IN THIS ISSUE

Wasatch Choice Community Advisory Committee Launched

On Tuesday, September 27th, Wasatch Choice transportation partners WFRC, UDOT, UTA, and Mountainland Association of Governments (MAG) convened the first Wasatch Choice Community Advisory Committee meeting. Representing communities from across our region, members were selected through a competitive public application process this past summer. The agenda included an introduction to the Wasatch Choice Vision, an overview of the power of language led by the Utah Division of Multicultural Affairs, a breakout discussion to craft Committee objectives, and a member meet and greet. The Committee has three more meetings scheduled this fiscal year between now and June 30th. 

The purpose of the Advisory Committee is to enhance relationships and community partnership with organizations and community leaders that represent residents with limited income, communities of color, populations with disabilities, elderly and youth populations.

Establishing the Wasatch Choice Community Advisory Committee creates a space for discussing regional transportation and land use issues. We will work together to promote inclusive engagement in transportation planning processes as well as equitable access to affordable and reliable transportation options. Engaging people with a diversity of perspectives and experiences will help to ensure that our policies and practices are best serving our community, now and in the future.

Whether you want to explore your neighborhood or a spot for your next Utah outdoor adventure, our September map of the month, atlas.utah.gov, is a great general purpose map viewer. What’s cool about this map and placefinder is that it is built entirely from Utah’s own, vast set of GIS data resources that are compiled and distributed by the  Utah Geographic Resource Center (UGRC).

Success with digital mapping is completely dependent on the availability of quality, up-to-date map data. It would be nearly impossible to work alone in this space. Luckily, Utah’s cities, counties, and state agencies are recognized for their leadership, skill, and collaboration to bring map data together for many important uses including emergency response, stewardship of our natural areas, and infrastructure planning and management.

House Bill 462, passed earlier this year, requires cities that have a FrontRunner, TRAX, Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), or streetcar station in their community to develop a Station Area Plan (within ½ mile of rail and ¼ mile of BRT) and update its general plan and zoning to implement the Station Area Plan. Station Area Plans promote shared objectives such as housing availability and affordability, access to opportunities, sustainable environmental conditions, and transportation choices and connections. Learn more about Station Area Planning requirements and technical assistance here.

WFRC and the Mountainland Association of Governments have now published the form to submit plans for certification by the MPO, as is required by H462. Our agencies are ready to help you with planning within station areas, and with seeking certification for those plans when you are ready.

Legislative Interim

The legislature met last week in interim to discuss a variety of issues. Of note was the aeronautics discussion in the Transportation Interim Committee about advanced air mobility and roadway safety. Additionally, the Senate Transportation Confirmation Committee confirmed UTA Trustee, Carlton Christensen, for an additional term (congratulations Trustee Christensen!). Lastly, the Executive Appropriations Committee met and heard a fascinating report on Utah’s economy, highlighting various inflation indicators and weighing in on recessionary concerns. The Legislature will meet again next month for October interim on the 18th and 19th.  

Unified Economic Opportunity Commission (UEOC)

The UEOC met Wednesday, September 28th, to hear reports and recommendations from its various working groups, including the Growth and Transportation working group, in which WFRC was integrally involved. WFRC’s Executive Director, Andrew Gruber, provided recommendations related to the Growth Alignment subgroup, and Leif Elder of UDOT provided recommendations from the Transportation Financing subgroup. The UEOC voted to support these items, forwarding them to legislative interim committees, and to the Governor’s Office of Planning and Budget for consideration in the Governor’s budget. WFRC, along with our partners, will now work to further advance the recommendations.

Safe Streets and Roads for All

WFRC, on behalf of our region, is pursuing a federal SS4A Safety Action Plan Grant. This is intended to identify risk factors for fatal and serious injury crashes, and recommend safety strategies to mitigate those risks. If awarded funding, it will enable the development of a safety action plan, and upon completion of the plan, communities in the region would then be eligible to apply for SS4A capital project grant funding to support the safety of our roads and streets for all roadway users. The WFRC area Safety Action Plan will include southern Box Elder, Davis, Morgan, Salt Lake, Tooele, and Weber Counties (the WFRC area). WFRC submitted our application in early September, prior to the September 15th application deadline.

If you are still uncertain of the transportation funding opportunities available to you and your community through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), the Federal Highway Administration recently released a Competitive Grant Funding Matrix which may be helpful in understanding the programs, their respective deadlines, and your eligibility further. Additionally, the National League of Cities (NLC) established a grant bootcamp to provide technical assistance to help small and mid-sized cities and towns access federal infrastructure dollars.

White Paper Released on Housing and Transit Reinvestment Zone Amendments

Kearns and Magna Active Transportation Plans

Click flyer for more information

WFRC’s staff are dedicated to working hard to serve our community. Case in point, our Community and Economic Development Director Meg Townsend was recently given the City & Metropolitan Planning Young Alumni by the University of Utah.

Meg leads a team of Community and Economic Development staff who are working hard to help communities write their next chapter by implementing central tenets of the Wasatch Choice Vision. From implementing and growing the Transportation and Land Use Connection (TLC) Program to drafting a new Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS), and many points in between, she and her team are providing technical assistance and connecting communities with funding for projects to solve some of our region's biggest challenges. 

Meg has a Master’s of City and Metropolitan Planning (MCMP) from the University of Utah with a Graduate Certificate of Real Estate Development. She also serves as the Board Chair for the Seven Canyons Trust, a non-profit working to uncover and restore the creeks in the Salt Lake Valley. 

We are incredibly proud of Meg and everything she is doing for our community and region!