IN THE AUGUST ISSUE

First Round of Station Area Planning (SAP) Technical Assistance Funding Awards Announced

The Wasatch Front Regional Council is excited to announce the first round of Station Area Planning Technical Assistance (SAP) program awards. A Station Area Plan (SAP) is intended to promote shared objectives such as housing availability and affordability, access to opportunities, sustainable environmental conditions, and transportation choices and connections, all in line with the Wasatch Choice Vision. As a result of the 2022 state Legislative session, HB462 requires a city that has a rail or BRT station to develop a Station Area Plan for it. Awards were presented recently at the Regional Growth Committee meeting on August 18th. SAP program partners WFRC, the Mountainland Association of Governments (MAG), Utah Transit Authority (UTA), and the Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity (GOEO) awarded four projects in the WFRC area. The projects are for transit stations located in Midvale, Millcreek, Murray, Roy, and West Jordan.

"It's an exciting day to see the first round of funds awarded to four projects that are at the forefront of planning new neighborhoods around the transit stations," said WFRC Chair Jeff Silvestrini, Mayor of Millcreek. "Thanks to money the State had the foresight to invest, our communities will have the technical support they need to plan for growth and developments that are inspired by the Wasatch Choice Vision."

Highlighting WFRC's Work and Commitment to Serving Our Communities

WFRC is proud to share our Fiscal Year 2022 Activities and Accomplishments Report. Each fiscal year, the WFRC Council adopts goals to guide the agency. This report highlights the work and achievements of WFRC’s members, staff, and partners in working towards those goals, organized around each one of them. Providing this report to our Council and the public is an important element of accountability that WFRC has as a public agency. Additionally, we’re able to showcase a selection of communities and projects that we’ve collaborated with over the past year to advance those goals at the local level. 

WFRC is deeply appreciative of the opportunity to serve our community. We’re proud of the work we’ve accomplished in close collaboration with many of you reading this, and look forward to more accomplishments in the years ahead!

Location, Location, Location. This age-old maxim still rings true.

As the Wasatch Front grows, the residential development market will continue to provide new housing options. If you’re thinking about where new housing might best fit within your community, there are many factors to consider, including the level of access to basic needs at potential locations.

Our August Map of the Month highlights a new interactive map that allows users to set their own criteria to create a custom housing suitability map for any single city or combination of cities in Weber County. We’re working to provide similar information in a region-wide map expected later this year.

The Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) has released the Final EIS and 14,000+ public comments received during the Draft EIS comment periods, and identified Gondola Alternative B, with proposed phasing, as the preferred alternative to improve transportation in the canyon. UDOT has determined that this alternative best meets the project purpose and provides the highest travel reliability for the public. Following a 45-day comment period for the Final EIS, UDOT will formally select an alternative for implementation in a separate Record of Decision (ROD) this winter.

State

Transportation Interim Committee

The Utah Legislature’s Transportation Interim Committee met in mid-August to discuss rail safety and transportation funding. The rail safety agenda item highlighted the federal State Rail Safety program, highway-rail grade crossings, and the rail transportation restricted account. A committee bill file to establish a State Rail Safety Office within UDOT was opened by the Committee. WFRC, along with UDOT, MAG, ULCT, and UAC, testified to the Interim Committee on transportation funding in the State, including current funding sources, needs, and future outlook. The agencies highlighted the importance of investing in transportation choices - to drive, take public transit, bike or walk - as Utah continues its rapid growth. 

Unified Economic Opportunity Commission, and Working Groups

The Unified Economic Opportunity Commission (UEOC) met in early August to hear initial recommendations from its subcommittees and working groups. The Growth & Transportation Working Group is continuing work through its three subgroups - Statewide Infrastructure Investment Visioning, Regional Growth Alignment, and Transportation Funding. These subgroups have met through August and will present recommendations to the Working Group in late August. WFRC has played an integral role in all three subgroups.

Federal 

USDOT Secretary Pete Buttigieg Visits Utah

On Friday, July 20, U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg paid a visit to the Beehive State to announce the Promoting Resilient Operations for Transformative, Efficient, and Cost-Saving Transportation (PROTECT) program which supports resilient infrastructure. The new $7.3 billion in formula funding will help states and communities better prepare for and respond to extreme weather events like fires, flooding, and extreme temperatures. Utah is expected to receive upwards of $65 million from the PROTECT program to strengthen its infrastructure. 

In addition to speaking at the formal announcement of PROTECT with Governor Spencer Cox at the Capitol, Secretary Buttigieg joined local officials to tour the site and burn scars from the 2021 wildfire in Parley’s Canyon, before joining a roundtable discussion led by Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson about regional resilience. WFRC Executive Director Andrew Gruber participated in the discussion and highlighted that planning and investing for future transportation choices is one of the ways to reduce transportation emissions and impacts on our environment. Secretary Buttigieg asked about collaborations between counties and agencies on disasters and transportation projects, and the panelists noted that in Utah, agencies work well together to respond to disasters and plan for future projects. Officials from Utah Department of Transportation, Summit County, Unified Fire Authority, the Utah Department of Natural Resources, and IAFF Local 1696 also participated in the roundtable discussion.

The summer season as we know is coming to another close. WIth it, our kids are returning to school, the days are getting shorter, and many federal funding grant opportunity deadlines are quickly approaching.

Are you feeling excited but also confused by the myriad of funding opportunities made available via the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA)? With so much information, it can feel challenging to navigate. The National League of Cities (NLC), in conjunction with the United States Conference of Mayors, Results America, and Delivery Associates, has established a grant bootcamp to provide technical assistance to help small and mid-sized cities and towns access federal infrastructure dollars. Learn more and apply here today! 

Additionally, the Governor’s Office for Planning and Budget (GOPB) maintains a website tailored to sharing information and ways Utah is prepared to use IIJA funds to make generational investments.  Click here to sign up for their IIJA Coordination Newsletter.

Current Federal Grant Opportunity Deadlines:

• Railroad Crossing Elimination Grant Program: This program provides funding for highway-rail or pathway-rail grade crossing improvement projects that focus on improving the safety and mobility of people and goods. Eligible projects include but are not limited to grade separations or closures (including through the use of a bridge, embankment, tunnel, or combination thereof, track relocation, improvement or installation of protective devices, and more). Applications are due no later than 5:00 p.m. ET, October 4, 2022. See the FY 2022 Notice of Funding Opportunity for more information.

• Reconnecting Communities Pilot Program (RCP): The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) established the new Reconnecting Communities Pilot discretionary grant program, funded with $1 billion over the next five years. It is the first-ever program to help reconnect communities that were previously cut off from economic opportunities by transportation infrastructure. Funding supports planning grants and capital construction grants, as well as technical assistance, to restore community connectivity through the removal, retrofit, mitigation, or replacement of eligible transportation infrastructure facilities. The FY22 Notice of Funding Opportunity is open now through October 13, 2022.

• Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A): This program is expected to include $1 billion in funding per year exclusively for local governments to make improvements to reduce fatalities, especially for cyclists and pedestrians, commonly referred to as ‘‘Vision Zero’’ or ‘‘Toward Zero Deaths’’ initiatives. Eligibility includes the creation of a Comprehensive Safety Action Plan, as well as planning, design, and construction of projects identified in a Comprehensive Safety Action Plan. The SS4A NOFO has been released and applications will be due no later than September 15th, 2022. WFRC, along with our partners, will be applying for an SS4A Grant to create a regional Comprehensive Safety Action Plan, which will ultimately include local projects or strategies that can be applied for in subsequent years.

• Bridge Investment Program: The purpose of the bridge investment discretionary grant program is to improve the condition, safety, efficiency, and reliability of bridges. This $12.5 billion program will provide grants to states, MPOs, local governments, and tribal governments to replace, rehabilitate, preserve, or protect one or more bridges on the National Bridge Inventory. This program works in conjunction with formula funds the Utah Department of Transportation has received to serve these same purposes. The notice of funding opportunity is available here.

You can find an updated schedule of upcoming NOFO releases HERE.

Resources

If you would like to stay up to date with the latest information on federal grants and want to receive our “Federal Funding Opportunities Notice” emails, or if you have any questions regarding federal funding, please reach out to federalgrants@wfrc.org or visit our Federal Funding Opportunities Webpage.

We are proud to partner with the Governor’s Office of Planning and Budget (GOPB) to create a Coordinated Action Plan for Utah’s Economic Vision 2030. This process is intended to align state, regional, and local efforts of the regional comprehensive economic development strategies developed by the Association of Governments to help accomplish local economic priorities. One element in that process includes surveying businesses from across the state to help advise policy decision that impact businesses on a day-to day basis. As one of the seven AOGs involved with this endeavor, we ask you to help us in the planning process by spreading the word. We encourage businesses of all sizes to take this ten minute survey no later than this Friday, September 2. Your input is valuable and greatly appreciated.

The state of Utah has one of the best economies in the nation. While we have experienced rapid growth, our goal is to sustain that growth while strengthening economic opportunities in the state and along the Wasatch Front.

Register for the 2022 ULCT Annual Convention, October 5-7

Salt Palace Convention Center, Salt Lake City

Register for the Electrification Forum on September 23

Click flyer for more information