.

Kitchen said he initially had opposed the proposal due to worries about the quality of design and construction materials, reflecting what he said was "a lot of feedback from constituents." He changed his mind after plan revisions addressed many commission concerns.

"This project would be better than the vacant piece of land that is sitting there right now," Kitchen said Tuesday.

Despite the changes, the proposal failed to pass review in January and again last week.

The developer argued that commission members have been widely inconsistent in their objections from meeting to meeting, a concern echoed by Kitchen.

"I love historic districts and think we ought to have them," Kitchen said. But on this project, he said, the commission "seemed kind of arbitrary. They weren't willing to offer constructive feedback. ... I would say the goal posts were moving, and the size and the shape of the goal posts kept changing."

Garbett said "we couldn't understand what they wanted. We complied with all their requirements — zoning, setbacks, design. We complied with everything."

Attempts to meet individually with commission members to better grasp their issues, Garbett said, were rebuffed. "They didn't want to talk to us," he said.

After spending nearly $200,000 on architects' fees and several renewals of an option to buy the South Temple land, Garbett said, he has been forced to let the Hardison Apartments project go.

"We're out of time," he said.

Twitter: @TonySemerad