The City Council will vote next month on an ordinance that would expedite construction-related activities downtown to allow staging areas, equipment storage, signage and other temporary uses.
It could also lead to late-night construction noise.
Community Development Director Louis Zunguze doesn't anticipate allowing construction 24 hours a day. But the city could expand the permitted hours beyond 9 p.m., he said Tuesday after he briefed the Council.
Zunguze said the ordinance is being created in anticipation of the church's mall project - it plans an estimated $1 billion overhaul of Crossroads Plaza and ZCMI Center - as well as other downtown projects such as extending light rail from the Delta Center to the transit hub and a 21-story office tower at 222 S. Main St.
"We're going to have a number of projects all happening at the same time," he said, adding that he wants to avoid construction delays. With the changes, developers shouldn't be able to say, "the city delayed us."
For example, the normal process to allow certain signs downtown could take months. Under the expedited review, it would be weeks.
The LDS Church hasn't publicly disclosed a construction time frame for its project. Zunguze, who has met with church representatives, doesn't know either. "No one has come to me and said, 'Date x.' I'm being proactive."
The director hopes the ordinance encourages downtown developers to expedite their projects. City politicians and business officials fear a protracted downtown construction zone will scare away visitors - much like light-rail construction on Main Street did. The city and Salt Lake Chamber recently teamed up to hire an ombudsman to create a public-relations campaign to promote downtown.
In other council news:
The council gave preliminary approval to spending $111,000 to survey homes in the east-side Gilmer Park area - from 1100 East to 1300 East and 900 South to Harvard Avenue - to see if they deserve special protection as a historic district. The neighborhood is already listed on the National Register of Historic Places for its late 19th and early 20th Century bungalows and craftsman homes. But that honor doesn't stop demolitions, which are occurring, says Councilwoman Jill Remington Love, who represents the area.
hmay@sltrib.com
