BEar Lake Valley BluePrint
• 2011 •
The Bear Lake Valley Blueprint was a once in-a-generation opportunity to explore growth-related issues and think together about what Bear Lake County/Rich County area should be like in the future. Broad public participation and ownership was the key to a successful process and a vision that captures the place residents want to leave for future generations—a place marked by "Neighborly communities. Matchless recreation. Agricultural heritage. Unparalleled natural resources."
Project Type: Regional Visioning | Project Date: 2011
Blueprint Jordan River refresh
• 2020 •
Blueprint jordan river
• 2008 •
In 2008 Envision Utah led the efforts to create a community supported vision for the Jordan River Parkway: Blueprint Jordan River. A little over a decade later we’re leading the community outreach to refresh the Blueprint Jordan River.
Project Type: Blueprint Jordan River Refresh | Project Date: 2020
Blueprint Jordan River is the first comprehensive effort to develop a publicly supported vision of the entire Jordan River corridor. It includes an implementation framework to transform the once-neglected river corridor into a defining regional amenity.
Project Type: Local Visioning | Project Date: 2008
bountiful city revitalizes historic fort district
• 2005 •
Bountiful City's Main Street has changed dramatically over the past 40 years, losing its role as the city's dominant retail district. And yet, it remains probably the best historic main street in Davis County, blessed with incredible potential to be a unique pedestrian-friendly shopping environment.
Surrounding neighborhoods are struggling with some of the issues that Main Street faces: how to grow and adapt to changing market conditions while preserving the best of the past.
Project Type: Local Visioning | Project Date: 2005
brigham city general plan update
• 2004 •
By 2030, Brigham City is expected to add 6500 new residents. How will the city change to accommodate this growth? Brigham City produced a new general plan, the city's guide to long term growth and development. Over 100 residents attended two Envision Utah-facilitated workshops. In general, residents supported walkable development, a wide range of housing options and transportation choices. Residents also felt that business growth and visual aesthetics were important issues to address in the General Plan. The city council subsequently adopted the recommendations.
Project Type: General Plan Updates | Project Date: 2004
capacity building
• 2014 •
davis county shore lands vision
• 2002 •
This Capacity Building effort facilitates peer to peer learning opportunities to exchange ideas, discuss successful strategies, and collaborate with communities facing similar challenges across the country. As Envision Utah shares our experience and tools with other regions, we, in turn, learn things that we can apply here in Utah.
Project Type: Forums, Local Visioning, Regional Visioning | Project Date: 2014
Envision Utah worked with the Open Space Sub-Committee of the Davis County Council of Governments, Nature Conservancy, the nine local municipalities bordering the Great Salt Lake within Davis County, and consultants, Sear Brown, to write and implement a comprehensive vision for the eastern shoreline of the Great Salt Lake in Davis County.
Local officials, developers, land owners, residents and other key stakeholders came together to develop a collaborative vision for the nine communities bordering the shores of the Great Salt Lake. A broadly and publicly supported plan has been developed that will guide growth and development in the area, while preserving the valuable agricultural and wetlands that these communities share.
Phase II of the Shorelands plan is now in full swing as Davis County pursues implementation. Conservation subdivisions, transfer development right programs, and conservation easements are just some of the ways that Davis County is working to protect the quality of life in their growing communities. Download the Plan →
Project Type: Regional Visioning | Project Date: 2002
depot district
• 2013 •
downtown rising
• 2007 •
Salt Lake City’s Depot District lies on the western edge of downtown and encompasses both land around Salt Lake Central Station, where the region’s transit systems converge, and land directly north of the station and west of the Gateway development, land poised for growth. The Envisioning Centers process engaged the public and community leaders in an exploration of development options for the area and served as an early test case for the Wasatch Choice for 2040 toolkit.
Project Type: TOD Site Design, Local Visioning | Project Date: 2013
The Salt Lake Chamber asked Envision Utah to help with technical research and facilitate workshops to update Salt Lake City's "Second Century Plan" of 1962. Downtown Rising had tremendous public support and resulted in a strong vision whose impact will be felt for many years to come.
Project Type: Local Visioning | Project Date: 2007
downtown sandy city
• 2012 •
Already the primary destination for shopping, employment, and entertainment in southern Salt Lake County, downtown Sandy is envisioned as a thriving mixed-use urban center. A walkable main street anchored on one end by Sandy City Hall and on the other end by South Towne Mall will create a vibrant environment. The TRAX light rail stop will be linked through the area to the nearby Frontrunner commuter rail stop via a downtown circulator. And skiers will be able to find lodging, food, and shopping, while easily accessing the nearby Wasatch Mountain resorts using public transportation.
Existing destinations include Jordan Commons, South Town Expo Center, South Town Mall, Jordan High School, the Real Stadium, BD Medical, Workers Compensation Fund and Sandy's City Hall. This area also is connected to the Dimple Dell trail and the Jordan River Parkway.
Project Type: TOD Site Design, Local Visioning | Project Date: 2012
envision cache valley
• 2010 •
ENVISION LAYTON
• 2016 •
Faced with a doubling of population in only a few decades, Cache Valley's residents participated in dozens of community workshops, forging a vision for a future that preserves what they love about their region and accommodates the tremendous growth that will occur as their children and grandchildren are born.
Project Type: Regional Visioning | Project Date: 2010
Envision Layton was a community visioning looking for a creative and effective way to gather public input in a city-wide planning effort. It’s now grown into Layton Forward.
envision madison
• 2014 •
Madison County is a rural county in Eastern Idaho that includes Rexburg and Sugar City. Citizens of this area face unique challenges as a rural community with a large and growing university that is Brigham Young University-Idaho.
Project Type: Regional Visioning | Project Date: 2014
envision morgan
• 2008 •
Between 2000 and 2050, Morgan County will be among the most rapidly growing counties in Utah, with a 3.8% average annual rate of change in the population (GOPB 2008). Concern about the impact of growth on Morgan's quality of life mounted as new growth became an increasingly apparent reality. To address growth concerns, community leaders engaged the public in a process of proactive planning to help shape the county's future.
Envision Morgan, facilitated by Envision Utah, enabled citizens to explore the challenges associated with growth. Through the process, citizens created a long-term vision outlining how to best manage future growth and preserve current quality of life.
Project Type: Regional Visioning | Project Date: 2008
INLAND PORT
• 2019 •
Envision Utah was asked to help facilitate public engagement in 2019 for the Utah Inland Port. Utah’s Inland Port is a landmark opportunity for us all, but it will take collaboration and foresight to maximize our prosperity and ensure we maintain our great quality of life—both now and in the future.
kearns township plan • 2004 •
Envision Utah facilitated the updating of the city of Kearn's general plan through community workshops in 2004. Envision Utah provided the tools, analysis and technical expertise to help residents accommodate growth and identify areas for redevelopment.
Public input was gathered through a series of community workshops. The resulting recommendations have been integrated into the city's general plans.
Project Type: General Plan Updates | Project Date: 2004
magna
• 2013 •
Historically a company town for Kennecott Copper, Magna lies on the west side of the Salt Lake Valley and provides significant opportunities for nearby larger metropolitan centers.
Project Type: TOD Site Design, Local Visioning | Project Date: 2013
magna township plan
• 2005 •
Envision Utah conducted a proactive process to update the city of Magna's general plan. Envision Utah provided tools, analysis and technical expertise to help residents accommodate growth and identify areas for redevelopment. A series of workshops were held to gather public input.
As a result of the outreach effort and technical support, the Magna Plan was created and later reviewed by the Steering Committee of local community leaders from the public and private sectors.
The Plan was integrated into the general plan in 2005.
Project Type: General Plan Updates | Project Date: 2005
meadowbrook station
• 2000 •
Meadowbrook Station is a light rail stop in an older industrial area near the center of the Salt Lake Valley. It has the potential to provide residents and business owners convenient rail access to downtown, the University of Utah, and many other regional centers in our valley. The Meadowbrook community leveraged the Envisioning Centers process and Wasatch Choice for 2040 toolkit.
Project Type: TOD Site Design | Project Date: 2000
mountain view corridor study
• 2004 •
The Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) invited Envision Utah to serve as the neutral facilitator in developing Growth Scenarios for the Mountain View Corridor (MVC). Envision Utah ensured meaningful involvement from stakeholder groups and citizens of the 16 cities involved. The MVC represents the last opportunity for a second major transportation connection between Salt Lake and Utah Counties.
Envision Utah partnered with residents, local jurisdictions, UDOT, Mountainland Association of Governments, Wasatch Front Regional Council, and Utah Transit Authority to develop growth scenarios that jointly evaluated transportation land-use issues and solutions for approximately 40 miles in western Salt Lake County and northern Utah County.
The MVC project is an unprecedented attempt to integrate local land-use planning and a transportation corridor that crosses interjurisdictional boundaries.
Millions of federal dollars can be saved by strategically adjusting both local land-use plans and regional transportation decisions together. UDOT had never before had land-use discussions with communities in conjunction with an environmental impact statement.
A widespread media campaign encouraged citizen involvement in the MVC process. Envision Utah hosted six community workshops for the 14 communities involved in the MVC. Residents were asked to design the type of community they want in 2030. Several hundred residents voiced their opinions on future land-use and transportation choices, including mass transit, farmland protection, walkable commercial areas, and economic development.
Following the workshops, Envision Utah staff gave detailed presentations to each of the 14 city councils on the potential economic impact of each land-use choice. Ten more community meetings were held to fine-tune the potential land-use growth scenarios. This data influenced which transportation choices would be implemented.
The Governor's Office of Planning and Budget projects that by 2030 the population west of the Bangerter Highway will grow from 267,000 to 635,000 and employment opportunities will rise from 82,000 to 268,000. The current transportation network is clearly inadequate for this expected growth. The MVC is an attempt to meet this growing need, to develop future transportation infrastructure, and to improve the quality of life for these cities.
Project Type: Regional Visioning | Project Date: 2004
nebo community vision
• 2001 •
Ten communities in South Utah County (Springville, Mapleton, Spanish Fork, Salem, Woodland Hills, Elk Ridge, Payson, Santaquin, Genola, Goshen) worked closely with Envision Utah, Mountainland Association of Governments, the Governor's Office of Planning and Budget, the Automated Geographic Reference Center and lead consultants, Swaner Design, to develop a vision for accommodating the high growth levels projected for the area.
The Nebo Vision was a process that gave citizens an opportunity to talk, and for leaders to listen. By working together, they created a regional vision, tools and resources to help each individual community plan for the future as they continue to grow.
The vision document can be downloaded below by clicking on the appropriate link, either by section of in its entirety.
Project Type: Regional Visioning | Project Date: 2001
ogden valley general plan rec element
• 2005 •
The Weber County Commission unanimously adopted the plan on December 27, 2005. To implement this plan, the county hired BioWEST (from May to Dec 2006) to engage the public in drafting a Transfer of Development Right Ordinance (TDR).
Project Type: Local Visioning | Project Date: 2005
perry city general plan update
• 2004 •
Envision Utah worked with a local Steering Committee to guide a public involvement process during 2004. The public feedback has guided a draft update of Perry City's General Plan. The draft General Plan has been reviewed by the Perry Planning Commission and recommended to the city council for adoption. The city council subsequently adopted the recommendations. Please select the links below to download the the latest plan draft.
Project Type: General Plan Updates | Project Date: 2004
provo intermodal hub
• 2014 •
The area around Provo's Intermodal Hub is currently undergoing substantial changes. Provo is the County Seat and center of Utah County, which is growing rapidly and is projected to nearly double in population and employment by the year 2040.
Project Type: TOD Site Design | Project Date: 2014
provo clean air toolkit
• 2014 •
In 2014, with Envision Utah and Alta Planning, culminated a Clean Air Toolkit presenting local residents and businesses with a centralized list of strategies they could use to achieve cleaner air in Utah County. This toolkit is now being used as a model to help guide the creation of a statewide air quality toolkit that can be used by citizens and organizations alike.
quality growth strategy
• 2000 •
In the mid-1990s Utah faced serious issues as the state looked toward adding one million new residents in only 25 years. With housing prices rising, traffic congestion increasing, and limitations on water and air quality becoming more apparent each year, business leaders recognized the need to act. Envision Utah and its Quality Growth Strategy was born.
Project Type: Regional Visioning | Project Date: 2000
salt lake streetcar
• 2014 •
Salt Lake City's downtown streetcar is envisioned to enhance and accelerate walkable, transit-oriented re-development in the city's downtown core and in the Granary District to the south and west. In downtown, the streetcar will serve as a pedestrian circulator, while it is expected to spark economic development in the Granary.
Project Type: TOD Site Design, Local Visioning | Project Date: 2014
Sandy City 9400 South TRAX Study
• 2004 •
Envision Utah facilitated a community visioning process to assess a potential TOD stop at 9400 South in Sandy City near the Jordan Commons and South Town Exposition Center. The City Council and Planning Commission adopted the study in January 2004. A TRAX station at this location is consistent with the city's goals to achieve a vibrant downtown that provides for and makes all modes of transportation feasible and safe.
The ability to balance and coordinate the needs of pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists and transit users is a crucial aspect in the maturity of a downtown and, ultimately, in its success – particularly in an "entertainment/business" district that has mixed-uses, multiple destinations and varied clientele at all times of the day.
Project Type: TOD Site Design | Project Date: 2004
sandy historic district plan
• 2005 •
Envision Utah facilitated community workshops and open houses to allow Sandy residents to voice their preferences for the future of Sandy City's Historic District. "Envision Utah provided tools and information, but the residents are creating the vision for the area," said Ted Knowlton, Envision Utah's Planning Director. Over 120 residents, for example, attended the January 2005 open house.
Project Type: Local Visioning | Project Date: 2005
South Salt Lake, West Jordan, Murray and Layton TOD Studies
• 2002 •
Envision Utah assisted the four communities of South Salt Lake, West Jordan, Murray and Layton to evaluate potential land uses around existing and future transit stations. Staff worked with local residents and stakeholders to synthesize their wishes into a broadly and publicly supported plan. Each community's plan guides local development through design guidelines and ordinances. It also fostered each transit station becoming a "destination" of housing, retail, employment centers, entertainment and services.
The proactive planning of development around transit station is ensuring that our future transportation system is supported by smart land-use decision-making throughout the Greater Wasatch Area.
Details of these TOD studies can be found in the "Appendix A: Specific Station Area Plans" section of Envision Utah's "Wasatch Front Transit Oriented Development Guidelines" document linked below.
Project Type: TOD Site Design | Project Date: 2002
Southwest Salt Lake County
• 2014 •
As the Utah Transit Authority (UTA) plans for future transit service in Salt Lake County, there is recognition of a relationship between transit-supportive land use and a successful transit system. Southwest Salt Lake County will help UTA to gain an understanding of the ridership that different land uses will generate.
Under the supervision of a steering committee, which represents a broad variety of interests from UTA and the Southwest Salt Lake County area, Envision Utah is conducting a transparent process that will create a public vision for a proposed transit line that will connect the communities of South Jordan, Herriman, Riverton and Draper.
This project will explore the market affecting the potential for Transit Oriented Development along the corridor and project a range of residential and commercial development that could be built over time. The study will also assist in refining the transit alignment and mode based on these expected future land uses.
Project Type: TOD Site Design, Local Visioning, Regional Visioning | Project Date: 2014
Tooele County Regional Vision
• 2003 •
Utah Water Strategy Recommendations
• 2017 •
The Tooele Valley has experienced rapid growth in the last decade. Between 1990 and 2000, Tooele County had the third highest growth rate in the state (53%), third only to Summit and Washington Counties. The growth of the Valley population is inevitable, however how and where that growth occurs is still within the power of the citizens of the Valley.
Residents of Tooele County came together to develop the Tooele Valley Regional Plan, to help understand the implications of current trends, and to outline alternatives to the current growth pattern. Through a totally interactive process, Tooele County residents and key stakeholders gave their input on critical issues facing the Tooele Valley, developing a regional vision to help them plan and prepare for the future.
Project Type: Regional Visioning | Project Date: 2003
In 2013, Governor Gary Herbert asked the State Water Strategy Advisory Team to make recommendations for a 50-year state water strategy. This effort was catalyzed by the Your Utah, Your Future vision, where more than 52,000 Utahns weighed in on their priorities for topics important the future of Utah, including water.
Envision Utah facilitated the advisory team, comprised of water experts from varying leadership positions around the state (click here to view the full list). The advisory team put in countless hours of research, intense discussion, and listening to the public to write the water strategy recommendations.
The advisory team organized their recommendations around the 11 key policy questions listed below. Each question is answered with several strategies. Learn more →
vision dixie
• 2007 •
The historic Vision Dixie planning process enabled a balanced discussion of growth and public lands protection in Utah's Dixie, a rapidly urbanizing area in the southern part of the state. Recognizing the complexity of land use issues in the region, the process brought together a wide range of stakeholders with varied perspectives into a public process. The effort yielded agreement on 10 growth principles which were adopted by the Washington County Commission and supported by local municipalities.
One of the most notable outcomes of the vision is its influence on the Washington County Growth and Conservation Act, a landmark federal lands bill that resolves long-running, contentious public land issues in a way that protects the land, the economy, and the way of life in the region.
Communities in Utah's Dixie continue to use the vision's principles as a guide when making land use decisions, maintaining a commitment to:
Plan regionally, implement locally
Conserve water and maintain air and water quality
Guard signature scenic landscapes
Provide rich, connected natural recreation and open space
Build balanced transportation
Focus growth in walkable centers that include housing, jobs and services
Direct growth inward
Provide a broad range of housing types
Reserve key areas for industry to grow the economic pie
Engage in focused and strategic public lands conversion
Project Type: Regional Visioning | Project Date: 2007
Wall Avenue Corridor Study, Ogden City
• 2000 •
Envision Utah worked with Ogden City officials, residents and other key stakeholders to develop a Master Development Plan to revitalize the Wall Avenue corridor in downtown Ogden. This plan has been adopted and is being implemented. Projects such as the Ogden City Intermodal Transportation Hub, Union Square, and other developments on 25th Street are the beginnings of a newly revitalized corridor.
Project Type: Local Visioning | Project Date: 2000
wasatch canyons tomorrow
• 2010 •
Wasatch Canyons Tomorrow was a once-in-a-generation opportunity for the public to help guide the policies which will form the basis of a revision of the 1989 Salt Lake County Wasatch Canyons Master Plan for City Creek, Emigration, Red Butte, Parley's, Millcreek, Big Cottonwood, and Little Cottonwood Canyons. The Master Plan is the basis for the County's land use planning policies and ordinances.
Process: The Wasatch Canyons Tomorrow process engaged the public in setting priorities and identifying long-term strategies to enhance the value of the canyons for current residents and future generations. Among other things, the process explored the impacts of increased canyon use and address issues such as land use and development, watershed protection and water quality, recreation, natural resource management, transportation, and public safety.The process was sponsored by the State of Utah, Salt Lake County, and Salt Lake City. The U.S. Forest Service was a supportive partner, supplying technical expertise.
The results of Wasatch Canyons Tomorrow will inform, but not supersede existing plans in the study area, such as the Wasatch-Cache National Forest Plan or Salt Lake City's Watershed Management Plan. The public participated in this process through workshops, open houses, and on-line surveys.
Report: The Wasatch Canyons Tomorrow report provides a menu of recommendations for projects, best management practices, and policies to be considered as we confront current and anticipated challenges in the management of the Wasatch Canyons. We also recognize that consideration of many of these recommendations will need future study and evaluation to determine their feasibility, environmental impact, compliance with federal, state and local laws, and compliance with existing management plans.
Project Type: Regional Visioning | Project Date: 2010
Wasatch Choice 2040
Wasatch Choice 2040 (WC2040) was a locally driven approach in which cities, counties, community organizations, transportation partners, businesses, the public, and others helped to create and implement WC2040 together, creating local solutions with regional significance. The WC2040 process explores future scenarios that articulate the trade-offs associated with different approaches to transportation and land use investments.
wasatch choices 2040
• 2005 •
Over 1000 residents of Weber, Davis, Salt Lake and Utah Counties attended 14 community workshops in 2005 as part of the Wasatch Choices 2040 effort. Through Wasatch Choices 2040, residents helped shaped the future roads and transit in their communities, and examined the relationship of the transportation system to neighborhoods, jobs, farms and open lands.
With the assistance of Envision Utah, public comments were carefully noted to form the basis for scenarios to explore new ideas in transportation and land-use that will influence the long-range transportation plans created by the Mountainland Association of Governments (MAG) and Wasatch Front Regional Council (WFRC).
MAG and WFRC are composed of mayors and county officials and are required to update the regional transportation plan every three years. This collaborative effort has been funded by MAG, WFRC, Utah Department of Transportation, Utah Transit Authority and Envision Utah. Staker Parsons sponsored the process's five open houses.
Wasatch Choices 2040 recognized that it is futile to project patterns of growth without thinking about the transportation investments we make. For example, freeways and boulevards support different forms of commerce, while transit supports walkable forms of development.
Two of the products to come out of this process are Growth Principles and a Vision Scenario. The elected officials of WFRC and MAG unanimously adopted the Growth Principles in late 2005.
The Vision Scenario provides one plausible illustration of how the region could grow if the Growth Principles are adopted. The Vision results in 18% less congestion, 12% more transit use, and 23 fewer square miles of land consumption relative to the fully built-out 2030 long-range transportation plan.
"We are one of the first places in the nation to use a publicly created vision to guide the long-range transportation plan, and the Wasatch Choices 2040 approach is a national model," said Ted Knowlton, Envision Utah's Planning Director. In developing the next long-range transportation plan, the two MPOs will look at how regional transportation choices affect broader issues, such as housing, critical lands, air quality, and more.
Project Type: Regional Visioning | Project Date: 2005
West Central Weber County General Plan
• 2003 •
The West Central Weber County General Plan process began Summer 2001, with the inventory and mapping of existing conditions completed by Weber County Planning staff. In August, the Consultant Team was retained to begin the General Planning process, which included involvement of the Townships of Reese, West Weber, Warren and Weber, the neighborhood of Taylor, and Weber County.
In January 2002, Envision Utah became a partner in the process of developing a West Central Weber County General Plan.
Project Type: General Plan Updates | Project Date: 2003
West Valley City TOD Study
• 2004 •
In April 2004, Envision Utah presented its transit-oriented development study to a joint Planning Commission and City Council meeting. The study has been influential in helping the city plan for a TOD near its city center. In 2008 a bus rapid transit (BRT) line began running along 3500 South and will connect to the TOD when it is completed. The TOD study calls for major redevelopment of the area and integrates many pedestrian-friendly elements.
Project Type: TOD Site Design | Project Date: 2004
west weber vision
• 2002 •
Weber County, the Townships of Reese, West Weber, Warren and Weber, and the neighborhood of Taylor worked with consultants Landmark Design and Envision Utah to assist residents in developing a community vision for the lands bordering the shore of the Great Salt Lake.
Working with key stakeholders and the general public, a plan has been developed to address a variety of land uses for the area including parks, trails, residential, commercial, agricultural, manufacturing, open spaces and other uses. West Weber County, unincorporated Weber County and the four townships, share valuable land and resources.
This planning provided them with a broadly and publicly supported vision that encourages quality growth and development with strategies to voluntarily preserve farmland and other critical land areas.
Project Type: Regional Visioning | Project Date: 2002