The two candidates running for Salt Lake City mayor vowed Saturday to make affordable housing a priority if elected and expressed support for single-room occupancy units as one tool to alleviate rising rental rates.
But they said the burden of those dorm-style units and of other affordable-housing solutions need to be shouldered across the city — not centralized only in westside communities.
Escamilla and her opponent, City Councilor Erin Mendenhall, debated for 45 minutes at the Crossroads Urban Center’s 16th annual Poverty Summit at the Cathedral Church of St. Mark downtown.
The Salt Lake City Council is currently considering an ordinance that would dramatically expand the number of zoning districts within city limits where single-room occupancy units could be constructed.