HIGHLIGHTS OF THIS NEWSLETTER INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING:

Wasatch Choice Resources for Local

Utah has been the fastest growing state over the last 10 years, and growth hasn’t slowed during COVID-19. Meanwhile, the pandemic has affected communities in significant ways including fiscal implications and catalyzing potential long-term changes to the way people live, work, play and travel.

The ULCT spring conference will further the conversation about how to address growth and the COVID-19 recovery. Part of this conversation will include using the best available resources to address these daunting challenges and opportunities.

In order to handle growth, satisfy statutory requirements, and preserve a high quality of life for generations to come, local governments can take various steps:

The Wasatch Choice Partners, including WFRC, MAG, ULCT, UAC, UTA, UDOT, Envision Utah and many others, have been working together to develop resources to help local governments meet the demands of growth and recovery from the pandemic. These include public engagement tools, data, and a listing of grant opportunities. These resources may be useful for communities across Utah and can also help those in the Greater Wasatch Front implement the Wasatch Choice Vision by engaging with their residents and updating their local plans.

The Wasatch Choice Vision is a locally driven blueprint that works to achieve better outcomes by coordinating the location of housing, transportation, economic development, and open space. Here’s a short video summarizing the Vision and key strategies.

Communities have new requirements for their General Plans - including elements of Senate Bill 34 (2019). Affected communities know about the menu of housing strategies that they can choose from the bill, yet Senate Bill 34 also has requirements that focus on coordinating the location of housing with other land uses and transportation. These resources help with the requirements for improving coordinated planning.

This guide helps community, regional and state leaders and staff productively engage with constituents and the public.

There are many resources, including funding and staff or consultant assistance, available to help assist local governments in planning. A key challenge is just knowing what is available. Partnering agencies across the state have compiled a one-stop list of these resources.

WFRC’s Map Gallery provides information on the following topics:

All of the information in the above maps, and more, is available for use by planners, consultants, and the public. Knowing what data is already available to use is a key to working efficiently.

We’re also featuring a new list of planning data resources as a “treasure map” in our April Map of the Month section -- see below in this newsletter!

For more information please visit WFRC.org or contact Ted Knowlton at ted@wfrc.org.

Planning Data Treasure Map

‘X marks the spot’ is a fitting synonym for #WhereMatters, the unofficial hashtag of the Wasatch Choice regional vision. Where are the best locations to attract workplace and housing development? How can a new pathway or trail connect into the existing or planned network in neighboring areas?

As your community works to best position itself for growth opportunities and challenges, it’s key that staff and consultants have the most current regional information resources at their fingertips.

This month’s “map” is an easy-to-use treasure map to those resources -- an up-to-date list to find and access the map-based GIS and other data, specific to our region, that is ready to be put to work to support transportation, housing, economic development, recreation, and other quality of life planning.

Over 50 datasets are currently included in the list, such as: growth projections, funded and planned transportation projects, active transportation plans, economic incentive areas, the latest aerial photography, and much, much more.

Is there other information that would be helpful to you as you plan your communities? Let us know! Contact Bert Granberg, WFRC Analytics Team lead, at bgranberg@wfrc.org.

State and local government officials continue to eagerly await additional guidance from the U.S. Treasury on the allowable uses and procedures for the American Rescue Plan funds. With approximately $1.1 billion going to Utah counties and cities, and $1.5 billion going to the State, leaders will be determining over the next several weeks and months the best use and investment of these funds. One key question on our minds is the degree to which funds may be used for transportation projects, as guidance has suggested allowable uses may be limited to other infrastructure types. Here is a link to the ULCT white paper on the American Rescue Plan.

President Biden recently announced his $2.3 trillion dollar American Jobs Plan which calls for investment in the nation’s infrastructure and workforce. The White House released this detailed fact sheet about the proposal. The $2.3 trillion plan would invest over $900 billion dollars in what would traditionally be considered infrastructure programs, including transportation, water, broadband, and cleaner power. The other $1.3 trillion in the plan covers other investments including major public physical capital in affordable housing, public schools and colleges, research and development, and education, training, and workforce development. The details of the plan are high level at this point, and we do not yet know the proposed distribution of these funds, or if the funds are assumed to include a non-federal share of state, local, or private spending. However, we do know that the administration is proposing a series of corporate tax increases over 15 years to pay for the plan. It will now be up to the Congress to decide how to proceed.

Deliberations are underway for the reauthorization of the federal surface transportation program. The current multi-year authorization legislation (expiring September 30, 2021) authorizes funding and sets key policies for federal transportation programs. Utah’s public and private transportation stakeholders have worked together to develop this joint set of principles for federal transportation reauthorization, which have been shared with Utah’s Congressional delegation, as well as the new U.S. DOT Secretary Pete Buttigieg. Notably, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) has also developed a set of reauthorization principles, which mirror Utah’s, reflecting Utah’s significant role in shaping national transportation policy.

How have sales tax revenues been impacted during the COVID-19 era? WFRC just added the latest city-specific information from the Utah State Tax Commission to our Taxable Sales interactive map that compares 2020 quarterly totals to those from 2019. The latest updates to the map show quarter 4 and yearly total comparisons.

You can view how taxable sales have changed overall or within specific sectors -- like online retail, restaurants/bars, construction/building supplies, and automotive sales -- for your city and its regional neighbors.

The Wasatch Front Regional Council (WFRC) seeks public review and comment on its Draft Fiscal Year 2022 Goals and Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP). WFRC's Goals describe the overarching objectives for the work of the organization during the fiscal year. The UPWP outlines the corresponding tasks that WFRC, in collaboration with cities, counties, the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT), Utah Transit Authority (UTA), and other partners, will pursue. Among the primary tasks are to assist local communities with growth, transportation, and planning issues; continue the development of the 2023-2050 Regional Transportation Plan; continue efforts to update the Transportation Improvement Program; assist in the development of air quality plans and promote transportation strategies to improve air quality; and provide outreach to the public and local, state, and federal officials.

Comments will be accepted through May 11, 2021. Please direct questions or comments to Wayne Bennion, Director of Short-Range Planning and Programming, at wbennion@wfrc.org or 801-363-4250, ext 1112.

The Wasatch Front Regional Council is excited to announce that Mikala Jordan has joined the Community and Economic Development team at WFRC. Mikala will be a planner working on the Transportation and Land Use Connection program (TLC).

Here are some fun facts about Mikala:

Welcome to WFRC Mikala!

TLC is a partnership between the Wasatch Front Regional Council (WFRC), Salt Lake County, Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT), and Utah Transit Authority (UTA). The TLC program provides technical assistance to local communities to help them achieve their goals and plan for growth. The program helps communities implement changes to the built environment that reduce traffic on roads and enable more people to easily walk, bike, and use transit. This approach is consistent with the Wasatch Choice Vision and helps residents living throughout the region enjoy a high quality of life through enhanced mobility, better air quality, and improved economic opportunities.