One irony from the 2017 legislative session is that the mostly teetotaling, Mormon lawmakers made it easier for restaurants to sell liquor near churches, which is having a direct impact on two houses of worship in downtown Salt Lake City.
The Legislature typically leans toward restricting the sale and consumption of alcohol (note the 0.05 legal blood alcohol limit) rather than easing requirements.
But because of HB442, the Japanese Church of Christ and the Salt Lake Buddhist Temple west of the Salt Palace are facing serious encroachment from a planned mixed-use development that will take up most of the block between 100 South and 200 South from 200 West to 300 West
Before the legislation, a 150-page bill that sought to clarify, simplify and improve Utah’s liquor laws, the two churches had some leverage to negotiate with the developer to protect their worship services and community activities from being swallowed up by a project that envisions high-density housing, commercial space and a restaurant.