- Refreshed Wasatch Choice Vision
- Map of the Month: Refreshed Wasatch Choice Vision Web Map and Poster
- WFRC Thanks Our Members & Partners and Reports on 2023 Activities & Accomplishments
- Government Affairs Update
- Creative Projects for the Transportation and Land Use Connection (TLC) Program
- Utah Street Connectivity Analysis
- Welcome to the Team, Chay!
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Refreshed Wasatch Choice Vision!
Utah was the fastest growing state in the nation over the past decade, and that growth continues – Utah is projected to reach five million people by 2050. Our future quality of life depends on the choices we make today.
The Wasatch Choice Vision is our communities' shared vision for coordinated transportation investments, development patterns, and economic opportunities, and serves as a blueprint for growth over the next 30 years. It has been refreshed through close collaboration between Wasatch Front Regional Council and our partners. The Wasatch Choice Vision map and key strategies show how advancing the Vision can enhance quality of life even as we grow.
Wasatch Choice Vision key strategies for a thriving region and communities:
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Transportation choices: Provide people with real choices in how they get around – by driving, transit, biking, and walking – so people can easily reach their destinations. | | |
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Housing options: Support housing types and locations that meet the needs of all residents. | | |
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Parks and public spaces: Ensure ample and convenient parks, public spaces, and open land for gathering and recreating. | | |
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City and town centers: Create and enhance city and town centers as the hearts of our communities – walkable areas where activity is focused, with places to live, work and play. | |
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At WFRC’s August 24th Regional Council meeting, a new Wasatch Choice Interactive Map was shared where one can explore the projects, development patterns and other key details that make up the Vision.
Learn more about the Vision at WasatchChoice.org. Explore the interactive map as well as tools and resources to make the Vision a reality in your community.
The more we work together, the more we ensure a high quality of life for everyone who lives, works, and plays along the Wasatch Front now and tomorrow.
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Click here to play the Wasatch Choice Vision video
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Refreshed Wasatch Choice Vision Web Map and Poster | |
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The Wasatch Choice Vision map shows how our region's transportation systems, centers, land uses, and parks and public spaces are envisioned to work together in the year 2050. The Wasatch Choice Vision map is available as an interactive web map, as well as large and medium-format posters available from the map gallery at maps.wfrc.org.
We invite you to explore the refreshed Vision web map and poster. The Vision map and poster reflect the major roadway, transit, and active transportation projects planned in our region, along with city and town centers, parks and public spaces, and more.
We will be making physical copies of the Wasatch Choice Vision poster available to partners and others in the coming month, but we invite you sign up now to enter our random drawing to win a printed copy of the refreshed poster.
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WFRC Thanks Our Members & Partners and Reports on 2023 Activities & Accomplishments
WFRC is proud to share our Fiscal Year 2023 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. 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 shared progress in the years ahead!
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State
Unified Economic Opportunity Commission
The UEOC has met over the past few months in a number of working groups to consider different funding and policy items for recommendation. The UEOC met on August 30th to hear some of those preliminary proposals for potential consideration in the Governor’s Proposed Budget and for early consideration by legislative interim committees.
Legislative Interim
WFRC, MAG, UTA, and ULCT presented an update on Station Area Planning (SAP) efforts to the Political Subdivisions Committee. The presentation reminded the committee of the purpose, requirements, and progress of SAPs, which you can also find in the SAP Progress Update. Committee members reflected that the SAP efforts are going well, and no legislative changes are anticipated as of now. Also noteworthy was an update to the Transportation Interim and Infrastructure and General Government Appropriations Subcommittee about the newly adopted Record of Decision for the Little Cottonwood Canyon EIS. UDOT’s presentation shared the phased approach that is planned to mitigate transportation challenges in the canyon, and the current and future plans for ski bus service. You can find UDOTs Record of Decision information HERE.
The Legislature will meet September 18th - 20th in St. George for interim meetings.
Federal
WFRC met with Senator Mitt Romney and our transportation partners last week to share updates on key projects funded through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Utah's continued rapid growth makes investing in transportation choices important, and thanks to our collaboration with local, state, and federal partners we're making that happen.
|  |  | Additionally, Utah’s transportation partners welcomed Federal Transit Administration Administrator Nuria Fernandez for the Ribbon Cutting of the OGX Ogden - Weber State Bus Rapid Transit system. WFRC was able to discuss with the Administrator the essential role that transit plays in our multimodal transportation system, and the local land-use planning that many communities are undertaking to capitalize on the transit system – and also reinforce the prudent and effective deployment of federal funds in past and future transit projects, such as the strategic doubletracking of FrontRunner. We look forward to the enhanced mobility OGX will provide to the Ogden / Weber region! |  |  | |
Federal Funding Opportunities
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(DON’T MISS THIS) Utah Federal Discretionary Grant Workshop: The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) are hosting a peer exchange scheduled for September 19-20, 2023, in Salt Lake City to help local metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) and local public agencies (LPAs) learn about and prepare for winning federal discretionary grant awards. Consider attending this event to learn about the range of opportunities available, understand best practices with application development, understand expectations for delivering federally funded projects. Register HERE by September 15th to attend the workshop.
- Rural and Tribal Assistance Pilot Program
- Pilot TOD Planning Program
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Creative Projects for the Transportation and Land Use Connection (TLC) Program
You’ve heard of TLC before, right? It’s your go-to to help your community create a small area plan, or an active transportation plan, or other important local planning efforts. On a broader scale, it helps your community implement the Wasatch Choice Vision. And did you know that TLC can support your community in exploring all of the following…
Parking ordinance modernization
Do your parking ordinances account for recent shifts like telework and e-commerce? Do you want to tailor your parking requirements to meet the needs of your city or town center?
Complete Streets / Street Design with context in mind
If you have envisioned city or town centers in your community, do you want to ensure the look, feel, and function of the major streets support that vision?
Parks and public spaces
How is your community’s access to parks? TLC can help you plan for an interconnected parks and public space network that meets the needs of your community.
Housing and Transit Reinvestment Zones (HTRZ)
Are you considering an HTRZ in your community? TLC can help you assess its feasibility and prepare to apply.
Public assets planning
Do you have publicly owned assets in your community that may not be achieving their best use?
Bike and ped infrastructure inventory and plan
Is your community interested in more bike and pedestrian-friendly infrastructure?
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Creating better connectivity has a range of benefits from a more efficient and diverse transportation system to community benefits such as; safety, health, economic vitality and environmental benefits. Bike Utah is providing a free analysis that will quantify and examine the connectivity in your community by region, neighborhood, or a special district using four metrics. These metrics are the relative level of connection, the density of these connections, the ability of the network to connect people to key facilities and destinations, and lastly the usability of this network for all users which examines the walkability of the area. Together these analyses will be brought together to create a comprehensive understanding of current connectivity and ways to increase it. If you are interested please contact our Bike Utah partners at Chris@bikeutah.org or ally@bikeutah.org. | | |
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Welcome to the Team, Chay!
WFRC is excited to welcome Chay Mosqueda, the newest member of the Long Range Planning team who joined us last Tuesday, August 22. Chay will work in concert with the rest of the WFRC to develop the next Regional Transportation Plan, as well as with our transportation partners and communities to coordinate transportation projects.
Chay graduated from the University of Utah with a Bachelor's in Urban Planning and a Minor in Multi-Disciplinary Design in 2023. Throughout Chay's studies, he had the pleasure of working with cities, other public entities, and neighborhood groups. Chay is originally from Detroit but has also lived in Denver and San Diego.
Chay also served in the U.S. Marine Corps where he held various roles on the aviation and ground side. Thank you for your service Chay and welcome to WFRC!
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