Hit: Let Them Build
SLC Mayor Erin Mendenhall delivered her annual State of the City address. And while the suburban media was giddy over Mendenhall’s abandonment of the Green Loop—which would have brought safe streets and eventually park spaces to Downtown—Building Salt Lake made a point to scrutinize the mayor’s comments on housing and the emerging data on affordability. In short: loosening the zoning codes and allowing the construction of new, higher-density housing is working, with rents at older buildings dropping by as much as 5%. This dynamic is known as “filtering” and functions something like reverse musical chairs, with each additional unit on the market—including the much-derided “luxury” builds that light up the comment sections—making it easier for everyone to find a seat. Expect the work to continue this year, BSL reports, as the administration tees up long-delayed updates to the residential areas that exclusively allow single-family living, where NIMBY opposition to anything smaller than a 5-bedroom house with a 3-car garage is at its fiercest…