But Salt Lake City Council members may not let him. They want housing downtown - the building would stand at 134 S. 200 East - but they are not sure they will loan the housing-developer-turned-mayor $850,000 for the $22.5 million project.

The council's draft housing policy would forbid the loan because all of the 200 units are set aside as "affordable" in a neighborhood where 33 percent of the residents live in poverty. While council members say it would be unfair to hold Corroon and his partner, Nebraska-based Kevin Keating, to the draft standards, they are concerned about the income levels.

In a letter to the council, Corroon and Keating criticized the draft policy, saying the city should encourage more affordable-housing projects in needy areas, not fewer. They note that most of the proposed City Plaza Apartments would be set aside for families making $37,000 - about what many teachers and police officers make.

"Their incomes could substantially improve the average household income for an impoverished area," says Corroon's letter.

The council will vote on the loan April 5.