SALT LAKE CITY — A zoning change sparked by the fight over a possible ICE detention facility is set to go before the Salt Lake City Planning Commission.
The proposal would not apply to the Department of Homeland Security warehouse already owned by the federal government, but it could prevent similar facilities from opening on privately owned property in the future.
The proposal would remove jails and community correctional facilities from the list of uses allowed under city zoning. In simple terms, those facilities could no longer open on privately owned property in Salt Lake City.
The idea was born after DHS bought a warehouse in Salt Lake City for a possible immigration detention facility. The property was once privately owned, but once the federal government bought it, city zoning rules no longer applied.
At a meeting this spring, Salt Lake City planning commissioner Lilah Rosenfield spoke about the impact the sale had had on the community.
“This facility was purchased under cover of night, and I know a lot of folks in the community are really, really scared,” she said.
ICE looking to sell Salt Lake City warehouse designated for detention center, report says:
City staff has said local zoning does not apply to land owned by the federal government or the state of Utah. That means the proposal would not affect the DHS warehouse, but the change could apply to privately owned or operated facilities on privately owned land, including facilities contracted by ICE.
During a previous meeting, Rosenfield asked whether the city’s community correctional facility designation would apply to “private incarceration facilities that are contracted by ICE.”
“It absolutely would apply to privately owned or operated facilities on privately owned land,” planning director Nick Norris responded.
The vote also comes as the future of the DHS warehouse remains uncertain. The New York Times reported in June that ICE is planning to offload seven of the 11 warehouses it purchased nationwide, including Salt Lake City.
Opponents believe protests, lawsuits and now the zoning proposal are all part of making Salt Lake City a harder place for ICE to operate.
“I think it’s just making Salt Lake City an unattractive site for DHS and a problem,” said anti-ICE protester T.J. Young. “So we want to continue being a problem.”
If the Salt Lake City Planning Commission recommends approval Wednesday night, the proposal will move to the Salt Lake City Council for a final vote.
