Tell Salt Lake City not to upzone Great Salt Lake wetlands!
Take action with us Wednesday, January 14, at the Salt Lake City Planning Commission hearing on whether to recommend upzoning of an important wetland area in the city’s Northpoint community, to allow industrial uses.
AND: Please sign the letter opposing Salt Lake City upzoning these wetlands!
The City’s recently adopted Northpoint Small Area Plan which is a result of years of community engagement, clearly designates this land as Natural Open Space, intended to remain undeveloped.
At a time when the Great Salt Lake is shrinking before our eyes, this rezoning would permanently erase 80 acres of irreplaceable wetland playa—lands that sustain the lake, shelter wildlife, and protect our communities, and once they are gone, they are gone forever. Over 172 species of birds have been identified in the area including Wilson’s phalarope, sandhill cranes, bald eagles and burrowing owls.
In addition to destroying one of the last large remaining wetland playas in the Northpoint area, upzoning will harm adjacent wetlands and duck clubs and bring increased diesel truck traffic, air pollution, contaminated runoff, noise, and light pollution. These impacts would further burden surrounding communities and an area the City has already identified as environmentally fragile.
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Protect Great Salt Lake Wetlands
Email Template
Subject: Protect Great Salt Lake Wetlands — Oppose Northpoint Rezoning
Dear City Council Members,
I am writing to urge you to deny the proposed rezoning of approximately 80 acres of wetlands in the Northpoint Community near 2669 W 3300 N.
At a time when the Great Salt Lake is shrinking before our eyes, permanently eliminating this wetland playa would cause irreversible harm. These wetlands are not vacant or expendable land. They quietly sustain the lake, provide essential habitat for wildlife, reduce dust, and protect surrounding communities. Once destroyed, they cannot be restored.
The proposed rezoning would eliminate one of the last large remaining wetland playas in the Northpoint area and harm adjacent wetlands and duck clubs. It would also introduce increased diesel truck traffic, air pollution, contaminated runoff, noise, and light pollution into an area the City has already identified as environmentally fragile.
Salt Lake City has repeatedly acknowledged the urgency of protecting the Great Salt Lake and has invested public funds to conserve habitat near the lake’s south shore. Approving this rezoning would contradict those commitments. With federal protections for many wetland playas now weakened, local governments are the last line of defense.
For these reasons, I respectfully urge you to deny Petitions PLNPCM2025-00613 and PLNPCM2025-00614.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
Conflicts with Northpoint Small Area Plan
Email Template
Subject: Rezoning Northpoint Wetlands Conflicts with Adopted City Plans
Dear City Council Members,
I am writing to oppose the proposed rezoning of approximately 80 acres of land in the Northpoint Community near 2669 W 3300 N from agricultural to light industrial.
The City’s recently adopted Northpoint Small Area Plan is the result of years of public engagement and clearly designates this land as Natural Open Space intended to remain undeveloped. The Plan explicitly identifies wetlands and sensitive lands as the least suitable for development and directs industrial uses away from environmentally constrained areas.
Rezoning this property to Light Industrial would directly undermine the purpose of the Small Area Plan and the public trust that went into creating it. When the City adopts plans after extensive community input, residents should be able to rely on those plans to guide future decisions.
Salt Lake City has also made clear, repeated commitments to protect the Great Salt Lake and its wetlands. Approving a rezoning that contradicts both the General Plan and the Small Area Plan would call those commitments into question and weaken confidence in the City’s planning process.
I respectfully urge you to uphold the City’s adopted plans and deny Petitions PLNPCM2025-00613 and PLNPCM2025-00614.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
Public Process & Transparency
Email Template
Subject: Concerns About Public Process for Northpoint Rezoning
Dear City Council Members,
I am writing to express concern about the public process surrounding the proposed rezoning of approximately 80 acres in the Northpoint Community near 2669 W 3300 N.
The initial 45-day public input notice described this request only as a rezoning from AG-2 to M-1. It failed to disclose that the property is designated as Natural Open Space and wetlands in the City’s adopted General Plan, or that approving the request would require amending the General Plan. This information is clearly material, as confirmed by its inclusion in the later Planning Commission notice.
By omitting these facts, the initial notice denied the public a meaningful opportunity to provide informed input. Transparent and complete notice is essential to maintaining public trust, especially for proposals involving environmentally sensitive land and significant policy changes.
Given the importance of this site, the inconsistencies with adopted plans, and the shortcomings in the public process, I urge the City Council to deny Petitions PLNPCM2025-00613 and PLNPCM2025-00614.
Thank you for your consideration,
[Your Name]