Art galleries, live music and comedy shows could come to the Holladay Village plaza under a zoning change headed to the City Council on Thursday, Sept. 3. A second hearing that night would open the door to a new residential subdivision near Olympus Senior High School.

Both hearings are scheduled for 6 p.m. at the city's temporary location, 3330 S. 1300 E. in Millcreek. The council could vote on both items the same night.

Arts and culture in the Village

The first hearing would amend the Holladay Village zone code to allow arts-and-culture uses along the plaza's ground-floor retail corridors on 2300 East, Holladay Boulevard, Murray-Holladay Road, Laney Avenue and Holladay Village Plaza. Right now, no arts-and-culture uses are permitted in the zone.

The city's public hearing notice defines three tiers of activity. "Low-Intensity" covers indoor or outdoor displays of paintings, sculpture, photography and digital art, plus musical recitals of no more than 50 attendees, held on a temporary basis when a primary business is closed. "High-Intensity" allows live entertainment such as musical acts, karaoke, stand-up comedy, magic shows and art studios operating alongside an existing business. A "Temporary Storefront Gallery" would let vacant storefronts display art in their windows.

The change matters here. Holladay's Arts Council and Historical Commission drew more than 25,000 attendees across 40-plus events last calendar year, a record, with volunteers logging over 1,500 hours and the city receiving more than $100,000 in donations, grants and scholarships, according to May 21 council minutes.

The Holladay Planning Commission recommended the amendment on Aug. 4 after first hearing the proposal June 16.

2300 East residential rezone

The second hearing concerns 4032 S. 2300 E., where a property owner wants to rezone roughly 1.65 acres (71,354 square feet) on the rear portion of the parcel from Public to R-1-10. That designation allows detached single-family homes on lots of at least 10,000 square feet. The front of the property would stay in the Public zone.

At the Planning Commission's July 7 hearing, city staff described the site as having a chapel that will be demolished and replaced by a seminary on the front portion, with a church selling the rear land to a developer for a residential subdivision. The property sits near Olympus Senior High School, bordered by 2300 East and Suada Drive, with surrounding zones including R-2-8, R-2-10 and R-M residential.

The Planning Commission's final recommendation on the rezone has not been confirmed in available public records.

How to weigh in

Residents can email comments to City Recorder Stephanie Carlson at [email protected] by 5 p.m. on Sept. 3 or attend in person at 3330 S. 1300 E. in Millcreek. The meeting will also stream live at holladayut.gov. Full text of both proposed amendments is posted on the city's website and available at the City Recorder's office during business hours.