The purpose of the new guidelines is to make the resulting housing “safe, livable and desirable” for tenants, said Barton Brierley, Ogden’s planning manager. He said the city has received “several” inquiries about possible conversions, which spurred the update.

The ordinance update passed 5-2 at Tuesday’s City Council meeting, though officials indicated they may take the measure up for additional consideration, with an eye to possible revisions, at a forthcoming work session. Officials initially tabled the matter at Tuesday’s meeting, but later reconsidered after being advised by a city legal rep that if they took no action by Feb. 19, proposals would be able to move forward under the older, laxer standards.

Though some council members seemed to have lingering questions, the change, said council member Ben Nadolski, “at least raises the standards in the meantime.” Research shows that low-budget motels are associated with higher instances of crime and safety issues, according to Brierley, and some in the Ogden area over the years have had reputations as magnets for crime and misdeeds.

Under Tuesday’s changes, at least 15% of the units in a converted hotel must be one-bedroom apartments and at least 10% of them must be two-bedroom apartments. Moreover, the guidelines require stoves in each unit, among other kitchen features, and 24-hour onsite managers at facilities with 16 or more units.

Under the old guidelines, all of the units in a converted motel could theoretically be turned into studio apartments with minimal kitchen appliances, perhaps only a hotplate and microwave, Brierley said. Requiring at least some one- and two-bedroom units, he indicated, would create a more diverse mix of residents.

Operators of at least two hotel facilities — the ex-Days Inn hotel at 3306 Washington Blvd. and the Motel 6 at 1455 Washington Blvd. — are potentially interested in converting to apartment units. The manager of the former Days Inn, now vacant, said the new owners plan to convert the structure to housing while reps from the Motel 6 have talked with city officials about such a changeover.

The proposed rezone of the site where the Motel 6 sits was to have been discussed at the Feb. 1 Ogden Planning Commission meeting, but the item was tabled. The petitioner has made changes to an earlier conversion proposal, according to a city memo on the matter, which notes that “there are still significant changes that need to be made.”

Voting yes on the updated standards on Tuesday were City Council members Angela Choberka, Richard Hyer, Bart Blair, Ken Richey and Ben Nadolski. Voting no were Marcia White and Luis Lopez.

White had asked that the matter be tabled so officials could consider additional energy-efficiency guidelines in the updated standards. Lopez didn’t say why he voted no.