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In this Issue:
- Map of the Month: Updated Housing Inventory Explorer
- Government Affairs Update
- Midvale Adopts New Station Area Plan
- Utah has the Largest High School Mountain Bike League in the Nation
- WFRC Welcomes Four to the Team in January
- On the Horizon…
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Make sure to stay up to date with the latest from WFRC by following our social channels! | |
Updated Housing Inventory Explorer (v2.0) | |
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Imagine a time machine that lets you view, from way up high, when and where housing of all types has been added to the Wasatch Front. That's what the newly updated WFRC Housing Unit Inventory web map -- our featured map of the month for January -- lets you do. We've expanded the map's display and filtering capabilities and have updated the housing data to reflect conditions as of January 2022.
The list of key features in our updated map includes the ability to filter the housing data by city, Wasatch Choice Vision centers, housing types, year built, and proximate freeway exits, transit stations, parks and trailheads. In addition to coloring the map and charts by housing type, you can switch to color schemes for built decade, land use intensity, and valuation.
Enjoy your exploration of Wasatch Front's housing trends, choices, successes, and opportunities. We're partnering with MAG to add data for Utah County in the near future.
Drop us a line at analytics@wfrc.org if you have any questions.
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The 2024 legislative session is off and running! The Utah Legislature convened earlier this month (January 16th), and they will appropriate and legislate over the next few weeks (until March 1st).
During the whirlwind 45-day session, you can stay up to speed by following along with our government affairs email updates which will be sent out at least weekly. Additionally, you can keep an eye on relevant pieces of legislation we’re watching with our WFRC Bill Tracker. There, you’ll find a brief bill summary and any positions taken on bills by WFRC. In the WFRC Appropriations Tracker, you can follow along with proposed appropriations, how they’re ranking in appropriation subcommittees, and ultimately if they get funded.
As the legislature considers various bills and appropriations throughout the 2024 General Legislative Session, WFRC is approaching the session with consideration of these policy proposals from various partners that align with the strategies of the Wasatch Choice Vision.
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Midvale Adopts New Station Area Plan | |
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Midvale’s city council voted recently to adopt a new station area plan for both the Midvale Fort Union and Midvale Center TRAX Blue Line stations. These plans, required by state statute, seek to reimagine the areas directly surrounding rail and BRT stations as vibrant, mixed-use neighborhoods that provide places for people to live, work, and access daily needs and services.
Highlights for the Fort Union station area include the transition of the current industrial uses along Cottonwood Street to multifamily residential and mixed-use with expanded green space, an improved pedestrian crossing of 7200 South, and a new grocery store just west of the station.
The station area plan envisions a completely redeveloped southwest corner of the Center Street and State Street intersection, with vertical mixed-use buildings oriented toward a plaza adjacent to the station platform, enhanced pedestrian crossings of State Street and Center Street, and a townhome development on the southernmost UTA parking lot.
Does your community have a TRAX, FrontRunner, or BRT station? WFRC has resources to help you complete a station area plan. Find the application for that, along with more information, at our program website.
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Utah has the Largest High School Mountain Bike League in the Nation with Over 7000 students! | |
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Taking a quick look at this map of teams participating in the Utah High School Cycling League (UHSCL) – the largest high school mountain bike league in the nation – it's clear that riding a bike isn't going out of style in Utah anytime soon.
In just its 12th year of existence, the wildly successful 2023 UHSCL season had 7,277 Utah students participate in its 25 week, team-based mountain biking program this year. Two thirds of the 94 teams' riders were high schoolers, and one third were 'devos' (grade 7 and 8).
Upgrades to the active transportation system (new paved pathways, dirt trails, urban bike lanes, and trailheads) seek to meet Utah's continued demand for a high level of outdoor access, mobility, and safety. Planning and project funding opportunities at the local and state level include the new UDOT-led Utah Trails Network program for paved pathways, DNR's Utah Outdoor Recreation Grant program, and WFRC's Transportation Land Use Connection program (technical planning assistance that includes parks, trails, and public spaces).
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Winter Biking Tips
Winter biking? You bet! Just because snow is on the ground and the temperature has dropped does not mean it is time to put away your bicycle for the season.
Feel comfortable cycling all winter long by following some practical safe winter biking tips.
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WFRC Welcomes Four to the Team in January | |
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Madison Aviles
Local Administrative Advisor
Madison joins the team into a newly created position, funded by the state, that is aimed to provide technical assistance to small, rural communities.
Madison has a degree in Political Science and Master of Public Administration from the University of Utah. Prior to joining the WFRC team, Madison was the City Manager for the City of Carlin in Elko County, Nevada, a small, rural community comprising just over 2500 residents.
In her new role, Madison will be collaborating closely with WFRC's small entities. Her focus will be on understanding their unique needs and priorities, and supporting them, in part to handle the additional state requirements that have been adopted in the past few years.
madison@wfrc.org
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Nate Currey
Communications Manager
Nate has returned to Utah to join WFRC as Communications Manager. He worked a decade ago with Envision Utah, after earning his Master's degree in City & Metropolitan Planning from the University of Utah. He then spent several years in Denver, doing communications for our peer agency the Denver Regional Council of Governments, and then was head of public relations for the Regional Transportation District, Denver’s transit agency.
Nate’s role is responsible for telling the story of the important work WFRC does to policy makers, stakeholders and the general public throughout the region.
Notably, Nate spent the past year volunteering as a humanitarian aid worker in eastern Ukraine.
nate@wfrc.org
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Matthew Ryan
Community Planner
Matt graduated in May from the U of U with his Masters of City and Metropolitan Planning.
Matt joins the team with a focus on helping communities with their planning needs, working primarily on our Transportation and Land Use Connection Program. He will also be working on helping our region to plan for and develop parks and public spaces, which are critical to quality of life.
matt@wfrc.org
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Tim Watkins
Community Planner
Tim brings over 20 years of planning experience to WFRC. Tim worked as a planner with Layton City, and the City and County of Denver, and most recently was the Cache County Planning Manager.
Tim will be supporting communities by contributing to our planning technical assistance programs. He will be helping communities as they plan and implement city and town centers, and consider the economic strategies and impacts of different growth patterns.
Tim has a BA in Landscape Architectural Studies and a Master of Landscape Architecture & Environmental Planning from Utah State University.
tim@wfrc.org
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2024 Utah Outdoor Recreation Grant | |
The 2024 Utah Outdoor Recreation Grant (UORG) application cycle is now open today through Friday, March 15. The Division of Outdoor Recreation is committed to ensuring every Utahn can live an active and healthy lifestyle and supports communities in achieving this through five different grant programs.
Click the banner below for more information and to apply:
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