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SALT LAKE CITY -- People who live in the Yalecrest neighborhood of Salt Lake City weighed in Wednesday on whether or not it should be designated a historic district. The public hearings have drawn big crowds.
The charm of the Yalecrest neighborhood drew Susan Jones there 28 years ago, but she says demolitions and remodels are slowly giving way to big homes that just don't fit in. Jones says at 5,000 square feet, her neighbors' home, which is for sale, now towers over hers.
"For over a year we lived with the demolition and construction, which was so disruptive, we had to move to the other side of the house," Jones said.
Jones supports designating Yalecrest as a historic district. Doing so would provide for design guidelines to more than 1,400 homes south of the University of Utah.
Some, like Curtis Pons, say those guidelines are too restrictive. He's lived in a historic district before and says he won't do it again.
"It's really difficult to do the most basic things to your home, changing out windows, doing a fence," Pons said.
The issue drew more than a hundred people to the last of four neighborhood meetings centering on property rights and historic preservation.
"It's now an opportunity for these folks to see if giving up a little something is worth what they're going to get," said Salt Lake City Council Chair, JT Martin.
There are still a few more steps before the issue goes before the city council.
The public will have another opportunity to have their say.
E-mail: syi@ksl.com
