Salt Lake City needs more housing options. Here's why we're fighting for this one.
Right now, 77% of Salt Lake City's residentially zoned land allows exactly one thing: large single-family homes on large lots. EHO is our chance to change that. Public hearings are Nov. 10 and 17, and a final City Council vote is expected Dec. 1.
Take actionAttend Lunch and LeadWhere EHO stands
What EHO would do
Smaller lots
Smaller minimum lot sizes, so land costs don't price first-time buyers out.
Gradual infill
Reforms to flag lot and subdivision rules that support gradual infill.
Sensible setbacks
Setback and lot coverage rules that don't quietly kill small projects before they start.
Less parking
Reduced parking mandates near transit.
More home types
Duplexes, attached single-family homes and other small-scale options welcomed where only one kind of house is allowed today.
Latest from WALC: the owner-occupancy question
Letter sent Nov. 4, 2026
We urged the City Council to adopt EHO without an owner-occupancy requirement, and to pursue homeownership through buyer support and incentives instead.
- Peer cities that adopted similar reforms did not include owner-occupancy rules.
- 81.5% of occupied detached homes in Salt Lake City are already owner-occupied without a mandate.
- If the Council adopts a requirement, we ask it to set legislative intent to sunset or revisit it in 2030.
The evidence is on our side
Durham, NC
median price of a small house in 2023, vs. $605,000 for a single-family house in the Urban Tier. No owner-occupancy requirement.
Seattle, WA
of newly built townhome units are owner-occupied, vs. 9% of new units in large apartment buildings.
Portland, OR
middle housing's share of citywide housing production after the reform.
Many of Salt Lake City's own most-loved neighborhoods were built exactly this way, one small addition at a time, before restrictive 1990s-era zoning made it illegal. EHO is our chance to reopen that door.
How we got here
In December 2024, WALC filed our own zoning proposal, Starter Homes SLC, to cut through the rules blocking smaller, more attainable homes: oversized minimum lot sizes, excessive setbacks, and bans on attached housing types left over from 1990s-era zoning. In early 2025, Salt Lake City released its own plan with many of the same goals, Expanding Housing Options (EHO), plus several additional reforms WALC strongly supports. Rather than run two competing campaigns, we withdrew Starter Homes SLC and put our full support behind strengthening EHO.
Watch: Our Community Presentation on Expanding Housing Options
See WALC's full informational session on EHO: what's in the proposal, why it matters, and how you can help get it across the finish line.
Resources
Letters
Research
Organizations supporting EHO
These 19 organizations have signed on to WALC's letter in support of Expanding Housing Options.
Ways to Take Action
Ways to Support as an Individual:
- Email the Planning Commission and your City Councilmember using the form below to express your support.
Ways to Support as an Organization:
- Sign onto our organizational letter and show your organization's support for these changes.
