The Salt Lake City skyline will be elevated.
City council members unanimously approved an ordinance Tuesday proposed by Smith Entertainment Group that would raise the maximum building height in the sports and entertainment district from 125 feet to 600 feet, or about 50 stories.
The change could bring the skyscraper near Delta Center by about 150 feet above what will soon be the city’s tallest building, the 450-foot-tall luxury building at 89 E. 200 South.
Meanwhile, SEG continues to call for “staff-level” review of high-rise buildings in the Sports District above a certain height, which would allow them to bypass Planning Commission review and the normal public hearing process.
The district’s zoning ordinance approved by the council did not address SEG’s request for confidential review, but it did increase the normal Planning Board review standard within the sports district from 75 feet to 200 feet.
City council members left open the option of privately approving the skyscraper’s construction in a yet-to-be-approved development agreement that would guide construction in the district.
“We are hopeful that the development agreement will be strong enough — perhaps too negative — and specific enough that we will agree to the administrative review that SEG is seeking,” City Councilman Darin Mano said during a work session early Tuesday morning.
He added that he is “hopeful” councillors will approve the staff vetting process once they see the development agreement.
The ordinance approved by the council on Tuesday also allows SEG to add plazas within the sports district and grants special permission for signage within the area.