The Housing Authority of Salt Lake City (HASLC) has announced it will occupy the historic Oquirrh School, located at 350 S. 400 East in the Central City neighborhood, starting this October.
Executive Director Daniel Nackerman revealed that the agreement includes a lease with an option to purchase the building for $14.1 million.
HASLC has until October 2027 to decide on the purchase, but Nackerman expressed optimism about the agency’s plans, stating, ‘We fully intend to buy the building in a few years.’
Currently, the HASLC is renting 4,500 square feet in the building for approximately $6,500 a month.
With the lease for the entire 46,000 square-foot facility set to begin in October, staff members are already moving into the space.
The lease entails a cost of about $17 per square foot for the entirety of the four-story structure, which has recently undergone renovations to meet modern standards, including seismic upgrades and achieving a gold LEED certification.
Bill Davis, the vice chair of the HASLC board, highlighted the need for a larger space as the agency has outgrown its current location in the Ballpark neighborhood.
Davis outlined the limitations of the existing facility on West Temple, noting its outdated infrastructure and potential hazards in the event of an earthquake.
He explained, ‘It has not been seismically upgraded. So if we had a big earthquake, it would all come crashing down… the planets all aligned’ for the move to the Oquirrh School.
The HASLC is also considering subleasing a portion of their space, potentially to a daycare or a housing-related service provider, to help mitigate costs during this transition period.
The local housing crisis has resulted in increased demand for the Housing Authority’s services, making the Oquirrh School’s location—close to public transit options like UTA bus lines and TRAX—even more advantageous for the community.
In addition to relocating, HASLC has plans to redevelop its current office site at 1776 S. West Temple into affordable housing units.
Davis detailed that this site already hosts the Taylor Gardens and Taylor Springs housing developments.
However, before any new construction can occur, the land must be rezoned.
Nackerman indicated that the vision for the redevelopment includes at least 200 affordable housing units, alongside some market-rate apartments and townhomes aimed at first-time homebuyers.
The development may also feature ground-floor retail space, contributing to a vibrant community atmosphere.
‘It’ll be a relatively large neighborhood project, not just where the footprint of our building is,’ Nackerman said, emphasizing the potential for collaborative community engagement.
The rezoning process is set to begin shortly, and HASLC is eager to work closely with local residents to ensure the project meets the needs of the neighborhood.
The Oquirrh School was initially listed over a year ago by its majority owner, TAG SLC, and was most recently occupied by the Salt Lake School for the Performing Arts, which paid $240,000 annually in rent.
As the HASLC prepares for this exciting new chapter, they remain focused on their mission to address housing needs and improve living conditions for the Salt Lake City community.
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