A Salt Lake City panel has cleared a major hurdle standing in the way of new housing on the surface parking lot just south of Trolley Square, voting 7-1 to approve relocating a 130-year-old home so a multifamily complex can finally move forward on the block. The vote by the Salt Lake City Historic Landmark Commission on Thursday, August 6, allows the home at 630 S. 700 East to be moved to 636 E. Sego Ave., within the same block, rather than demolished outright.
The approval is described as one of the final remaining elements in the pre-development process for the long-planned Trolley Square South complex, according to Building Salt Lake. Douglas White, an attorney representing developer Trolley Square Ventures, told commissioners that full plans for the multifamily site could be submitted to the city in the near future now that the relocation proposal has cleared the commission. Per the same report, Trolley Square Ventures intends to file a site plan application for the complex within the next couple of weeks if the relocation was approved, though the exact submission date remains unclear.
The home slated for relocation was built in 1896 and is recognized as a contributing structure within Salt Lake City’s Central City Historic District, a status that requires Historic Landmark Commission sign-off before it can be moved or demolished, according to Preservation Utah. Under the approved plan, the relocated home will be rebuilt to modern building standards with modern interior features once it reaches its new address.
A Fight Over How the House Gets Moved
Commissioner Steven Cornell cast the lone vote against the relocation proposal, and his skepticism centered on the method rather than the move itself. Cornell said he doubted the home could be relocated in its entirety, and the article notes he expressed doubt that much of the building could survive intact and instead come apart during deconstruction and disassembly…