(KCPW News) Any Yalecrest residents hoping their neighborhood becomes a historic district will probably have to wait at least a year. This morning, the Utah House of Representatives approved SB 243, which puts a one-year moratorium on new historic districts in Salt Lake City. But Democratic Representative Brian King, who lives in Yalecrest, opposed it.
“What kind of a process am I supposed to feel good about as a state representative of the area affected, as a resident of the neighborhood, when neither the Senate sponsor nor the House sponsor comes to me and speaks to me about this bill that affects me?” he asked on the House floor.
Republican Representative Gage Froerer said he’s against having the state interfere in local affairs.
But he argued the bill would provide a cooling off period that allows the city to bring both sides together.
“This appears to be a fair compromise in an area where a minority of the property owners may be imposing a will unjustly on those that have not had the opportunity to adequately had their voices heard in terms of the uses of their property,” Froerer argued.
However, supporters of a Yalecrest Historic District have argued the majority of residents want such a district. SB 243 now goes back to the Senate for one more vote, where, if approved, it will be sent to the governor’s desk.
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