In this Issue:

Map of the Month

• 2034 Winter Olympic Games - Planned Venues & Transportation System

WFRC Council News

• Thanks to Our Members and Partners - FY24 WFRC Activities and Accomplishments Report
• Transportation and Land Use Connection (TLC) Program Annual Report Card
• Senator Wayne Harper Becomes 53rd President of NCSL

Planning for the Future

• Wasatch Choice Vision Update: Visualizing Centers 

On the Horizon

• WFRC Hosts 2024 AMPO Annual Conference 
• Escaping the “Housing Trap”

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2034 Winter Olympic Games - Planned Venues & Transportation System

The Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games are returning in 2034, and Utah is excited to welcome the world again!

The official award was made by the International Olympic Committee during its July 24th, 2024, meeting in Paris, much to the delight of the watch party crowd that gathered at 3 a.m. in Salt Lake City's Washington Square.

As Utah's preparations to host the 2034 Olympics are mutually complementary with the Wasatch Choice Vision, we've added a 'SLC 2034' map to the Wasatch Choice interactive map. The Games will inspire us all to stretch our aspirations for the future we are creating for our Region.

This new map displays the planned venues for the Games, together with the major road and transit transportation system that will serve spectators, workers, volunteers, officials, and athletes in 2034. The map allows you to see the groundbreaking set of transportation improvements built in the lead-up to the 2002 games, the impressive additions that have been made in the decades since the last Olympics, and new transit and road projects expected to be finished in time for 2034.

Thanks to our Members and Partners - FY24 WFRC Activities and Accomplishments Report

WFRC is proud to share our Fiscal Year 2024 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. 

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!

Transportation and Land Use Connection (TLC) Program Annual Report Card

WFRC is pleased to share our new edition of the Transportation and Land Use Connection (TLC) Report Card! The Report Card highlights the program’s mission and goals, as well as the impactful use of TLC awards by partner communities.

One such project is the Sandy City general plan update. This project, nearly two years in the making, will be highlighted in a virtual town hall on Thursday, August 29th. This virtual open house will showcase the draft plan, which outlines the city’s vision, values, and goals for the next 20+ years. It focuses on how to apply those goals in several targeted commercial centers throughout the city. 

The TLC Report Card also features resources such as a new interactive project map and related programs like Station Area Planning (SAP). TLC is jointly funded by WFRC, UDOT, UTA, and Salt Lake County.

The TLC Program will soon accept letters of intent for prospective 2025 projects. Stay tuned for more information!

Senator Wayne Harper Becomes 53rd President of NCSL

NCSL's new officers, from left: Rhode Island Speaker Pro Tempore Brian Patrick Kennedy (D), president emeritus; Montana Sen. Barry Usher (R), vice president; Illinois Rep. Marcus C. Evans Jr. (D), president-elect; Utah Senate President Pro Tem Wayne A. Harper, president; John Snyder, staff chair; Lonnie Edgar, staff vice chair; Sabrina Lewellen, immediate past staff chair (Photo Credit: NCSL)

Senator Wayne Harper was selected as the 53rd president of the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL). The NCSL is a bipartisan organization that represents the nation’s 7,386 state lawmakers and over 30,000 legislative staff. Senator Harper began his public service career as a city council member for West Jordan, Utah, before being elected to the Utah House of Representatives in 1997 and later to the state Senate in 2013. Senator Harper serves as a member of the WFRC Council on behalf of the Utah State Senate. He also serves as the Chair of the Senate Transportation Committee. Congratulations, Senator Harper! 

Wasatch Choice Vision Update: Visualizing Centers

Above: Example of mixed-used center visualization 

With strong growth continuing in our communities, thoughtful planning can help us maintain our quality of life. The Wasatch Choice Vision is our communities’ shared vision for coordinating how growth unfolds with transportation investments and economic opportunities. One of the key strategies communities have identified in the Vision is the creation and enhancement of city and town centers as the hearts of our communities – walkable areas where activity is focused, with places to live, work, and play.

WFRC is preparing a suite of visualizations to help communities further decide what types of centers work best for them. These exciting new resources will illustrate a variety of centers from a small-town main street to a transit-oriented urban center. Each center illustration will also include information on the anticipated household, economic, and environmental benefits. To learn more, save the date for a Wasatch Choice Vision Centers Webinar on September 30th at noon. Details coming soon.

WFRC Hosts 2024 AMPO Annual Conference

WFRC is proud to host the 2024 Association of Metropolitan Planning Organizations (AMPO) Annual Conference. On September 24-27, we will be joined by 500 MPO directors, transportation planners, elected officials, and business partners from across the nation to share best practices, analyze data, and help shape local and national transportation policies to best serve our communities. 

Escaping the "Housing Trap"

Join Chuck Marohn as he introduces a timely discussion about the tension between housing as a financial product and housing as shelter. These insights will help communities as they consider how to help address the housing affordability crisis as well as avoid the boom-and-bust cycles that have typified housing in America.