Michaela Bell
Deputy Planning Director
Salt Lake City
Michaela (Oktay) Bell is the Deputy Planning Director for Salt Lake City’s Planning Division, where she leads citywide policy, code updates, and strategic initiatives to support quality growth and housing. Recent projects include the amendment to Plan Salt Lake to add the state-required water element, zoning text updates clarifying utility-related exemptions, and work to fix the city’s “missing middle” residential zones. A seasoned public-sector planner, Michaela has previously served as Planning Manager and Principal Planner for Salt Lake City and regularly briefs the Planning Commission on division goals and performance.
Session(s):
Form-Based Code in the Real World »
2025 APA UT Fall Conference, October 10, 2025 9:45 amThis walking tour will discuss how Salt Lake City's first form-based code has resulted in significant mixed-use, infill development in the Central Ninth neighborhood. The emerging neighborhood sits on the southern end of downtown and is served by a light rail station that every line in the system passes through, connecting the neighborhood to every destination in UTAs Trax system. Three different protected bike paths converge in the neighborhood, making it one of the most bikeable neighborhoods in the city. Learn about the process that SLC went through to implement a form-based code in the neighborhood, the lessons learned over the years, and how the city aligned other tools for the neighborhood to grow.
= Keynote
