In this Issue:

• Council News
• WFRC Council Welcomes New Members
• WFRC Council Certifies Downtown SLC Station Area Plans 
• Government Affairs Update
• 2024 Legislative Session Comes to a Close with Successes in Multimodal Transportation and Housing
• Map of the Month
• Updated Traffic Volume History & Forecasts
• Planning for the Future
• Eyes on the Street: Field Visits Begin for Transportation Project Funding
• Community & Economic Development
• North Ogden South Commercial Area Plan
• On the Horizon…
• Summer Internships
• Nominations Open for WTS Utah Chapter’s Recognition Awards

Make sure to stay up to date with the latest from WFRC by following our social channels!

WFRC Council Welcomes New Members

(L to R) Andrew Gruber, WFRC Executive Director; new WFRC Transportation Coordinating Committee member Mayor Sheri Bingham of Hooper; WFRC Council Chair, Mayor Dawn Ramsey of South Jordan; new WFRC Council member Mayor Ben Nadolski of Ogden; WFRC Council Vice Chair, Commissioner Bob Stevenson gather for a group photo after the January 2024 Council meeting.

The Wasatch Front Regional Council endorsed the appointment of dozens of mayors, commissioners, and other officials from around our region to serve on the WFRC Council and its committees. These included many returning members, as well as new members, such as Ogden’s Mayor, Ben Nadolski as the newest WFRC Council member from Weber County. 

Check out all of the members that make up the Regional Council and our committees by clicking the button below (new appointees are listed in yellow):

WFRC Council Certifies Downtown Salt Lake City Station Area Plans

At the January 2024 meeting, the Wasatch Front Regional Council voted to certify the Station Area Plans for 13 TRAX stations in downtown Salt Lake City. 

The areas around FrontRunner, Trax and BRT stations are optimal areas for a “centers”-based approach to development, which could include a variety of housing, jobs, and amenities, consistent with the Wasatch Choice Vision. Legislation adopted in 2022 (HB 462) requires municipalities with fixed-guideway transit stations to develop Station Area Plans (SAP) for the areas around such stations. This can be done through new planning efforts (as was highlighted in last month’s newsletter article on Midvale’s new Station Area Plan), and through certification of “prior actions.”, as was the case for Salt Lake City.

Salt Lake City’s downtown station areas cover nearly the entirety of the central business district.

(images courtesy Salt Lake City)

Salt Lake City has the most intensely developed downtown area in the state. Because of this, Salt Lake City’s submission for SAP approval was able to refer to the many plans, zoning ordinances, construction permits, and infrastructure improvements that the city made prior to the passage of the legislation. Combined, the referenced documents promote the four key objectives for Station Area Planning: 

1. Increasing the availability and affordability of housing, including moderate income housing
2. Promoting sustainable environmental conditions
3. Enhancing access to opportunities
4. Increasing transportation choices and connections

Perhaps the most notable and relevant prior actions by the city relate to housing. Salt Lake’s Downtown Plan, adopted in 2016, lays out a goal of adding 10,000 additional homes by 2040. By the end of 2022, the city had seen over 9,000 of those homes built or entitled, putting them on pace to meet their goal over 15 years early. Other notable actions include the broad application of mixed-use zoning, allowing neighborhoods to develop where people can meet many of their daily needs within a short walk or bike trip from their home; enhanced bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure such as the 9 Line Trail; and reducing or eliminating minimum parking requirements near frequent transit services.

The addition of these 13 Station Area Plans brings the total number of certified plans to 17 with an additional 59 plans being prepared for adoption. You can track the progress of the certification process, review case studies and learn more about the program by reviewing our “Station Area Plan Progress Update” report.  

Does your community have a TRAX, FrontRunner, or BRT station? WFRC has resources to help you complete a station area plan. Find the application, along with more information, at our program website.

2024 Legislative Session Comes to a Close with Successes in Multimodal Transportation and Housing

President Stuart Adams and Speaker Mike Schultz joined WFRC members and WFRC’s partner agencies to provide an infrastructure preview for the legislative session

The Utah State Legislature adjourned just before midnight on Friday, March 1st as the marathon 45-day Legislative Session came to an end. At its close, the Legislature had passed 591 bills - a new record - and appropriated a $29.4B state budget for fiscal year 2025. 

The Legislature and Governor authorized significant multimodal transportation funding, consistent with Utah’s Unified Transportation Plan, and adopted tools to help plan and develop city and town centers and provide housing options, consistent with the Wasatch Choice Vision.

With the close of the session this past Friday, WFRC has produced our 2024 Legislative Session Wrap-Up, which focuses on key items that relate to WFRC’s work:

1. 2024 Session Overview
2. New Funding & Appropriations
3. Priority Legislation

At the end of another meaningful 45 days, we applaud the dedicated efforts of our elected officials, partner organizations and staff. Collectively, we are motivated by a common mission to serve all of Utah’s communities, and to ensure that the quality of life we enjoy today continues for the generations to come.

Updated Traffic Volume History & Forecast

Used by transportation professionals, city planners, commercial interests, and the general public, our Traffic Volume History and Forecast is one of our most popular web maps. And – big news – it just got two key updates. 

First, the forecasted annual average daily volumes (AADT), reviewed and refined from the Wasatch Front Travel Demand Model, have been updated to incorporate recent trends and the impacts of the road and transit projects in WFRC's 2023 - 2050 Regional Transportation Plan. Historic traffic estimates have also been updated through 2022.

Second, we've moved this web map to a new URL address. The updated data and map are now found at:

https://unifiedplan.org/traffic-volume-map/ which reflects the plan to again integrate the traffic forecasts for all of Utah's planning regions into one resource. We'll be adding data from Cache MPO, Dixie MPO, MAG & UDOT (for the rural areas of Utah) in the coming months.

To learn more about the map, click here to view an introductory presentation.

Eyes on the Street: Field Visits Begin for Transportation Project Funding

Have you noticed this bright yellow WFRC jacket in your neighborhood recently? That's WFRC's field review team made up of staff from WFRC, UDOT, UTA, and FHWA, conducting field reviews on this year's project applications!

Every fall, WFRC invites communities to apply for federal funding through our programs like the Surface Transportation Program (STP), Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Program (CMAQ), Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP), and Carbon Reduction Program (CRP) to support the communities' priority transportation projects. 

These applications undergo thorough evaluation by WFRC in collaboration with local governments and our transportation partners. Technical criteria and insights from field reviews play a crucial role in this process.

What's next? After all field reviews have been conducted, the considered recommendations will be presented to the technical advisory committees, followed by presentations to the Transportation Coordinating Committee for recommendation. Finally, the recommended projects will be presented to the WFRC Council for approval.

North Ogden South Commercial Area Plan

The City of North Ogden has recently completed their North Ogden South Commercial Area Plan. The plan’s stated intent is to “create a vision for redevelopment of the area into a vibrant commercial area that improves bike, pedestrian, vehicular and transit access into the South Town Commercial Area (King’s Plaza)” of North Ogden.

North Ogden’s City Council is considering the adoption of the commercial area plan which would then officially become part of the city’s General Plan. By preserving and highlighting the city's agricultural heritage, the plan is an exercise in placemaking along Washington Boulevard. The planned daylighting of Coldwater Creek aims to capitalize on the community's natural amenities, all while enhancing transportation connectivity throughout the plan’s area. 

The commercial area plan was made possible through WFRC’s Transportation and Land Use Connections (TLC) program, which provides advisory and technical staff support to municipalities in their efforts to implement the Wasatch Choice Vision. 

To view all the great work done in this plan along with many other projects, check out the TLC interactive map. Congratulations North Ogden for creating this amazing plan!

Nominations are now open for WTS Utah Chapter’s 2024 Recognition Awards. The awards celebrate outstanding professionals, projects, and organizations that have made meaningful contributions to our local transportation industry. 

WFRC is a proud sponsor of the Utah Chapter of WTS. WTS is the leading organization for the promotion of women’s professional development in the transportation industry. In 2023, WFRC was named Employer of the Year by WTS. This award recognizes employers who have exhibited excellence in recruiting, retaining, and advancing women. 

You can make your nominations by filling out this Google Form by Friday, March 29th, 2024. You may nominate candidates for one or all six of the award categories. Awards will be announced at the 15th annual WTS Fundraiser Gala on April 25, 2024, at This is the Place Heritage Park. Follow this link for more information on the annual Gala or if you have any questions, please contact Lauren Victor at lauren@wfrc.org.