'Historic district' proposal stirs conflict among Yalecrest residents

SALT LAKE CITY (Deseret News) — Among the Tudor and Craftsman homes that line the quiet streets of the Yalecrest neighborhood, a plan to prevent demolitions and monster homes has pitted neighbors against one another in a fight between preservationists and property rights advocates.

With city leaders putting the finishing touches on a citywide historic preservation plan, a six-month moratorium on teardowns in Yalecrest and Westmoreland Place was supposed to mean a quiet summer for two east-side neighborhoods that have seen plenty of wrecking crews in recent years.

Instead, the phrase "historic preservation" has become fighting words.

"The neighbors are hot — hot, hot — about it," says Pete Williams, a longtime Yalecrest resident.

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