The Salt Lake City Historic Landmark Commission on Monday approved a minor alteration request to allow a rear addition at approximately 317 North B Street (case PLNHL C 2020Five-six56), granting several modifications to local historic-district standards by a unanimous vote.

The commission approved modifications including a modest increase in maximum building height, an increase to a maximum wall height, a one-foot encroachment of the first floor on the north side into the side yard, a reduction in a required setback and a slight increase in maximum building coverage. Senior planner Aaron Barlow told commissioners that "staff recommends approval because it meets applicable standards and design guidelines and will not damage or destroy the historic character of the property or the Avenues local historic district." The motion to approve was made and seconded and passed unanimously (6-0).

The applicants sought the modifications to keep most of the new volume at the rear of the lot rather than expanding into side yards or the street-facing facades. Barlow said the request includes "a max building height" increase of eight inches to accommodate a steeper, cottage-revival roof pitch and an increase in wall height to accommodate the addition set into the backyard. He added the north-side first floor will encroach about one foot into the side yard in order to keep the addition out of public view and to accommodate an on-site tree.

Barlow walked the commission through plans showing the proposed addition located primarily behind the existing house, with the proposed roof peak higher than the existing roof line but largely not visible from the front because the addition sits well back on a steep lot. He said planned exterior materials include smooth-finish fiber-cement lap siding and fiberglass double-hung windows; "fiberglass is a listed material in the design guidelines," he added.

A representative for the applicants, Scott Maruri, a neighbor who reviewed plans with the homeowners, told the commission he supported the addition and thanked the commission for their work on preservation. "I appreciate what the commission does for the city, and especially when it comes to, like, trying to protect our, you know, history," Maruri said. He added that the homeowners had kept the front of the house unchanged and that most of the new work is at the rear of the property.

Commissioners asked several technical questions during deliberation, including whether the property owners planned to pursue tax credits (Barlow said he had not heard) and whether the masonry proposed to infill a side door could be matched; staff proposed a condition that staff approve the replacement brick to ensure compatibility. Commissioners also discussed visibility from the street, given the lots steep topography: some commissioners said the addition would be only moderately visible from downhill vantage points while others noted the south-facing facade will be evident from specific approaches up B Street.

After a period of deliberation in which staff said the application fell near the line between administrative and commission-level review, one commissioner moved to approve "based on the information presented and discussion," and a second was recorded. The motion carried unanimously.

The addition was the only action item for the public portion of the meeting; the commission closed the public session and proceeded to a staff briefing on the Liberty Park cultural landscape report and vision plan update.