By Travis Barton | [email protected]

Child daycare locations now have more flexibility. 

The Holladay City Council unanimously approved amending city code that will allow commercial preschools in the city’s P (public) zones. 

Councilwoman Drew Quinn said the ordinance change would be a “really good step forward for the city to take,” during the council’s work session on Jan. 6. 

Elected officials highlighted preschools as a societal benefit and essential service. 

The change was requested by Our Saviors Lutheran Church, located at 2500 E. 3900 South. Next door to the church is a small house that operates as a daycare. Churches are located in P zones and needed the code changed to serve as a preschool. 

Pastor Bridget Weir told the council that nearby daycare Buttons and Bows has a wait list exceeding triple digits. She said they were looking to partner with Buttons and Bows to “do our small part.” 

“How we come together for one says much about how we come together for us,” Weir said. 

Prior to the council vote, Mayor Rob Dahle noted daycare is a substantial need for young kids in the city and noted these “public locations are great for this type of thing.” 

Councilman Paul Fotheringham supported the ordinance change for this circumstance calling preschools an “essential service,” but had concerns if it expanded too far into other industries. “I get a little squeamish if we’re not considering a broader implication,” he said. 

Prior to voting he expressed a need to keep this ordinance limited. 

“I’d like to keep commercial uses for P zones fairly narrow,” he said, noting they “shouldn’t be overly anxious to expand P zones too much.”