Council reins in Yalecrest 'monster homes'

The Salt Lake City Council on Tuesday put the kibosh on over-garaged monster homes in one of the city's most beloved neighborhoods.

In a unanimous vote, the council adopted an ordinance that restricts the way new homes or remodels can be built in Yalecrest, set largely between 1300 East and Foothill Drive and between 900 South and 1300 South.

Dozens of residents, who have been waiting for the new rules for four years, turned out to lobby the council. Only a few spoke out against the new regulations, saying they were too restrictive and not compatible with a free society. Some said the rules were designed for some areas of Yalecrest but would forbid remodeling and additions in others.

"It doesn't address the needs of all the other people in the neighborhood," Phillip Nichols said. "Does that make me selfish because I want a garage that I can put a car into?"

Others maintained the ordinance didn't go far enough to curb monster-home building in the upper-class neighborhood.

"I do fear that we will unleash a wave of tearing down of small homes in the neighborhood," said Rob White, executive director of the Utah Heritage Foundation.

The law curbs building heights only by 2 1/2 feet — from 30 feet to 27 1/2 feet. However, home walls can now be only 18 1/2 feet tall.

Also, garages can no longer be built out in front of homes but must be set back behind homes in most cases. Those detached garages can be only15 feet high and have a door that is only 8 1/2 feet high.

While homes formerly had to have a 20-foot setback, they now have to have setbacks that are in line with other homes on their street. So, if on one street most homes within 300 feet are set back 40 feet, that becomes the standard for the neighborhood.

City Council members widely praised the ordinance, which came about after some small homes were torn down and replaced by monster homes that blocked views and caused other problems with existing neighbors. The most often-cited monster is a three-garage house on Hubbard Avenue.

Councilman Dave Buhler said the ordinance balances "the right of a person to improve their home and the right of a neighbor to not have a monstrosity built right next to them."

Other council members agreed and said the new Yalecrest rules likely will serve as a template for other neighborhoods. Specifically, Councilman Eric Jergensen said he wants to adopt a similar plan in the Avenues where community members have become more and more vocal about monster homes replacing older, cozy cottages.

Neighborhoods abutting Yalecrest are eager for more rules.

"Every single neighborhood around Yalecrest is urgently waiting. . . . We have to continue this process quickly," Councilwoman Jill Remington Love said.

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