Housing affordability was a top priority for Utah voters. During the 45-day 2025 Legislative Session, several bills related to zoning, the utilization of land in certain geographical areas, were introduced. Many of the bills focused on housing affordability and addressed zoning reform.
The Chronicle sat down with University of Utah Associate Professor of City and Metropolitan Planning Alessandro Rigolon and Turner Bitton, executive director for the nonprofit Salt Lake County Neighbors for More Neighbors, to discuss the topic.
2025 zoning bills
Zoning reform efforts included legislation to encourage more housing construction and prevent local governments from setting certain restrictions on development.
Residential density bills — such as HB 90, which focused on allowing a decrease in lot sizes, and HB 88, which aimed to permit Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) in city residential zones — were not passed.
Rigolon said ADUs have various benefits, such as affordability and accessibility.
“You’re splitting the land cost into eight properties instead, so there is a saving on the land,” Rigolon said. “If a home builder builds a property within an ADU … that can be an income for the prospective homeowner. Maybe that income allows them to afford home ownership.”
Rigolon added that ADUs increase rental options, maximize space and increase access for lower-income individuals.
Decreasing lot sizes has a similar impact on housing affordability and accessibility as ADUs. However, it addresses affordability by increasing housing density in a single area.
Bitton said smaller lots offer several benefits.
“My organization last year did a study of Salt Lake City’s single-family residential zones, and looked at a 1400 square foot lot size,” Bitton said. “We advocate for this because it’s a good way, not only of driving down the cost of new housing and increasing housing supply, but also allowing new construction in established neighborhoods. It’s currently impossible to build, despite there being high demand in those neighborhoods. It also creates new housing options.”
While the bills for residential density development did not pass,
Despite the failure of residential density development bills, Utah lawmakers did approve SB 181, which prohibits municipalities from imposing parking requirements and garage requirements.
This legislation could reduce housing costs, as parking requirements can increase a unit’s cost by approximately 12.5%. The bill also allowed cities, such as Salt Lake, to better integrate transportation and walkability.
The affordable housing plan — HB 37 — also requires the Governor’s Office of Planning and Budget to create a housing plan for the state by Dec. 31 and submit an annual report. Additionally, it encourages cities to create owner-occupied affordable housing in areas where their local zoning rules allow it.
SB 250 — which utilizes tax revenues for organizations and the Utah Inland Port Authority to help support affordable homeownership programs — was passed as well.
Unique Needs of Salt Lake City
Both Rigolon and Bitton said the Utah Legislature often overlooks what Salt Lake City needs, such as subsidized programs and increased housing. Salt Lake City, compared to other cities, has a robust transportation system that ranks high in the country.
Transportation utilization and density change the needs for zoning reform in Salt Lake City. Other cities in Utah aren’t able to handle the growing population and rapid development, which often makes Salt Lake City’s needs completely different from a city like Eagle Mountain, Bitton said.
Rigolon and Bitton said the zoning reform debate has become increasingly politically driven because Salt Lake City is a politically blue city in a politically red state.
“I do think, to some degree, because of the way that our political system is set up, you’re always going to see a give and take between cities and the state,” Bitton said. “Cities are created using the authority of the state as political subdivisions. And so there’s always going to be this push and pull between what the local government wants and what the state needs.”
Salt Lake City often advocates for subsidized housing and easement of zoning laws, two policies that are perceived to be more left-leaning. Rigolon said the state-funded programs that exist are not enough.
“The legislature at least doesn’t believe in housing subsidies much, it just believes that if we build more housing. They’re, for this law of supply and demand. Costs will come down,” said Rigolon.
Rigolon explained the perspective of the legislature and how it interacts with Salt Lake City’s goals.
“Politically, many cities have little intention to allow for the construction of more affordable housing. The local politics are dominated by ‘not in my backyard’. Attitudes, which homeowners want to see little change in. And kind of keeping their community more exclusive,” Rigolon said.
Increasing Affordable Housing
Rigolon and Bitton said that the housing affordability crisis requires long-term and short-term solutions, and that building more homes is a key factor in that. Bitton explains the three pillars of housing affordability.
“The first pillar is supply. And this is constantly adding new housing,” Bitton said. “And you have a good landlord, that’s one of the best relationships that we can foster, a good landlord and a good tenant relationship. We should be rewarding landlords that don’t constantly raise the price of housing, but who also keep their housing nice.”
Bitton said subsidies can be used to reward the tenants as well as the landlords.
Bitton and Rigolon said zoning reform should include various options, not just duplexes and ADUs. Rigolon said middle housing is an option that allows low-income families to access affordable housing.
“It’s difficult to think that alone, just investing in public housing or publicly funded housing will address this crisis,” Riglon said. “The last thing I wanna say is without liberalizing zoning, you might not be able to build affordable housing in the first place, because if it’s only single-family zoning, it is only for single families. Zoning reform can also enable the construction of affordable housing.”
Editor’s note, June 26, 2:48 p.m. • This article has been edited to correct a quote that misrepresented Alessandro Rigolon’s original meaning.
