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SALT LAKE CITY — Denise Payne says her life has been turned upside down since construction began on a massive warehouse across the street from her home earlier this year.
Standing at the podium of the Salt Lake City Council chamber Tuesday evening, Payne described how her home has become inundated with noise and pollution as crews work to complete the 1 million-square-foot project.
"I can't deal with construction 24 hours a day, seven days a week," she said. "That's what they let them do. ... I have constant noise."
Payne lives in Salt Lake City's Northpoint area, a small section located in northwest Salt Lake City, east of Salt Lake City International Airport and southeast of the Great Salt Lake wetlands. It's a quasi-rural part of the city that's now in high demand for development in a city running out of space to build things.
Payne says she doesn't remember any notices about the warehouse and accepts there is nothing that can be done to change the project now; however, she's hopeful that something can be done to prevent future projects like it.
It's possible that may happen and may happen soon in a unique way.
Members of the Salt Lake City Council are weighing the possibility of moving all eligible areas of the Northpoint Small Area Plan to agriculture zoning — at least temporarily — to slow down development while city leaders piece together a plan that better balances the area's fragile residential and environmental concerns with growing development pressure.
'Literal hellscape'
Salt Lake City Council Vice Chairwoman Victoria Petro, who represents the area, proposed the idea after a rousing speech during an informational meeting earlier in the day, where she pleaded with her colleagues to take action to prevent the neighborhood from being overrun by more massive developments.
She argued that the city's inaction to update the Northpoint Small Area Plan six years ago ultimately led to the plight residents like Payne are now facing.
"This is possibly the most difficult part of our city to deal with at the moment. It's complex, the environmental concerns, the logistical concerns — and the thing I care about most are the people who live out there," Petro said. "They are people who still carry scars from when we executed eminent domain over the airport — that's how long the scars go for people who live out there."
Salt Lake City last updated its Northpoint Small Area Plan in 2000, but city planners began looking at revisions two years ago to address the pressure developers were putting on the residents. Planners said the plan aims to balance out environmental impacts associated with development.
However, environmental groups formed an online petition against the plan over concerns that it would lead to endless warehouses that affect homes, air quality and the Great Salt Lake wetlands. The City Council was tentatively scheduled to vote on the plan in March, but instead paused any decision and directed city planners to make adjustments to the plan, which were unveiled Tuesday.
The update removed references to business parks and banned any development from being accessed by 3200 West, keeping the street as is north of the airport and close to the Great Salt Lake. The update also removes any wildland buffer width flexibility, setting the buffer at 300 feet. The design standard also supports bird-friendly designs.
But Petro said more still needs to be done to address concerns, especially the ones being made by people who live in the area, referring to the area as a "literal hellscape" for residents.
"The air pollution from the dust, the light pollution, the sound pollution and then they are continuously put on hold in the best-case scenario," she said. "It is inhumane what my constituents are living with out there and it cannot be unchecked, it cannot continue and it can definitely not be replicated again."
Petro adds that she's well aware change is inevitable for the area, but the temporary agriculture zoning designation would effectively give city planners more time to craft an update to the plan. This may include a "hybrid" space with possible low-density residential areas with possible conservation easements, but no warehouse district, she said.
Salt Lake City Councilman Dan Dugan supported Petros' concerns, adding that the current zoning could have impacts on residents, water, air quality and other factors, including the health of the struggling Great Salt Lake.
"I really like the plan, it's just in the wrong location," he said. "This area is very sensitive to the whole ecosystem and the heart of our Wasatch Front and state."
It's unclear when or how the council will vote on the temporary measure, or how long the rezoning will remain in place. Those who attended Tuesday evening's public comment session were pleased with the direction of the conversations, though.
Several residents attended the meeting to urge the council to protect the area from having more major developments. This, many said, can help residents like Payne and the Great Salt Lake.
"This is not choosing between helping people or the natural environment," said city resident Katie Pappas. "We are all part of the same."
