SALT LAKE CITY — A viewer came to FOX 13 News with his concerns — along with a hand-drawn map — and a warning about what could happen to his neighborhood of Glendale in Salt Lake.
Ross Whitaker’s map outlines three parcels near Van Buren and Harris avenues where property owner and applicant Jonathan Marsh wants to build roughly 24 new homes.
“It goes down on an L-shaped property back here,” Whitaker said while showing FOX 13 the land.
Marsh is seeking to change the properties’ zoning from R-1/7,000, a single-family residential designation, to RMF-30, which permits townhomes, duplexes, and other low-density multifamily housing. City documents say the homes would be sold to buyers earning between 80% and 100% of the area median income.
More than 700 people have signed an online petition opposing the rezone. Signs line Van Buren and California avenues, and opponents have also organized through a Facebook page.
Whitaker questions whether the neighborhood’s aging infrastructure can support the development.
“Just on the 24th of July, we had two water main breaks right there in front,” he said.
Other residents point to parking and the possibility that approving this request could encourage similar developments nearby.
“I haven’t got a lot of parking around my house. I’ll have none later,” said Van Blair Turner, who has lived across from the property for 55 years.
Neighbor Cindy Spangler said several other large lots could attract developers if the zoning change is approved.
“I think we have at least 10 lots along this road that could then become targets for future developers,” Spangler said.
Some residents also say they were shut out of the process.
“They’ve been planning this since 2024. We did not hear about any of this until 2026,” neighbor Rachel Havens said.
City planners said property owners within 300 feet were notified and the city held a 45-day public comment period.
In a written response to FOX 13, the city said there is no final site plan. The SLC Public Utilities Department determined that water and sewer upgrades would likely be required but said the developer — not surrounding neighbors — would pay for them. The city’s transportation division found no concerns with roadway capacity.
There is also a twist: City planners said the current zoning, combined with affordable-housing incentives and planned-development approval, could already permit as many as 28 homes. Whether that many homes could be built would depend on access, building and fire code requirements.
The Salt Lake City Planning Commission tabled the rezone while the applicant and city staff discuss possible conditions, including a limit on the number of homes. No new hearing date has been set, and the cty council will have the final say.
For residents, the fight is about preserving more than a zoning designation. They say Glendale’s large lots, backyard gardens and quiet streets are what made the neighborhood desirable — and fear that character could change one property at a time.
“Let’s keep the single-family homes, keep the community like it is, to make it a better place,” Whitaker said.
