[0:01] Good. Hello everyone
[0:03] . Good morning. Welcome
[0:05] to the Regional Development Committee
[0:06] . Today is
[0:08] Thursday, August 20, 2026,
[0:10] and the time is now 9:19
[0:11] AM. I would like to welcome
[0:13] everyone. We will start with
[0:14] introductions, then Andrea will call
[0:16] on the attendees to
[0:17] introduce themselves
[0:18] online. My name is Tammy
[0:20] Chan and I am from
[0:22] Ceysville. Hello
[0:26] everyone, I'm Andrew
[0:27] Gruber. Welcome to WFRC
[0:29] , whether you are attending in
[0:30] person or
[0:31] online.
[0:32] Andrea Pearson from the
[0:34] WFRC management team.
[0:37] Lauren Palmer, Mayor of
[0:39] Herman.
[0:40] Kate Bradshaw, Mayor of
[0:41] Bounty Falls.
[0:43] Yoni Gruber, Mayor of Fruit
[0:45] Heights.
[0:46] Heidi Hammond, Mayor of
[0:48] Grantsville. Mary Doohe,
[0:50] Mayor of Clinton.
[0:52] Jason Brown,
[0:53] CEO of Envision
[0:55] Utah. Bill Herth from WFRC.
[0:58] Jordan Chandler from the
[1:00] WFRC management team.
[1:01] Good morning everyone.
[1:03] I'm Rosie Hernandez, and
[1:04] I'm part of the
[1:06] management team at WFRC.
[1:10] I'm Jeff Silverstern, an
[1:12] intruder. I have not yet been appointed to
[1:14] this position, but I am a
[1:15] member of the Utah Transportation Commission
[1:17] , a
[1:17] former president of the WFRC, a
[1:19] former mayor, and a friend of ours.
[1:21] Welcome back,
[1:22] Jeff. We are delighted to have you with us
[1:24] . Nicole
[1:26] Berto, from UTA.
[1:29] Good morning. Jenny
[1:31] Wilson, from
[1:32] Salt Lake County.
[1:35] Bla Velro,
[1:37] Morgan County Commissioner.
[1:40] I am Lauren Camallo. I never
[1:42] know what position
[1:43] I hold here, but I am the vice
[1:45] president of this group.
[1:47] I am the Davis County Commissioner
[1:48] , but I
[1:49] actually represent the Utah
[1:51] County Association on this council
[1:52] . Good morning. Ted
[1:55] Knowlton. I am the deputy
[1:56] director here at WFRC and the chief
[1:58] planner.
[2:02] Good. And those who join
[2:04] us online,
[2:05] if you wish to
[2:07] unmute, please introduce
[2:08] yourselves. We have
[2:09] Professor Reid Eung and
[2:11] Mayor Christy
[2:12] Overson.
[2:13] Yes. Red Ewing.
[2:18] Good morning. Kristy Overson
[2:20] , Mayor of Taylorsville. Then
[2:23] two employees,
[2:25] Meg Baden and Johnny
[2:26] Nardon. And
[2:28] Madam President, we
[2:29] also have many
[2:30] members of the public and
[2:32] other partners listening
[2:33] online. Good.
[2:35] Do we need to leave
[2:37] ? Good.
[2:39] Jori Donner, Director of
[2:40] Long-Term Planning,
[2:43] WFRC.
[2:44] Andrea Olsen,
[2:46] UDOT planning.
[2:46] Paul Aguilera, planner, WFRC
[2:50] . Cameron is responsible for
[2:52] the facilities of cities and towns.
[2:54] Heather Montgomery,
[2:55] Salt Lake County.
[2:58] John A. Nardon, WFRC.
[3:03] Marianne Florence,
[3:05] Finance at WFRC.
[3:08] Jerin Robertson from the
[3:09] Utah Transportation Authority.
[3:10] Chrissy
[3:11] Dolberg, WFRC.
[3:13] Faroltani, an employee at WFRC
[3:16] . Ironhead, an employee at
[3:21] WFRC.
[3:22] Samantha Delhurst, an
[3:24] employee at WFRC.
[3:26] Joel Temple, an employee at WFRC.
[3:29] Hugh Wagon, an employee at WFRC.
[3:33] Marshall White, an employee of
[3:35] WFRC. I didn't receive the notification. I had to
[3:37] wait.
[3:45] Tiffany, you've just joined us
[3:47] . Would you like to
[3:48] introduce yourself?
[3:50] I apologize for the delay.
[3:52] Tiffany, the
[3:53] public relations officer, please
[3:54] come in. No one but you.
[3:58] Good. Thank you all. The first
[4:00] item on our agenda
[4:02] is to take action on the
[4:04] minutes of the RGC meeting
[4:05] held on 21 May 2026.
[4:07] Do we have a proposal
[4:08] to approve it?
[4:09] Proposal to approve
[4:11] the minutes.
[4:11] Thank you, Mayor
[4:13] Bradshaw. Good.
[4:14] Thank you, Mayor
[4:16] Palmer. Does everyone
[4:17] agree? Okay,
[4:19] that's good, right? Good.
[4:21] So, the next item is
[4:23] audience comments. Is
[4:24] there anyone in the room who
[4:26] would like to comment? Do
[4:27] you have three minutes? Is
[4:29] anyone from the
[4:30] audience here? no.
[4:35] Good. Is anyone
[4:36] online?
[4:37] No one is online
[4:39] , raise your hand.
[4:39] no one. Good. So, we don't have
[4:41] any participants
[4:42] online either
[4:43] . So, we will move on
[4:44] to the President's report. I
[4:45] have a few points I would like to
[4:47] discuss. To begin,
[4:48] I would like to share my
[4:50] perspective from when I
[4:52] first became mayor, in order to
[4:53] understand the role of the
[4:55] West Florida Regional Board of Governors (WFRC)
[4:57] in regional planning. To
[4:58] be honest, at first I didn't
[5:00] understand it very well. I wasn't
[5:02] sure. I was invited
[5:03] to many
[5:04] meetings, and it was a
[5:06] great opportunity to learn,
[5:07] but it took me
[5:08] some time to understand the role of the
[5:10] council and its importance. For
[5:11] example, I did not
[5:13] realize at the time that unless
[5:14] this council was given priority
[5:16] , no
[5:17] project would move forward. I was unaware that it was an
[5:19] integral part of the
[5:20] regional planning for
[5:21] the state and our regions. Therefore
[5:23] , it was very useful to
[5:24] know that. Therefore, for
[5:26] anyone new to this
[5:26] field, don't hesitate to
[5:28] ask. There are many
[5:29] questions that may
[5:30] come to your mind, which I
[5:31] also had, and
[5:32] I felt some
[5:33] hesitation in asking them. But just
[5:35] ask, because everyone
[5:36] wants to help you
[5:37] understand the role it plays
[5:38] and how it can benefit your
[5:40] city and region
[5:41] by participating in
[5:42] our meetings,
[5:44] workshops and everything we do;
[5:45] Because if priority is not given
[5:47] here,
[5:48] priority will not be given anywhere
[5:49] else. So, even if
[5:51] we as a city are talking about
[5:52] projects that are important to us, nothing will
[5:54] happen unless it is
[5:55] included in this
[5:57] timetable and part of this
[5:58] plan. Do you want to add
[6:00] anything?
[6:00] Okay, thank you for
[6:02] participating. I think we may get too caught up in our
[6:06] shortcuts and
[6:07] procedures. But, Mr.
[6:11] Mayor, you are
[6:12] helping us and everyone involved
[6:14] to think about what
[6:16] we are trying to do:
[6:18] help and support you
[6:19] all in achieving
[6:21] your goals. Your feedback, as a
[6:27] long-time WFRC participant, is helpful to
[6:29] us, and I believe it is
[6:30] helpful to others as well.
[6:33] Thank you for these
[6:34] reflections, Ted.
[6:36] Fine, thank you. Oh,
[6:37] Ted. Oh, would you
[6:38] like to begin?
[6:40] Commissioner,
[6:41] I am very impressed with your participation in
[6:42] this,
[6:44] Mayor Tran. I am
[6:45] very impressed by your sharing this. I have
[6:50] only been part of this group for a few years, not for my entire tenure as a
[6:51] commissioner, which is nearly
[6:53] eight years. But what I
[6:55] have noticed in this
[6:56] group, just over the
[6:58] past year or two
[7:00] , is that the mayors and
[7:01] even the
[7:03] county commissioner are having a
[7:05] real discussion, which I consider to be very
[7:08] important to the mission of this
[7:10] group. What they see, you
[7:12] know, and what
[7:13] they think about growth
[7:14] , and what the challenges are—because
[7:16] there are many
[7:17] challenges—so yes, I am
[7:19] very impressed when
[7:20] this group engages in a
[7:22] real discussion. Thank you,
[7:25] Commissioner.
[7:27] What you see on the screen
[7:29] is a kind of idea of ​​meditating
[7:31] in the forest. Do you understand what
[7:34] I mean by metaphor?
[7:36] We discuss the regional transport plan a lot in
[7:38] this committee
[7:40] , and we
[7:41] move to the part of this
[7:43] process where we determine,
[7:45] well, which projects make
[7:47] sense to
[7:48] focus on in the
[7:49] first ten years
[7:51] ? This in turn
[7:53] greatly affects how
[7:55] we allocate funding,
[7:56] how funding decisions are made
[7:58] at the University of
[7:59] Delaware, and how we ourselves make
[8:02] funding decisions. So I
[8:04] just wanted to clarify this
[8:06] key point. This is an
[8:07] oversimplification, but the
[8:09] first phase is
[8:10] extremely important in how our
[8:12] state and federal governments spend
[8:16] transportation funds here in the state.
[8:18] This may be quite obvious
[8:19] , but I think
[8:21] it serves as a
[8:23] fundamental reflection, so to speak,
[8:24] of the overall picture,
[8:26] even with how much we talk about the
[8:28] details in the work of
[8:29] our committee.
[8:30] Thank you, Ted, I appreciate
[8:32] it. Good. The
[8:35] next point is that I would like to give Meg the floor to talk
[8:38] to us about funding opportunities and
[8:40] technical assistance for the WFRC. Thank you, Madam
[8:43] President. Hello everyone
[8:45] , it was a pleasure seeing you all
[8:46] . We have upcoming funding opportunities
[8:48] . We often hear from you
[8:49] that financing is
[8:51] one of the biggest obstacles, if
[8:53] not the biggest obstacle,
[8:54] to realizing your dreams in
[8:56] your city, financing
[8:57] transportation projects, and meeting your
[8:59] planning needs
[9:00] . Therefore, we would like to assure
[9:03] you all that these
[9:04] opportunities will be available soon. Please submit your application
[9:06] .
[9:09] Thank you all. We have nine
[9:11] programs in Wasatch
[9:12] Front Regional Council that
[9:13] offer you funding.
[9:15] Five of these programs
[9:16] share a letter of intent.
[9:17] Letters of intent will be sent
[9:19] soon. Therefore, the
[9:20] deadline
[9:21] for submitting letters of
[9:22] intent for these
[9:23] five programs is the end of
[9:24] September, i.e., September 30. The
[9:26] first four programs are dedicated to financing
[9:28] capital projects,
[9:29] including
[9:30] construction and transportation works. The
[9:31] Transport and Land Use Linkage Program is
[9:33] designed for planning and
[9:34] covers most of your
[9:35] planning needs
[9:36] . If you have any
[9:37] planning needs,
[9:38] talk to us, you are
[9:39] very likely to
[9:41] qualify. I do not wish to
[9:42] go into detail about what
[9:43] each of
[9:44] these programs funds, because there are
[9:46] many. But what I want
[9:47] from you is to look forward to the
[9:49] file that will reach you
[9:50] soon. The program file will detail
[9:52] what qualifies in
[9:54] each of these
[9:55] programs, and will guide you
[9:57] through the letter of intent. If
[9:58] you have any
[9:59] questions or would like to
[10:01] submit a letter of intent so
[10:02] we can help you identify the most
[10:03] suitable program, that's fine
[10:05] . All you have to do is
[10:06] submit a letter of intent. The
[10:08] deadline for that
[10:10] is September 30th. Get in touch
[10:11] with your staff, your boards
[10:13] , and your colleagues on
[10:15] planning committees, and get
[10:16] your projects ready. In the
[10:18] next slide, I would like to refer
[10:19] to the four
[10:20] other programs we have available
[10:21] at the
[10:22] Western Forest Resource Center (WFRC).
[10:23] These programs are not
[10:24] part of the letter of intent
[10:26] ; each has its
[10:27] own presentation cycle. I would like to
[10:28] point out here regarding the
[10:31] Community Development Grants Program (CDBG), where a
[10:33] mandatory workshop on how to
[10:35] apply will be held on October 8.
[10:36] Therefore, if you are from a
[10:37] community eligible
[10:39] under the CDBG program, noting
[10:40] that we do not cover the
[10:42] entire region with this
[10:43] program, please
[10:44] see the
[10:45] How to Apply workshop.
[10:46] Again, if you have
[10:47] any questions about
[10:48] eligibility or the region
[10:49] you fall into, please do
[10:50] not hesitate to
[10:50] contact us. We
[10:51] also have funding from the Community
[10:52] Infrastructure Support
[10:53] (CIB) program,
[10:54] technical assistance
[10:55] for station area planning,
[10:56] and funding for the Western Front Economic Development Zone
[10:58] . Good? I know I haven't given
[10:59] you
[11:00] details, but what I've mentioned
[11:02] are the dates. So,
[11:03] pay attention to these
[11:04] dates and get in touch with us
[11:05] . What we would like to do
[11:06] is talk to you about
[11:08] these opportunities, and I am happy to
[11:09] answer any questions.
[11:10] Thank you, Meg. Does
[11:12] anyone have any questions? May I
[11:14] add something?
[11:16] Well, as a complement to what
[11:17] Meg said, here is a brief summary of
[11:19] information provided by
[11:21] Meg. We will share it
[11:22] in detail. We will attend all
[11:24] Council of
[11:24] Local Governments (COG) meetings
[11:25] so that all
[11:26] elected officials
[11:27] in the region, and locally
[11:28] elected officials
[11:29] , are informed of this
[11:30] information. Therefore, we will not
[11:31] go into detail about it
[11:32] now, but we will present it
[11:33] to the Council of
[11:34] Local Governments (COG). We will
[11:35] also present it to the
[11:36] Technical Advisory Committee.
[11:37] Therefore, your employees
[11:38] who work on these
[11:39] matters will
[11:40] also receive all the information. I saw
[11:42] some of you taking
[11:43] screenshots. excellent. Your staff will receive the
[11:45] information, and you will receive
[11:46] more details
[11:47] at upcoming regional government council meetings
[11:48] .
[11:49] Well, that's great.
[11:50] Thank you, Meg.
[11:51] Thank you for that.
[11:53] Good. Now, we will invite
[11:54] Samantha Delhorse to talk to
[11:56] us about the
[11:57] "Wasatch Choice" vision workshop. And
[11:59] I will promote it.
[12:00] Make sure you attend.
[12:02] It is very useful and
[12:03] interesting.
[12:04] Good. Yes,
[12:06] great promotion and perfect pronunciation of my
[12:08] last name. Thank you for
[12:09] that.
[12:10] Thank you. Well, the
[12:13] fall workshop season is here again, and I
[12:14] look around the hall, and I
[12:16] think most of you have
[12:17] attended. I see many
[12:19] familiar faces who have
[12:20] attended our workshops over the
[12:22] years, and I am excited
[12:23] to talk to you a little about
[12:25] them. The
[12:26] annual Wasatch Choice workshops are,
[12:28] above all, a
[12:30] great opportunity for networking among
[12:32] transport partners, elected and
[12:35] appointed officials, and staff
[12:37] from communities throughout
[12:39] our region.
[12:41] Previously, when I
[12:43] worked as a
[12:44] community planner, I
[12:45] enjoyed attending these
[12:47] workshops and connecting with
[12:50] staff from different
[12:51] roles. It is a
[12:54] unique opportunity where we
[12:56] all come together and connect
[12:58] face to face. It is also an
[13:02] important logistical opportunity, as
[13:04] we discussed the transport planning process
[13:06] to determine the content of the
[13:08] regional transport plan,
[13:10] particularly the road transport network and
[13:12] active transport.
[13:15] If you look back at what you have done
[13:17] in these workshops over the
[13:19] years, you will remember that
[13:21] in
[13:22] many of them you were asked to give
[13:24] opinions on road projects,
[13:25] public transport and
[13:27] active transport. This year is no
[13:30] exception. The content of
[13:33] the workshops varies slightly each year
[13:34] , because we design it
[13:36] according to the stage we have
[13:38] reached in the
[13:39] regional transport planning process. You
[13:43] may recall that
[13:45] at
[13:46] our workshop
[13:48] last year we asked you to provide
[13:50] feedback on
[13:53] our preferred draft scenario, which represents
[13:54] the list of projects that
[13:56] passed the technical evaluation stage and
[13:58] moved on to the draft plan
[13:59] .
[14:02] This year's workshop will focus
[14:04] more on the element of the
[14:05] stages of the
[14:07] regional transport planning process. Therefore,
[14:09] we will ask you to provide
[14:11] feedback on how
[14:13] we performed, what we did well
[14:14] , and what we did wrong
[14:16] , with
[14:18] regard to determining when
[14:20] these
[14:21] projects were needed and when
[14:23] funding was expected to be available.
[14:25] This will be the core of
[14:27] the content we will be presenting to
[14:29] you in the autumn workshops.
[14:31] Here on the screen, we have a
[14:33] great map prepared by
[14:35] our analytics department,
[14:37] showing the
[14:38] eight workshops that will be held
[14:40] throughout our region
[14:42] . Each workshop covers a
[14:44] different geographical area.
[14:46] You will find this information
[14:48] highlighted in colored lines, and you
[14:49] will also find it in the
[14:50] small notices
[14:52] where the workshops will be held.
[14:54] Of course, we sent you
[14:55] this information in the
[14:57] calendar invitations, and the
[15:00] first workshop will be held in Box
[15:01] Elder County. Thank you for
[15:03] browsing north. I will read
[15:05] these dates to you so that
[15:06] you can write them down
[15:08] in your minds, perhaps
[15:09] when you hear about the
[15:10] workshops in your area. The
[15:14] Box Elder County workshop will be held on
[15:15] October 21, followed by the
[15:17] North Salt Lake County workshop
[15:19] on October 22, then the
[15:20] South Weber County workshop on
[15:22] October 26, the Southeast
[15:23] Salt Lake County workshop on
[15:25] November 2, the Southwest
[15:26] Salt Lake County workshop on
[15:30] November 5, the North
[15:31] Weber County workshop on
[15:33] November 9, the North Davis County workshop on
[15:36] November 16, and finally the South
[15:38] Davis County workshop on
[15:40] November 18. Therefore, we hope that you will attend
[15:41] these workshops in
[15:43] your area and provide us with
[15:44] your feedback on how they are
[15:46] conducted. The workshops will be held
[15:47] from 4:00
[15:48] to 6:00 pm on those
[15:49] evenings. Well, the
[15:50] calendar invitations have arrived from our
[15:52] dear colleague
[15:53] Jordan. If
[15:54] you do not have these dates and
[15:56] wish to attend,
[15:57] please inform us immediately.
[15:59] If you know of any
[16:00] employees from your offices or
[16:02] staff whom you would like us to contact to
[16:03] confirm that they have received
[16:05] these
[16:06] invitations, please let us know as
[16:07] well. We are happy to answer
[16:09] any questions
[16:10] you may have, and we look forward to
[16:12] seeing you this fall.
[16:14] Thanks, Sam. I would also like to
[16:15] add that we
[16:17] truly appreciate the partnership between the University of
[16:18] Delaware and the Utah Transportation Authority
[16:20] in these workshops.
[16:22] I know that the transit authority
[16:23] will be talking at the workshops about
[16:24] developing its
[16:25] strategic plan, and the University of
[16:27] Delaware is always
[16:28] involved in that. It's a
[16:29] real partnership opportunity.
[16:31] Yes, it's a great opportunity,
[16:33] as the transport authority is
[16:34] also developing its
[16:35] long-term
[16:36] public transport plan. Therefore, we are
[16:37] excited to have them as a
[16:38] partner to share some
[16:39] information about
[16:41] public transport as well. So, stay tuned
[16:42] . Do you have
[16:44] any other questions? Please come in
[16:46] .
[16:46] I just noticed that the
[16:48] South Davis meeting is on a
[16:49] temporary day. Good. It's a rather
[16:52] busy day,
[16:54] November 18th. I'm just wondering
[16:56] if these dates are
[16:58] confirmed or if they can be moved
[16:59] to Tuesday or
[17:02] any other day.
[17:03] Great question. Well,
[17:05] perhaps we can follow up on
[17:06] this matter with our
[17:07] management team. I'm not
[17:08] sure
[17:09] these dates can be changed.
[17:11] We will look into the
[17:12] matter and get back to you
[17:13] .
[17:14] excellent. Thank you for this
[17:15] observation.
[17:16] Okay, since there are no
[17:18] other questions, I'll sit down
[17:19] . Thank you for your time.
[17:21] Thank you, Samantha, and
[17:22] to Mayor Bracha. Thank
[17:23] you both. I know we have had
[17:26] scheduling conflicts before, and it would be very
[17:27] helpful if
[17:28] someone in charge informed us because we
[17:29] all want to make sure we
[17:31] attend. I am
[17:32] very fortunate, like
[17:33] many others in this
[17:34] hall, because my life
[17:35] revolves around
[17:36] temporary days.
[17:37] Your lives are more than almost everyone else's
[17:38] .
[17:39] correct.
[17:42] Many people have joined us
[17:43] online.
[17:44] Andrew will introduce them. Okay
[17:46] , welcome.
[17:47] Mayor Benan,
[17:49] Councillor Strad, Laura
[17:50] Hansen of GOPB, Bryce
[17:52] Bird of DAQ, and Mayor
[17:53] Ramsey all asked me to
[17:54] apologize. She is dealing with an
[17:57] urgent matter and will join us shortly
[17:59] . Okay, that's
[18:01] good. Thank you all. Good.
[18:06] Today, the
[18:08] Regional Growth Commission is asked to issue an
[18:10] amendment to the current Regional Transport Plan
[18:13] for a 30-day general suspension period
[18:14] . So,
[18:16] Juri Juner will explain
[18:17] this clause to us and show us the
[18:20] procedures we
[18:21] will take.
[18:23] Thank you all. Jori Gunner,
[18:25] Director of Long-
[18:26] Term Planning here at WFRC. As
[18:28] the mayor mentioned, we will be introducing
[18:30] Amendment No. 5 and
[18:33] Air Quality Conformity Note No.
[18:35] 44. We will address the
[18:38] amendment process, provide an
[18:40] overview of the projects
[18:42] covered by the amendment, and
[18:44] then request a proposal at the
[18:45] end to release it for
[18:47] public comment. So, a
[18:50] reminder about the Regional Transport Plan
[18:52] (RTP). It is
[18:53] developed over a
[18:55] four-year cycle and is
[18:57] financially constrained. It has a
[18:59] financial plan, and it is consistent with
[19:01] the goals and budgets
[19:03] set for
[19:04] mobile sources of pollution on
[19:06] roads. This is an
[19:07] air quality component. It is
[19:08] linked to local land use plans
[19:11] and the "
[19:12] waste picking" vision. It is divided
[19:14] into stages, each of which
[19:16] takes about ten
[19:17] years. The timing of the
[19:20] project's need and
[19:21] when we expect the
[19:23] necessary funding to be available are determined.
[19:26] It is the starting point,
[19:27] as the mayor
[19:29] previously stated, for projects to
[19:30] move forward in prioritizing
[19:33] federal, state, and
[19:34] local funding. Therefore, if the
[19:35] project is not included in the
[19:37] regional transport plan and
[19:38] is a type of
[19:39] capacity-increasing project
[19:40] , it will be
[19:41] very difficult to obtain
[19:42] funding for it, but that's okay
[19:46] . Therefore,
[19:48] periodic adjustments are needed.
[19:49] It is not fixed. We do not
[19:51] commit to it for four
[19:53] years and then reconsider
[19:54] it. We have a mechanism that the
[19:57] council approved a few
[19:59] years ago to amend. Factors
[20:03] such as the availability of funding,
[20:04] changes in
[20:05] local
[20:07] or governmental needs, modifications to
[20:09] land uses, and
[20:10] environmental analysis may
[20:12] necessitate changes to the
[20:14] regional transport plan or
[20:16] updates to
[20:17] project development timelines
[20:19] . This mechanism maintains the
[20:21] accuracy of
[20:24] our standard regional transport planning process, and
[20:25] includes a review of
[20:27] financial constraints,
[20:28] public participation, and compliance with
[20:30] air quality standards.
[20:32] It is divided into three
[20:33] different levels, which
[20:34] you can see
[20:35] on the right. This is
[20:37] available on our website
[20:38] . If you go
[20:40] to the modifications section,
[20:41] you will find them on our website
[20:43] . Level
[20:49] 1 is an amendment by
[20:50] staff, which we can
[20:52] review internally with the
[20:53] chair and vice-chair of the
[20:54] Regional Growth Committee, and then
[20:55] Andrew takes over to approve
[20:57] Level
[20:58] 1 amendments. The
[20:59] second level consists of amendments
[21:01] by the council.
[21:02] These projects are reviewed by the
[21:03] Tax Committee of the
[21:05] Regional Growth Committee
[21:06] , and then approved at a
[21:09] committee meeting.
[21:10] Level 3 projects are
[21:11] complete modifications,
[21:12] requiring a
[21:13] new air quality conformity note, a
[21:15] 30-day public comment period,
[21:16] review by
[21:18] technical advisory committees and the
[21:19] regional growth committee
[21:20] , and then
[21:21] final approval from the council.
[21:22] These are projects of a
[21:23] wider scope, and
[21:24] I will explain that in the
[21:26] next slide. All projects are reviewed
[21:28] by a
[21:30] joint interagency advisory team
[21:31] , a
[21:33] state-level team,
[21:34] to ensure they are identified at the
[21:36] correct level. The financial
[21:37] restrictions are then reviewed
[21:38] by the
[21:40] Federal Highway Authority. In the
[21:41] next slide,
[21:43] I will explain the types of projects
[21:44] that fall under these
[21:46] categories. As you can see here
[21:47] on the right side, the
[21:49] golden line indicates the
[21:50] stage we have reached
[21:51] in Level
[21:52] 3. Here's a
[21:53] quick overview: This is a
[21:55] Level 3 revision, and
[21:56] we've come a long way, and
[21:58] we need to put it out for
[21:59] public comment. This is what
[22:00] we are asking for today. Therefore,
[22:03] each one is different. Hmm,
[22:05] Andrew narrows his eyes. We
[22:07] may need to find a
[22:08] better way to display these.
[22:10] Hmm,
[22:10] yes,
[22:11] staff adjustments.
[22:13] Well, the first level
[22:14] , personnel adjustments,
[22:16] are smaller projects,
[22:17] changes in ownership,
[22:19] operational changes to
[22:21] routes, changes in
[22:22] project phases based
[22:24] on needs, all
[22:25] active transport projects.
[22:27] These are cycling
[22:29] and walking projects. Any changes
[22:30] to Wassett's vision
[22:32] are considered a
[22:33] Level 1 project.
[22:34] Level two,
[22:35] Council amendment. This
[22:37] includes both secondary
[22:39] and main roads.
[22:40] Non-permanent transport projects,
[22:42] such as bus projects
[22:44] and lane maintenance changes
[22:45] .
[22:47] Level 3 projects are
[22:48] main roads,
[22:49] highways and
[22:50] fixed transport. This
[22:52] includes rapid transit
[22:53] by bus,
[22:54] light rail,
[22:55] trams,
[22:56] express trains, and the
[22:57] like, which fall
[22:59] under Amendment No. 3.
[23:00] We have one project in
[23:02] this amendment.
[23:03] The project is located on the West
[23:04] Davis corridor and aims to
[23:06] address both need and
[23:07] funding, specifically
[23:08] in the stage of
[23:10] financial constraints. The project is the
[23:13] West Davis Corridor intersection
[23:15] at Highway 1525
[23:17] Westbound. There is currently an
[23:19] overpass at this
[23:20] location on the West
[23:22] Davis Trail. The
[23:25] Utah Department of Transportation (
[23:26] UDOT) wants to upgrade the
[23:28] overpass into an intersection.
[23:29] The project is currently classified
[23:31] as Phase III, and
[23:32] is a project of
[23:33] urgent need and not funded under the
[23:36] current Regional Transport Plan (RTP).
[23:37] The project will cost approximately
[23:39] $20 million and will be
[23:41] funded by the
[23:44] state's Transportation Investment Fund, which is linked
[23:46] to the
[23:48] I-15 Interstate Reconstruction Project.
[23:52] Yes, this is correct. I think I can
[23:57] see Glovers Lane,
[23:59] but it's
[24:00] in the southwest part
[24:01] of Farmington.
[24:03] When you reach
[24:04] Legacy Parkway, if
[24:06] you are heading north, you will
[24:07] reach approximately the first corner
[24:08] , and you will find an
[24:10] overpass there. It will pass
[24:11] underneath it, but there is no
[24:13] outlet. I think the
[24:15] next access point is 950
[24:19] south, then the next one is 200
[24:21] north towards Sisville.
[24:23] There are two intersections to the north,
[24:25] but they are very far apart.
[24:28] This will provide a
[24:30] new entrance to the
[24:31] western part of Farmington.
[24:34] amazing! Thanks.
[24:35] Jouri, may I ask you another question
[24:37] ? Is this the
[24:39] Shepherd Lane bridge that he's crossing
[24:41] over?
[24:41] no. Shepherd Lane,
[24:44] I-15 is
[24:46] currently under construction. It will connect to an
[24:51] existing intersection on
[24:53] West Davis Road. It will be a
[24:55] new corridor connecting
[24:57] West Davis and I-15 once the
[24:59] Shepherd Lane project opens
[25:01] . It
[25:02] may still be in the
[25:04] cleaning stage, but I remember you can
[25:06] get out of
[25:07] there. Mayor Rory, it
[25:09] might be helpful to explain the
[25:11] source of funding, especially
[25:12] after we initially showed a slide
[25:14] to some
[25:15] new members about the
[25:16] annual funding allocations
[25:18] and how this
[25:19] particular fund works. If
[25:20] you are new, you may be
[25:22] wondering: "Oh my God, that's a
[25:23] huge amount!" So, how is a
[25:25] project of this
[25:27] size financed? I'll be counting on you for
[25:30] that, because I have Tiffany
[25:32] PCO and Andre
[25:33] Olsen who are
[25:35] programming TIFF. But as
[25:37] I understand this project,
[25:39] there is the
[25:40] I-15 highway project, scheduled to begin
[25:42] construction
[25:44] next year, from Farmington
[25:46] to Salt Lake. This project is a
[25:49] key element in helping to
[25:51] alleviate
[25:52] traffic congestion on
[25:54] I-15 during
[25:56] construction work.
[25:57] This is called "traffic maintenance
[25:58] ," isn't it?
[26:00] During the construction work,
[26:02] some routes will be closed
[26:03] and traffic diverted
[26:04] ; this will help
[26:06] provide access for residents of the
[26:08] southwest part
[26:10] of Farmington. So,
[26:12] the funding in this case is
[26:14] tied to the
[26:17] I-15 highway project, as I understand it.
[26:19] I will look into... There are
[26:21] no revenues from the
[26:24] previously submitted budget items.
[26:26] correct. I'm Tiffany, would
[26:28] you like to add funding?
[26:29] Yes, specifically regarding the
[26:31] source of funding, it
[26:33] comes from the Transport Investment Fund
[26:34] . It is a
[26:36] government fund. As you know,
[26:40] there are multiple sources of funding
[26:42] , but it is funded by the
[26:45] state. The
[26:46] Transportation Commission funded the
[26:48] I-15 highway project from
[26:50] Farmington to Salt
[26:51] Lake City. With this
[26:53] funding, they were able to
[26:54] complete the old road. The
[26:56] old road has an
[26:57] additional lane in each
[26:59] direction, in addition to
[27:00] this intersection. Therefore, part
[27:02] of this project is to
[27:03] build these two
[27:05] other intersections to alleviate
[27:06] congestion.
[27:08] For the group
[27:09] that will vote on the
[27:10] amendment or not, we must
[27:12] understand that this is a change
[27:13] in procedures, but it is
[27:15] not necessarily a
[27:16] funding decision for us
[27:18] at this stage.
[27:19] correct. This is part of
[27:22] another project with a different capacity.
[27:24] excellent. Thank you.
[27:26] I have a question. I read here,
[27:30] under the section on benefits, the
[27:31] last sentence says
[27:33] that it was initially designed
[27:34] to be built along with
[27:35] West Davis Quarter Road. Does
[27:37] this mean that it was
[27:38] present in the
[27:39] original plans and then removed for some reason
[27:41] ? This makes perfect sense
[27:42] to me as someone who lives
[27:44] there. I think this makes perfect sense
[27:46] . Why wasn't it built
[27:47] even though the highway is
[27:49] relatively new? Why wasn't it
[27:50] originally built with it?
[27:52] I wonder about that sentence.
[27:54] Excellent question. I'm not
[27:55] entirely sure. I don't
[27:57] know if the
[27:58] Urban Development Department or
[27:59] our partners know why it was
[28:00] n't included. I think
[28:01] they were
[28:02] probably trying to cut
[28:03] costs or get it done within the
[28:05] current budget, so they had to
[28:07] cut some things. That's what I
[28:08] think.
[28:09] Yes, from an
[28:10] environmental standpoint, we obtained
[28:12] approval for this
[28:13] intersection through the
[28:14] environmental document.
[28:15] Well, at that time,
[28:17] when we created the
[28:19] first phase of the West
[28:20] Havis corridor, it wasn't
[28:22] urgently needed from a
[28:23] traffic perspective.
[28:25] But now, given that we will be doing
[28:27] work
[28:29] on I-15,
[28:31] which will require a
[28:32] great deal of effort, this will serve as a
[28:34] safety valve for that
[28:36] area sooner rather than later. Mr.
[28:39] Mayor, this
[28:41] project was included in the
[28:43] regional transport plan for a
[28:46] later stage. As
[28:51] Tiffany pointed out, and as
[28:53] the mayor explained, the
[28:55] combination of effects in
[28:57] your area means that the implementation of the
[28:59] I-15 project has accelerated
[29:01] the need to make this
[29:03] improvement before I-15. I think it's
[29:08] mainly a matter of timing, and
[29:10] this is probably
[29:11] one of the fastest intersections to be
[29:12] built because the
[29:13] overpass is already there
[29:15] , so it
[29:16] just needs ramps,
[29:17] isn't that right, Mr.
[29:18] Mayor?
[29:19] This is very close to
[29:20] Farmington
[29:21] High School. Well, I'm
[29:23] wondering from the perspective of
[29:25] the city, and perhaps the
[29:26] school district,
[29:27] whether the
[29:28] impact of this
[29:30] on
[29:31] student traffic, walkability,
[29:33] active transportation options, and
[29:35] student safety as they arrive
[29:36] at Farmington
[29:38] High School has been considered. I understand that this is
[29:40] included in the plan,
[29:41] but have we thought
[29:42] about all of this thoroughly, has the
[29:44] pace of implementation been accelerated,
[29:45] and will these
[29:46] factors be taken into account?
[29:48] I assume that all of that has been
[29:49] reviewed during the
[29:51] environmental analysis, but if
[29:52] necessary, do you have any
[29:54] additions or comments? I do
[29:56] n't know the details of this
[29:57] question, but we can
[29:59] certainly ask it and get back to
[30:00] you. It is not
[30:03] my area in
[30:05] Davis County, but
[30:08] Glover Lane presents an
[30:09] interesting challenge, in
[30:11] my opinion, for students
[30:12] who live on the
[30:13] east side of
[30:14] Farmington to get to
[30:16] Farmington
[30:17] High School via the
[30:18] freeway. There is
[30:22] significant growth on the west side
[30:23] of Farmington. Therefore, the
[30:25] movement of these
[30:27] students to and from
[30:28] high school, and the
[30:29] huge amount of
[30:31] activities
[30:32] organized by a
[30:33] large high school, is something I would like us to pay
[30:36] close attention to.
[30:37] We are currently working with the
[30:39] City of Farmington on the
[30:41] 2027 Plan.
[30:43] The City has acknowledged the need to improve
[30:45] both Route 1525 and
[30:47] Glovers, so we will be adding
[30:49] these projects to the
[30:51] upcoming 2027 Plan. Therefore,
[30:53] the city expects to make
[30:55] additional efforts, and I am
[30:56] sure it will coordinate
[30:58] with schools to ensure that
[31:00] both
[31:02] active transportation and roads are completed
[31:04] there as well. These are
[31:05] great comments about
[31:06] Farmington
[31:07] High School. Part of my
[31:08] thinking about the feasibility of this
[31:10] project relates to
[31:10] Farmington
[31:11] High School. All residents of
[31:13] West Keysville do not have a
[31:14] convenient route
[31:15] to get to their
[31:16] high school in the morning, as it
[31:17] takes them a
[31:18] long time, so
[31:19] this project may help
[31:20] solve this problem. But
[31:21] Kate is absolutely right;
[31:24] active transport and
[31:25] pedestrian traffic
[31:26] associated with the
[31:27] high school there must certainly be taken into account. Well,
[31:29] in that context, I don't
[31:30] know if you always take
[31:32] these things into
[31:33] account, and I don't
[31:35] want to be accused,
[31:36] but the whole intersection in
[31:38] Farmington, near
[31:40] Station Park, was built without any
[31:41] consideration for the passage of
[31:43] cyclists or pedestrians.
[31:45] Now they are forced to
[31:47] rebuild it. So please
[31:48] look at this
[31:49] active part, especially with the
[31:50] high school
[31:52] nearby, it will provide
[31:53] better access, I
[31:54] think, for their
[31:55] daily commute to school in
[31:56] the morning. I do
[31:57] n't know if
[31:57] [the relevant authority
[31:59] ] can answer this
[31:59] question, but when
[32:00] you move a project from the
[32:01] third stage to the
[32:02] first, you run into
[32:03] reality, don't you?
[32:04] Stage three means:
[32:05] "Yes, we might need
[32:06] this, what if?" I believe the
[32:08] questions raised are
[32:10] very important, and they push us
[32:12] to explore
[32:13] revenue sources related to
[32:15] active transport, because the
[32:16] goal is clear: any
[32:18] investment in a
[32:20] major highway or even a
[32:22] regular road, we are now focusing more
[32:23] on active transport.
[32:25] I remember joining the
[32:27] Wasatch Front Council as a member around
[32:28] 2005
[32:29] . The
[32:31] Active Transport Committee was in
[32:32] its early stages, and the process was
[32:34] also in its early stages. Is this the
[32:35] right moment for
[32:37] the team to provide
[32:38] valuable feedback?
[32:39] Can we now consider
[32:41] active transfer, and
[32:42] reach out to the University of
[32:44] Delaware to make sure we are
[32:45] moving in that
[32:46] direction, and link
[32:48] the two programs? Perhaps
[32:49] our next decision will be to
[32:51] activate the Active Transportation Project
[32:52] to address
[32:54] high school problems and
[32:56] other community needs. Well, this is a
[32:59] great conversation, and to
[33:01] clarify, what is being presented
[33:02] to you today is a request for
[33:04] your approval to put this
[33:06] topic up for
[33:07] public comment. Good. The aim
[33:10] is to continue
[33:12] the dialogue about
[33:13] the needs
[33:14] you have identified and that
[33:15] Tiffany has explained, and this is the kind of
[33:17] feedback that is
[33:19] needed. So, I look forward
[33:22] to Tiffany, Andrea, and
[33:24] Jory, and as you mentioned
[33:26] earlier, Tiffany,
[33:27] gathering more
[33:29] information about
[33:31] pedestrian and bicycle traffic, and then
[33:33] sharing it with you, and hopefully
[33:35] answering some of these
[33:37] questions. We are certainly concerned about these
[33:40] effects as well. So,
[33:42] we can have more
[33:44] dialogue on this
[33:45] subject during the
[33:47] public comment period, and then at the
[33:48] end of the
[33:50] public comment period,
[33:52] when this project is returned for
[33:54] final approval, I would like to say,
[33:56] Mayor Wilson, you have indicated that,
[33:59] years ago, we have made
[34:01] remarkable progress since the
[34:03] Active Transport Commission was established. It's not
[34:04] perfect, and we're not finished
[34:06] yet, but we've made
[34:07] amazing progress in
[34:08] providing choices
[34:10] and thinking about all these
[34:11] things related to
[34:12] roads, public transport
[34:14] , pathways, pedestrians,
[34:15] and how they work together.
[34:17] There is now funding specifically allocated to
[34:18] track projects that did not
[34:20] exist before,
[34:21] and all of
[34:22] these things must be considered at the same time
[34:24] . So, my
[34:26] basic reaction to all of this was
[34:27] yes, let's look into it
[34:29] . I know that the University of
[34:30] Delaware has researched this
[34:32] with local communities
[34:33] , and we can provide
[34:34] more information. Please come in
[34:37] . I
[34:41] was a member of the
[34:44] City of Cessville Urban Planning Commission in
[34:45] my first public service position
[34:47] , which began in
[34:48] January 2014. Within about a year
[34:50] , both
[34:52] Cessville and Farmington
[34:53] applied for and received a
[34:55] Wasatch Front
[34:56] Regional Council Active Transit Grant
[34:58] .
[35:03] Both cities had a
[35:04] number of employees,
[35:06] in addition to
[35:08] council members and a planning committee.
[35:12] In any case, it was a
[35:13] very strong group, and there was a
[35:15] planner who attended the
[35:17] meeting representing
[35:18] the city. Tomlar was in
[35:20] charge at the time. In
[35:22] any case, they
[35:25] promoted the project and
[35:27] received a lot of
[35:28] public feedback about it.
[35:30] Hundreds of people participated in
[35:32] Cesville and Farmington,
[35:34] thanks to the tremendous efforts
[35:35] made to gather
[35:37] public feedback,
[35:39] opinions, and ideas. It
[35:41] took some
[35:42] time, but he succeeded in
[35:44] engaging the community
[35:45] effectively, and that didn't happen
[35:46] in six months. This was over a
[35:49] longer period of time. I believe that
[35:51] these two cities had
[35:52] formed that
[35:53] committee. In any case,
[35:54] I would just say that it is
[35:56] likely that
[35:57] all cities and many
[35:59] communities will have a
[36:02] similarly strong response to engagement.
[36:04] But there is indeed a
[36:06] history of Keysville and
[36:07] Farmington
[36:08] collaborating and working hard to
[36:10] respond to and
[36:11] gain the support of the community. It was
[36:14] really enjoyable for those gathered. So,
[36:15] once that seed is planted,
[36:17] I bet it will come
[36:18] right back to us, you
[36:20] know, if we
[36:21] really find a way to inform the
[36:23] public. I am quite confident
[36:26] that the active transport element is
[36:27] included in the
[36:29] West Davis corridor. The
[36:31] entire project participated in the
[36:32] study, a
[36:34] multi-year environmental study, and
[36:35] numerous conversations
[36:37] with Farmington, Cesville,
[36:39] and all the communities in the
[36:40] western part of
[36:42] Davis County here. So
[36:43] , as I said, we can
[36:45] check and make sure
[36:47] , but there is a path. I know
[36:49] there are
[36:50] equestrian trails along West
[36:51] Davis; There are crossings;
[36:53] There are walking trails along the
[36:54] road. I drove there
[36:56] yesterday.
[36:58] Fine,
[36:59] thank you.
[37:01] As part of our
[37:03] regional
[37:04] population census project, we conducted
[37:06] technical studies.
[37:07] We've talked about a lot of them
[37:09] here. As for those we did not
[37:10] mention, there was little
[37:12] change,
[37:14] as they were merely upgrades
[37:15] to intersections.
[37:17] Looking at the
[37:18] regional scope of the West
[37:19] Fremantle Regional Hub from
[37:20] Brigham Town to
[37:21] Bluffdale, there has been little
[37:23] change in
[37:24] terms of
[37:25] access to opportunities or in terms
[37:26] of VHT. It should
[37:27] also be noted that we
[37:29] adhere to all
[37:30] air quality standards
[37:31] mentioned in
[37:33] Air Quality Conformity Note No.
[37:34] 44. Both
[37:39] Regional Growth Technical Advisory Committees reviewed
[37:40] the amendment on July 29 and
[37:42] recommended that the Regional Growth Committee submit
[37:44] a proposal to issue
[37:45] Amendment 5 and
[37:48] Air Quality Conformity Note No. 44 for
[37:49] public comment for 30
[37:51] days.
[37:52] The proposal was submitted. Fine
[37:54] ,
[37:54] thank you. Therefore, you must
[37:56] state the proposal in full.
[37:58] Do we need someone to
[37:59] introduce it? Yes, we say
[38:01] that. Thanks.
[38:02] I propose that we release
[38:03] the projects contained in
[38:05] Amendment No. 5 to the
[38:07] Regional Transport Plan 2023-2050
[38:08] , and the air quality conformity analysis
[38:11] as contained
[38:13] in Draft
[38:15] Air Quality Conformity Note No. 44,
[38:16] for a public comment period
[38:17] of 30 days.
[38:19] Thank you, Mayor
[38:20] Grüberg. Good. Thank
[38:24] you, Commissioner. Okay.
[38:26] Does everyone agree? I
[38:28] agree, thank you. Anyone who
[38:30] agrees, well, good. Okay
[38:32] . Thank you very much. The
[38:34] next steps, as
[38:36] Andrew indicated, are to send this
[38:38] , in accordance with our procedures,
[38:40] to the members of the Davis County Council
[38:42] , so that the
[38:43] council, and everyone in
[38:45] Davis County, is aware of the
[38:46] project. We will review
[38:48] the comments after the
[38:50] comment period ends, which
[38:51] will start tomorrow and end, I
[38:53] believe, on
[38:54] September 21st, and then we will
[38:55] all be back, not in the
[38:57] third week of
[38:58] October, but in the
[39:00] second week. Therefore, please
[39:01] note that we will address
[39:03] this topic at the
[39:04] end. The
[39:05] meeting of the
[39:06] Regional Transport Board was brought forward
[39:07] by a week due to the
[39:08] autumn holiday in October. So
[39:09] , on October 8th
[39:11] , we will come back to you requesting a
[39:12] proposal for the
[39:13] Regional Council to approve at the
[39:14] end of the month. These are our
[39:16] current procedures.
[39:17] Thank you all. Good.
[39:19] Thank you very much. correct. The
[39:21] following item is open
[39:23] for discussion. We will talk about the
[39:25] question of whether we
[39:26] should start over. The
[39:28] secret transport weapon.
[39:30] The state of Utah has been
[39:31] very successful in building its
[39:32] transportation network.
[39:33] Despite the quality of what we do, we
[39:34] always need more
[39:35] help. It seems that the
[39:36] money is
[39:37] never enough. To what extent can
[39:38] balancing
[39:39] jobs and housing
[39:40] improve our transportation outcomes
[39:41] ? While
[39:42] Andrew is giving his presentation, I would like to invite
[39:44] Cameron Dale. Will you join
[39:45] us, Cam, because
[39:47] you have a lot to contribute to
[39:49] this discussion? Thank you,
[39:51] Andrew.
[39:51] Okay, excellent. Thank
[39:53] you, Mayor Tran. Well
[39:55] , at the Utah Transportation Research Center
[39:57] (WFRC),
[39:59] we spend a lot of time
[40:00] talking about mobility
[40:02] and how to improve the
[40:03] transportation system, right? This is the
[40:05] essence of our work. And a little secret,
[40:09] we're great at
[40:11] transportation in Utah, aren't we
[40:13] ? We are nationally known for
[40:16] our expertise in developing
[40:18] and delivering transportation services.
[40:20] But here lies the problem
[40:21] . Excellence in
[40:24] transportation is not enough to achieve
[40:25] excellent mobility. It is not
[40:27] enough. So, what I would like to
[40:30] invite you to do today is to
[40:32] think a
[40:34] little differently about transportation, and about the
[40:36] transportation weapon which is perhaps
[40:38] no secret, namely, the
[40:40] balance between jobs
[40:41] and housing. What we want to do
[40:47] today is illustrate this
[40:49] basic premise: that
[40:50] balancing
[40:52] jobs and housing
[40:53] improves our transportation system
[40:55] as much as
[40:57] building more
[40:59] infrastructure. Before we delve
[41:02] into that, what I would like to show
[41:04] you is the reality of
[41:09] our transportation system. We
[41:10] all feel this
[41:12] pain and stress resulting
[41:14] from traffic congestion.
[41:16] What you see here on
[41:17] the screen is from the
[41:20] Utah State Department of
[41:21] Transportation's Mobility Information Dashboard.
[41:23] These are the estimated delay times on
[41:24] Utah highways
[41:26] . Okay, so what does
[41:29] the delay mean? Imagine you are
[41:32] traveling at a smooth speed
[41:34] without traffic congestion, then
[41:36] if congestion occurs, you will
[41:38] slow down. This is the
[41:39] delay. To put
[41:42] the numbers into perspective, after the pandemic
[41:45] , delays on
[41:47] Utah's highways increased
[41:49] by 135%. These are the
[41:53] numbers. But that's how we
[41:55] all feel. We
[41:58] all feel this: stress, and
[42:00] wasting time due to
[42:03] traffic jams. Not only
[42:04] that, but also the
[42:06] uncertainty that
[42:07] we experience when we think: "I have to
[42:09] travel a
[42:10] long distance, and
[42:12] the trip is supposed to take 45 minutes
[42:13] , but I have to plan for a
[42:15] whole hour because of the
[42:16] uncertainty." This is something we
[42:18] all go through. Okay, so what do
[42:20] we do about this?
[42:22] How do we deal with
[42:24] these transportation problems? Three
[42:26] basic strategies.
[42:28] Well, first of all, Utah is
[42:30] building, and I've touched on
[42:32] that before, but Utah is
[42:34] great at developing
[42:36] transportation, from roads and
[42:37] public transport to
[42:38] routes and providing
[42:40] multiple options. We have a
[42:44] nationally recognized unified transport plan, as shown
[42:46] on the map here on the
[42:47] screen. We have a
[42:49] very outstanding performance record from the
[42:51] Utah Department of Transportation, and are award-winning
[42:52] from the
[42:54] Utah Transportation Authority (UTA).
[42:55] We have the highest
[42:57] per capita investment in the transportation sector
[42:58] nationwide when
[43:00] looking at all sources of
[43:01] funding. Over the
[43:04] next ten years, say before the
[43:06] Olympic Games, we will be
[43:07] developing and attracting hundreds of
[43:09] projects in the areas of
[43:10] roads,
[43:11] public transport and tracks.
[43:13] So, the idea is that
[43:14] we have abundant resources for
[43:16] transport capacity and options, and
[43:18] we use them very efficiently
[43:19] . But, and I don't think
[43:22] this is a difficult opinion or a
[43:23] fact, but it's not
[43:25] controversial, I
[43:26] think we can't
[43:28] solve the
[43:30] traffic congestion problem just by building roads
[43:32] . That won't work.
[43:33] Okay, so what should we do? The
[43:36] second strategy
[43:38] is for Utah to innovate. We are once again
[43:42] recognized
[43:43] nationwide for
[43:44] our leadership in using
[43:46] technology
[43:47] and innovation to improve the
[43:48] existing transportation system.
[43:51] For example,
[43:52] improved traffic signal timing
[43:54] ,
[43:55] connected and self-
[43:57] driving vehicles, and
[43:58] amazing developments in
[44:00] advanced air transport.
[44:02] The idea of ​​innovation lies in
[44:03] making the most of the
[44:05] transportation system
[44:06] we have created, which we continue to
[44:08] develop. But infrastructure development
[44:14] and the use of innovation
[44:16] in it focus on
[44:17] increasing supply, i.e.,
[44:19] maximizing its use,
[44:21] but they do not address
[44:22] demand, which is the
[44:24] other driver. So how do we deal with
[44:28] this? This leads us to the
[44:30] third strategy
[44:31] : achieving a balance between
[44:33] jobs and housing in the
[44:34] state of Utah. We all
[44:36] understand this, don't we?
[44:38] But when
[44:39] homes and workplaces are far
[44:41] apart,
[44:42] journeys become longer and
[44:44] roads become more congested.
[44:46] Therefore, if we achieve a
[44:47] greater balance in
[44:51] residential and work locations,
[44:53] this will result in shorter commutes and
[44:55] less pressure on the
[44:57] transportation system. You may notice a
[45:01] question mark
[45:03] about this strategy
[45:04] , because we see in it an
[45:06] opportunity to improve transportation.
[45:10] The relationship between
[45:11] land use
[45:12] and transportation is not new to the
[45:16] Wasatch Transportation Board of Directors (WFRC); it is at the heart of the
[45:18] "Wasatch Choice" vision.
[45:20] But what we are proposing to you
[45:21] today is that this well-
[45:24] thought-out transport strategy, which
[45:26] balances employment and
[45:27] housing opportunities, is a way
[45:30] to actually improve mobility
[45:32] over
[45:33] time. It's not about
[45:35] transportation itself, but about
[45:36] thinking about job opportunities,
[45:38] housing, and the balance
[45:39] between them. Why are we focusing
[45:40] only on job opportunities?
[45:42] Of course, we travel
[45:43] for many reasons, but
[45:44] work and daily commuting
[45:46] represent peak
[45:47] demand, and it is when the
[45:48] worst
[45:49] traffic congestion occurs. Therefore,
[45:51] we focus on this aspect.
[45:54] Before I move on to the
[45:55] next point, I want to make it
[45:57] absolutely clear that we are
[45:59] not talking about restricting
[46:01] anyone’s choices
[46:02] regarding their travel destination or
[46:04] place of work. Good?
[46:07] People should have the freedom to
[46:09] choose their destination, when
[46:11] they travel, and where they work.
[46:13] What we are talking about is
[46:15] trying to give people
[46:16] more opportunities to live and
[46:18] work in places closer together, and
[46:19] to reduce the distances they
[46:21] travel. Good.
[46:23] Again, Jordan, to tie
[46:24] all of this together, there are
[46:26] three
[46:27] basic strategies for a high-
[46:28] performance transportation system: building, that is,
[46:30] adding more capacity
[46:31] and options to the system.
[46:33] We are good at that.
[46:35] Innovation, i.e., improving the
[46:36] system. We are good at
[46:38] that too, and we are working on
[46:39] it. And balance. There is an
[46:41] opportunity for improvement in this
[46:42] area. And now, I'll turn
[46:44] to Bill Harr from
[46:46] our analytics team.
[46:47] Bill will share with you some
[46:51] new data and analysis, presented
[46:53] here for the first time, that
[46:54] can help us
[46:56] make our
[46:57] future decisions. After
[46:59] Bill finishes, I will return
[47:01] to discuss how to improve
[47:04] the balance between housing
[47:05] and work. Bill: Thank
[47:12] you, Andrew. It is a
[47:19] pleasure to be here. I
[47:20] usually spend my day in
[47:21] front of a computer, so it's
[47:23] nice to see people
[47:24] face to face. In a few moments,
[47:26] we will begin a journey together
[47:27] through this
[47:28] electronic application.
[47:31] This application helps us understand the
[47:32] regional impact of the
[47:33] housing-
[47:35] employment balance in
[47:36] our communities.
[47:39] The app relies on data from the
[47:40] statistics office showing
[47:42] where people live
[47:43] and where they work.
[47:47] Our focus in this tool is
[47:48] on business trips.
[47:50] And why business trips?
[47:51] Andrew has spoken about this
[47:53] before. Business travel
[47:54] is the main cause of
[47:55] traffic congestion during
[47:57] peak hours. We have
[47:58] designed our transportation system
[47:59] to handle these
[48:01] busy times.
[48:02] If we can reduce the
[48:04] pressure on our roads
[48:05] during this time, we will make a
[48:07] big difference. But
[48:10] before we start using
[48:11] the app, let's think a
[48:13] little about what the balance
[48:14] between housing and jobs looks like in our
[48:16] region and communities.
[48:18] Every morning, thousands of
[48:20] people leave your city for work
[48:22] , and thousands
[48:24] more come to it. So, let me ask
[48:27] you this question:
[48:28] Looking at the
[48:30] Wasatch Front area, what
[48:31] percentage of people
[48:33] live and work in the same
[48:35] city? And what about
[48:39] your city? What is your opinion? On
[48:42] average, city by city
[48:44] , what do you think? 40%
[48:47] live and work in the same
[48:49] city. Do you have any
[48:51] other guesses? I'll guess,
[48:57] because we have some
[48:59] big cities, 70%.
[49:02] Good. I
[49:04] was guessing a lower percentage. This is
[49:06] very optimistic.
[49:07] I think we're approaching the
[49:08] upper limit here. Yes. I
[49:10] would just say it might
[49:12] be 20%.
[49:13] So, I think
[49:14] Salt Lake City is approaching
[49:15] that, and approaching the
[49:17] upper limit in your city
[49:18] . Yes. I
[49:20] will return it.
[49:21] Speaking on the
[49:22] other side, I would say we're at
[49:24] Harman 10% or less. So
[49:25] I say, and perhaps I'm not speaking
[49:27] uniquely, I would say 10.
[49:28] That's what I would do
[49:30] too,
[49:30] but that applies to
[49:31] Morgan County. Since I do
[49:33] n't know the methodology you
[49:34] use, I will present some
[49:35] interesting data
[49:36] . Yes,
[49:38] Salt Lake City has a
[49:40] nighttime population of about 215,000
[49:42] , while
[49:43] its daytime population is double that
[49:44] number. The population of
[49:46] Murray at night is
[49:47] slightly less than 50,000
[49:48] , while its
[49:50] daytime population, including the
[49:51] workforce, is around
[49:52] 120,000. In
[49:57] Park City, less than 10% of the
[49:58] population is employed. These are
[50:00] just extreme, individual examples
[50:02] . As for
[50:03] Tula County, I
[50:05] recently saw that about
[50:06] 75% of its residents commute
[50:07] daily outside the county
[50:09] for work.
[50:09] Yes, 75% of the population is
[50:11] leaving Tula County and
[50:13] coming to the Salt Lake Valley
[50:15] . Again, since I do
[50:16] n't know the methodology
[50:17] you use,
[50:18] these are just a few examples
[50:20] of how the data appears
[50:21] by location. Good.
[50:23] The answer is that, according to
[50:24] our methodology,
[50:26] about 10% or less
[50:28] on average live and work across the
[50:29] region in the same
[50:31] city. This means that 90
[50:43] % of people are leaving
[50:44] their city to work
[50:46] elsewhere. This puts a
[50:48] lot of pressure on our transport network
[50:50] , our roads, our
[50:53] public transport, and all of that. Therefore,
[50:55] we will do something that should
[50:56] never be done in a meeting: a
[50:58] live demonstration.
[51:05] Good. The reason is that I have to
[51:08] stop
[51:09] sharing because I am
[51:11] only sharing the window, and I will start
[51:12] sharing the screen. Good
[51:24] . Here in the web application,
[51:26] in the middle, you will see that
[51:28] this is our area, and
[51:30] you can see the lines
[51:31] on the map that show
[51:33] where people move to and from
[51:35] . And now, as you can see,
[51:37] this is the area of ​​the Two Holy Mosques.
[51:39] I believe the mayor of the Two
[51:40] Holy Mosques is here.
[51:42] Okay, let me explain the
[51:44] transportation route between Herman and
[51:45] Salt Lake City. The
[51:48] longer the line, the more
[51:50] users it has. Therefore, the
[51:51] Salt Lake City-
[51:52] Herman-Salt Lake City route is a
[51:54] very attractive destination.
[51:55] Here at the top left we can see
[51:56] the number of people
[51:58] who leave Hermann
[52:00] daily to commute, which is
[52:02] about 29,000 people.
[52:04] This number also appears here
[52:05] on the side. We have 29,000
[52:08] people. But we also have
[52:11] about 5% of the population
[52:12] living and working
[52:14] in Herman, that is 1,600 people.
[52:20] That is, they reside within the
[52:21] city. We can also
[52:24] change this display
[52:25] to see where
[52:27] people come from to work at Herman's
[52:28] . We have 5,800 people who work
[52:32] in Herman or live
[52:34] and work in other cities
[52:36] , and that number is
[52:37] here. So,
[52:43] the bottom line is that 95% of
[52:45] Herman's residents leave
[52:47] the city using the
[52:49] transportation network to reach
[52:51] other destinations. But
[52:58] we can also explore
[52:59] other communities. So, is
[53:01] there anyone from outside
[53:03] Salt Lake County who would like
[53:04] to see his community? We can
[53:06] take Bounty Fall as an example.
[53:09] Bounty Fall. Good. In
[53:19] Bounty Fall, 19,000
[53:21] residents are leaving their community.
[53:25] Make sure they don't forget their
[53:27] wallets and bags.
[53:31] We are pleased to contribute from
[53:32] Davis County as a whole to
[53:34] supporting your region,
[53:36] whether we head north or
[53:37] south. Welcome,
[53:39] Mayor. In Bounty Fall,
[53:44] according to the
[53:46] regional average,
[53:48] 10% of the population lives and works within
[53:50] Bounty Fall, while
[53:51] 11,000 workers come to it.
[53:59] To illustrate how to improve the
[54:05] work-
[54:07] housing balance, how
[54:08] this can reduce
[54:10] commuting times, and to see the
[54:11] difference it can
[54:13] make, we used a
[54:16] regional travel demand model. We looked at what
[54:22] would happen, in a
[54:24] hypothetical scenario. What would happen
[54:27] if 10% of the
[54:28] city's residents who
[54:30] leave found a job, i.e., a
[54:32] new opportunity, within it, and
[54:34] stayed to commute?
[54:38] For Hiraman,
[54:39] this will amount to approximately 3,000
[54:41] residents who have found a new opportunity
[54:42] within the city and have not had to
[54:44] travel outside of it.
[54:45] If we applied this
[54:47] same logic to the
[54:48] entire region, that is, every city
[54:50] along the
[54:51] Wasatch Front, up to and including
[54:52] Salt Lake City, attracted an additional 10%
[54:54] of the population,
[54:55] what would happen to
[54:57] our transportation system? Here we have
[55:00] one in 10 people
[55:01] leaving who will stay, and this will
[55:03] result in a 23% reduction in
[55:05] traffic congestion
[55:07] . I would like to point out
[55:10] that even if we look
[55:12] at the bigger picture, the
[55:13] number will remain almost the same
[55:15] . For example, if it is
[55:16] limited to a
[55:17] group of cities, the
[55:19] reduction in
[55:20] congestion will still be significant. So,
[55:22] if you think we can’t
[55:23] apply this to
[55:25] every city, the situation remains the
[55:27] same.
[55:27] correct. correct. Good.
[55:32] 23%, that's a significant decrease.
[55:36] Imagine the scale of investment
[55:37] required in the transport sector
[55:39] to achieve a similar reduction
[55:41] in delays. We have studied
[55:46] many numbers.
[55:49] Excuse me, why such a
[55:50] big impact?
[55:53] Well, roads behave
[55:57] differently when they are
[55:58] congested. When you take
[56:00] the road early in the morning and
[56:01] find no one,
[56:02] you can add more
[56:04] cars without causing
[56:05] any significant problems.
[56:07] But when
[56:08] the road is nearing full capacity,
[56:10] any
[56:11] additional traffic, i.e.,
[56:12] new cars on the road,
[56:13] has a significant impact.
[56:15] It exceeds the
[56:16] allowed limit, and this is where the
[56:18] congestion
[56:18] and delays arise. The same applies
[56:20] in the
[56:21] opposite direction. When you reduce
[56:23] the number of
[56:24] cars by even a small amount, the
[56:25] impact is significant.
[56:27] Long journeys are particularly important
[56:29] , as they strain road capacity
[56:30] in our region during
[56:32] peak times. Therefore,
[56:33] providing more
[56:34] options near
[56:35] home relieves the pressure.
[56:37] As our model shows, this
[56:38] can
[56:40] significantly reduce the delay.
[56:41] Is this model available for
[56:42] us to use or
[56:43] test on the
[56:45] website, or is it for
[56:47] internal use only? The
[56:48] web application is available
[56:49] on the
[56:50] website and anyone can
[56:51] use it. I think it was
[56:52] in our newsletter
[56:53] a few
[56:53] months ago.
[56:54] Oh, really? Well, I
[56:55] missed that.
[56:56] Yes, we can send it. It was
[56:58] so and we will send it
[57:00] again, and you can
[57:01] click on your community,
[57:03] county or
[57:05] legislative district and view
[57:06] the numbers in both
[57:07] directions. You can
[57:09] see not only the total
[57:10] flows, but also the
[57:12] other communities
[57:13] that people travel to
[57:14] . It is a rich source of
[57:16] data. Cameron is
[57:17] already excited about it.
[57:19] Okay, we'll send it
[57:20] again and everyone can
[57:21] check out
[57:22] their own community or any
[57:24] other community to explore the area.
[57:25] Thank you all. Okay, we've
[57:29] looked at a lot of
[57:33] great data, information, and charts, but we want to
[57:35] change the subject a bit.
[57:37] What we were talking about affects
[57:39] people, it affects
[57:41] everyone in our area.
[57:42] This affects our lives
[57:44] and how we live them. So
[57:47] , I'm going to share with you the story of
[57:48] Cameron, who lives in
[57:50] Harman. Cameron is
[57:54] an accountant at a
[57:55] medical logistics company here in the
[57:58] nearby Gateway area. Her
[58:00] daily commute to
[58:01] Herman during
[58:03] peak hours takes 39 minutes in the morning
[58:04] and 51 minutes in the afternoon to
[58:06] return. That's 90 minutes
[58:08] a day on our roads.
[58:10] Cameron had hoped to
[58:12] get a job at a
[58:13] company that had recently moved
[58:14] to Herman's city center to
[58:17] shorten her commute time, and she
[58:19] got that
[58:20] job. What a
[58:22] fantastic thing for Cameron! Now,
[58:23] her journey time is
[58:26] only 15 minutes a day. That means she
[58:29] can now
[58:31] spend 75 minutes with her family. She
[58:32] could also spend
[58:34] more time on
[58:35] her hobby of
[58:36] pottery making. She makes the cups
[58:37] and hopes to sell them at the
[58:39] Herman craft market at the weekend
[58:41] . It also
[58:43] travels
[58:45] 45 miles less per day on our
[58:46] road network. This saves
[58:49] her money on her
[58:50] car's upkeep and fuel.
[58:54] But it's not
[58:56] just the woman who benefits; she also benefits
[58:57] because her shorter commute
[58:59] reduces pressure on the roads.
[59:01] All her neighbors, who
[59:03] still have to travel
[59:05] that long distance
[59:06] to get to their jobs
[59:08] outside the city,
[59:09] benefit because she works
[59:10] close to them. This reduces
[59:12] pressure on the roads.
[59:15] Now imagine, whether
[59:17] all of us or some of us,
[59:19] this happening across the
[59:20] region. Having more
[59:22] people work
[59:23] closer to their homes
[59:24] could make a
[59:25] big difference to the efficiency of
[59:27] our transportation system. This will help us make
[59:30] better use of the routes
[59:31] and other transport options
[59:33] available to us, as well as the
[59:34] improvements we are
[59:36] planning. Well done,
[59:43] Bill, thank you very much.
[59:45] I am very impressed with
[59:46] the data and analytics we
[59:48] can produce to
[59:50] help us make
[59:51] better decisions. So,
[59:53] here's the
[59:54] basic premise again, right
[59:56] ?
[59:57] Balancing jobs and
[59:58] housing benefits
[59:59] our transportation system as much as
[1:00:00] building more
[1:00:01] infrastructure. This
[1:00:02] is the main point.
[1:00:04] Okay, so what do we do
[1:00:06] ? How can we improve that?
[1:00:08] Let me preface this
[1:00:09] discussion a little
[1:00:11] by pointing out who
[1:00:12] changes the slides? Bill
[1:00:14] is changing the chips. Okay
[1:00:15] , now I'm referring to
[1:00:16] Jordan. Nothing happens.
[1:00:18] Good. First, let me
[1:00:21] point out that we were
[1:00:22] talking about the geography of
[1:00:24] the city, right? But
[1:00:26] this is only to illustrate this
[1:00:29] dynamic. But
[1:00:30] addressing these issues
[1:00:32] requires achieving a
[1:00:34] better balance, which will require the participation of all of us.
[1:00:36] This is not
[1:00:38] just a case for one city. It is
[1:00:39] essentially a regional issue
[1:00:41] concerning the interaction of
[1:00:43] transportation systems. Therefore,
[1:00:44] local governments,
[1:00:45] transport authorities and
[1:00:46] government agencies,
[1:00:48] landowners and
[1:00:49] developers, and
[1:00:51] economic development bodies are
[1:00:52] all stakeholders,
[1:00:54] including us. We all
[1:00:56] have a role to play in this. So
[1:00:58] let's talk about this. I'm
[1:01:00] going to give you two
[1:01:02] main ways of thinking about
[1:01:03] this, and then let's have a
[1:01:05] conversation about how to
[1:01:06] address improving the balance
[1:01:08] between jobs and housing. The
[1:01:11] first idea is to
[1:01:12] identify
[1:01:13] strategic locations to achieve a
[1:01:15] balance between housing and
[1:01:17] job opportunities. So, think about where
[1:01:18] we can add jobs in
[1:01:20] areas with
[1:01:22] large populations,
[1:01:23] giving them the opportunity to
[1:01:24] work close to
[1:01:25] their homes. Mr. Mayor
[1:01:27] Hammond, I am thinking of
[1:01:28] Grantsville and
[1:01:30] Tilla County, and as you mentioned
[1:01:31] earlier, how many
[1:01:32] people
[1:01:33] travel on
[1:01:35] I-80 to
[1:01:36] Salt Lake County in the morning and then
[1:01:38] back? Well, there is a
[1:01:40] lot of talk about creating a
[1:01:41] nuclear complex that will have thousands of
[1:01:43] jobs, and we hope that
[1:01:44] these jobs will be for
[1:01:46] the residents of Tilla County,
[1:01:47] so that the residents of
[1:01:48] Grantsville can work
[1:01:50] there, reducing
[1:01:52] their commuting time. Think of
[1:01:54] our friends in Saratoga
[1:01:55] Springs and Eagle Mountain
[1:01:57] , where there is ample housing available
[1:01:58] , and what they have accomplished in
[1:02:00] this area is amazing, but
[1:02:02] job opportunities are
[1:02:03] relatively few, and this
[1:02:04] greatly impacts transportation.
[1:02:06] So, where are the
[1:02:08] strategic locations to achieve a
[1:02:10] balance between housing and
[1:02:12] job opportunities? This is
[1:02:13] clearly embodied in a large part of
[1:02:15] our work in the vision of "Wasatch
[1:02:17] Choice". Secondly, coordinating
[1:02:20] our efforts. Incentives for
[1:02:23] economic development, for
[1:02:25] example, where do we incentivize
[1:02:27] job creation? Where do we seek
[1:02:31] to stimulate and attract jobs?
[1:02:34] What is the location? Connecting
[1:02:35] roads to the public transport network
[1:02:37] . If
[1:02:38] we have more
[1:02:39] jobs in the Two Holy Mosques
[1:02:40] , Your Excellency the
[1:02:42] Mayor, how can we ensure that
[1:02:43] the residents of your city can
[1:02:44] move around easily within it
[1:02:47] ? Therefore, we support your efforts to
[1:02:49] promote communication within the
[1:02:51] city. And finally,
[1:02:53] of course,
[1:02:54] land use procedures, your
[1:02:55] master plans, zoning, and
[1:02:58] development agreements that
[1:02:59] you negotiate with
[1:03:01] developers. All these
[1:03:02] things are important. Okay, what
[1:03:05] obstacles are
[1:03:06] you facing? What
[1:03:08] measures are
[1:03:09] you taking to achieve a
[1:03:10] better balance? What
[1:03:12] can be done to help?
[1:03:14] We have a few minutes,
[1:03:15] let's start the discussion. Mr.
[1:03:17] Mayor, if you would allow me,
[1:03:18] we will discuss the matter.
[1:03:19] certainly. I would say
[1:03:20] that one of the things we are
[1:03:22] working on, and in which
[1:03:23] the University of Delaware has been a
[1:03:24] great partner,
[1:03:26] is studying the different access points
[1:03:27] and challenges
[1:03:29] facing the city and the
[1:03:30] transportation sector, and having
[1:03:31] fruitful dialogues about
[1:03:33] how to move forward in
[1:03:34] these areas through
[1:03:36] collaboration, and having
[1:03:37] fruitful discussions about
[1:03:38] facilitating traffic flow, and
[1:03:39] providing access to
[1:03:41] business development areas and
[1:03:42] areas where
[1:03:44] businesses can thrive.
[1:03:45] Good.
[1:03:46] Andrew, may I have a word? I have to
[1:03:48] go now to a
[1:03:49] meeting at 10:30,
[1:03:51] and I will call you when I leave
[1:03:52] , but I really like this
[1:03:53] topic.
[1:03:54] Madam
[1:03:56] President, may I have a moment,
[1:03:58] please? Well, about
[1:04:08] six to eight
[1:04:10] years ago, we
[1:04:11] updated our overall plan,
[1:04:14] and we did a
[1:04:15] job analysis, and it was a moment of
[1:04:17] realization for me when I learned
[1:04:19] that two-thirds of the jobs, I
[1:04:21] think, in
[1:04:23] Salt Lake County were west of, or
[1:04:31] sorry, east of
[1:04:33] Highway 15,
[1:04:34] right? The
[1:04:35] other third is in the
[1:04:36] western region.
[1:04:40] This was one of the most
[1:04:41] impactful things when I looked at
[1:04:43] how the
[1:04:44] county could get involved through
[1:04:45] increased taxes and other
[1:04:47] measures to support
[1:04:49] development with developers and
[1:04:50] our various cities. I
[1:04:54] looked at Mayor Palmer
[1:04:56] , who, not as
[1:04:58] mayor, was involved with perhaps the
[1:05:00] most
[1:05:01] controversial project I was involved in as a
[1:05:03] council member, the
[1:05:05] Olympia Hills development project
[1:05:07] . The Olympia Hills project was designed as a
[1:05:10] mixed-use complex that
[1:05:11] provides many
[1:05:12] functions, according to the
[1:05:15] mixed-use concept. You will create, and I have been
[1:05:16] pressing hard on the
[1:05:18] developers for many years
[1:05:20] , during those
[1:05:21] discussions, to make sure that we
[1:05:23] will build in a way that
[1:05:25] ensures that the
[1:05:26] existing Haraman region, after its
[1:05:28] later annexation, will benefit from this
[1:05:30] feature. There are cities in
[1:05:31] my county, and that's one of the
[1:05:33] reasons I love my job, but
[1:05:34] we have very small ski towns
[1:05:36] , we have
[1:05:37] Salt Lake City, and we have
[1:05:39] Harrah's. We have put a
[1:05:40] lot of effort
[1:05:41] into this
[1:05:43] development with Haraman to ensure the efficiency of the
[1:05:44] transport systems. It
[1:05:46] goes both ways
[1:05:47] ; they need to be
[1:05:49] easily accessible
[1:05:50] if we want to create
[1:05:52] business hubs in developing communities that have
[1:05:54] not had this
[1:05:55] investment. Therefore, I
[1:05:56] truly commend your tireless efforts
[1:05:58] in this regard, which have served as a
[1:06:00] guide for me
[1:06:01] in addressing the lack of
[1:06:03] job opportunities on the
[1:06:04] west side of Salt
[1:06:06] Lake County. This has been a
[1:06:08] fundamental principle for me
[1:06:09] even in our discussions about the
[1:06:11] entertainment center, and where
[1:06:12] and how to build the
[1:06:14] infrastructure.
[1:06:15] Salt Lake County is involved in
[1:06:16] some matters, and determining whether
[1:06:20] or not we will provide tax incentives to cities and developers
[1:06:22] depends largely on
[1:06:23] job opportunities in the areas
[1:06:25] where we need them, and to a
[1:06:26] lesser extent on the East Side.
[1:06:28] Frankly, there are
[1:06:30] other development measures, and on the
[1:06:32] eastern side, we find that
[1:06:34] our programs focus more on
[1:06:36] rehabilitating
[1:06:38] existing urban areas, and
[1:06:40] on modifying the transport system
[1:06:42] or improving roads. Therefore,
[1:06:44] all appreciation to you for
[1:06:46] taking on this task. Yes,
[1:06:48] I have spoken about this
[1:06:50] fundamental spatial imbalance, which we call the
[1:06:52] spatial imbalance
[1:06:53] between job
[1:06:55] and home locations in
[1:06:56] Salt Lake County, and this is evident
[1:06:58] throughout the
[1:06:59] Wasatch Front and Wasatch
[1:07:01] Back areas, and even in
[1:07:02] Telangana. Thank you
[1:07:04] all. I will participate
[1:07:06] remotely. Thank you, Mayor
[1:07:08] . We have someone online right now,
[1:07:10] Red Ewing, who has a comment
[1:07:11] .
[1:07:12] Professor Ewing:
[1:07:13] Hello. Well, we conducted a
[1:07:17] study about ten
[1:07:19] years ago, at the beginning of
[1:07:24] my time here at the University of
[1:07:26] Utah, about the balance between
[1:07:28] work and housing. This
[1:07:32] balance is important, but
[1:07:34] there is another factor that is no less
[1:07:36] important, which is the alignment
[1:07:38] between income and skills.
[1:07:41] The jobs should be appropriate
[1:07:43] to the skill level of the
[1:07:44] population, whether they are
[1:07:46] residents of the city or
[1:07:48] workers in it.
[1:07:51] This has proven to be just as
[1:07:53] important as the
[1:07:54] numerical balance between jobs
[1:07:56] and housing. Therefore,
[1:07:59] this is an important point to
[1:08:00] consider when thinking
[1:08:02] about this topic. Do
[1:08:05] you want
[1:08:07] high-skill jobs in a
[1:08:09] high-skill society,
[1:08:11] or low-skill jobs
[1:08:16] in a
[1:08:18] low-skill society?
[1:08:19] This has proven to be just as
[1:08:21] important as the
[1:08:23] numerical balance between jobs
[1:08:24] and housing.
[1:08:25] Professor, thank you. This is a
[1:08:27] very important point, and
[1:08:29] I think there is no
[1:08:30] better example than
[1:08:32] Park City to illustrate this,
[1:08:34] where many
[1:08:35] jobs are held by people who
[1:08:39] cannot afford to
[1:08:40] live there. Therefore, they
[1:08:42] travel
[1:08:43] long distances. So, thank you,
[1:08:45] Professor, for this
[1:08:46] really important point.
[1:08:53] Yes, I would also like to
[1:08:55] mention that, as I just
[1:08:58] mentioned regarding Park
[1:08:59] City, Morgan is the
[1:09:01] same way because
[1:09:02] the majority of
[1:09:04] our workforce comes from the
[1:09:06] Lower Valley. For this reason,
[1:09:09] our transportation systems
[1:09:12] , such as I-
[1:09:14] 84, cannot be expanded,
[1:09:16] yet we still have
[1:09:19] needs. One of the
[1:09:21] needs I have been trying to address for the past
[1:09:23] five
[1:09:24] years is convincing
[1:09:26] the province to recognize
[1:09:27] our need for
[1:09:29] public transportation. We need some kind of
[1:09:32] public transport
[1:09:33] that crosses that valley,
[1:09:35] so that it is not affected by a
[1:09:40] large truck accident that passes through it.
[1:09:43] These are problems we face
[1:09:44] because people cannot
[1:09:46] afford to live
[1:09:47] in Morgan County.
[1:09:49] Those who wish to
[1:09:50] stay there
[1:09:51] cannot afford the cost of
[1:09:53] living. So, it's
[1:09:58] not about higher
[1:09:59] taxes, because it isn't
[1:10:01] . What is worrying
[1:10:03] is the rising
[1:10:04] land prices, which are rising at an
[1:10:06] unbelievably rapid rate
[1:10:07] , because all the residents of the
[1:10:09] West Side want
[1:10:11] to move to
[1:10:12] Morgan County, and this is what happened
[1:10:14] with Park City. I
[1:10:16] lived for many years
[1:10:18] , like the professor, and I lived
[1:10:22] most of my life in the state of
[1:10:23] Utah and in that region.
[1:10:26] So, I look at history
[1:10:27] and how things have gone, and I
[1:10:29] think we need to take
[1:10:31] some
[1:10:33] history into account when planning
[1:10:34] such projects.
[1:10:36] What do we want? What are
[1:10:38] we prepared
[1:10:40] to accept?
[1:10:40] Yes.
[1:10:41] This is what
[1:10:43] Morgan County will have a
[1:10:45] problem with.
[1:10:46] Thank you, Commissioner.
[1:10:48] I just want to emphasize
[1:10:50] one point from what you just
[1:10:51] mentioned. You are saying that
[1:10:53] we need
[1:10:54] more transportation
[1:10:55] in that area. Improving
[1:10:58] the balance between jobs
[1:10:59] and housing is not something that should be done
[1:11:01] instead
[1:11:02] of enhancing transportation capacity,
[1:11:05] options, and innovations.
[1:11:07] We have to do all of that, and
[1:11:08] in the state of Utah we are making
[1:11:10] tremendous efforts to provide
[1:11:11] more
[1:11:13] transportation options, increase their capacity, and
[1:11:14] connect them
[1:11:16] to each other, as we mentioned
[1:11:17] earlier. But this is not
[1:11:18] enough. We also need to
[1:11:20] strike a balance, and
[1:11:22] we saw
[1:11:23] at the last committee meeting
[1:11:26] , or
[1:11:28] last week,
[1:11:29] development projects that want to provide
[1:11:31] housing for school teachers
[1:11:35] coming from the
[1:11:37] lower valley. We are trying to
[1:11:41] create the
[1:11:42] right conditions for that, but the
[1:11:43] conflict
[1:11:45] between the old and the new still exists.
[1:11:47] Yes, understood. Based
[1:11:49] on history, I see everything
[1:11:51] . I saw it myself, and
[1:11:54] I, you know, come
[1:11:56] from Davis County. I
[1:11:58] originally came from (B).
[1:12:01] No, I will not return. I can
[1:12:04] tell you why I didn't stay.
[1:12:09] Because my wife is from Morgan.
[1:12:12] Good. Thanks. Thanks.
[1:12:16] Anyway, these are
[1:12:17] my thoughts on this decision
[1:12:20] .
[1:12:20] Thanks.
[1:12:20] I believe that everything should
[1:12:22] be balanced,
[1:12:24] not just small parts of it
[1:12:26] . Balance must be achieved
[1:12:27] in everything.
[1:12:29] And if job opportunities are created,
[1:12:31] you will also face a problem.
[1:12:33] Creating jobs requires
[1:12:34] providing more
[1:12:35] housing. correct. As
[1:12:37] you know, transportation is a
[1:12:38] big problem.
[1:12:39] actually. Thank you. As
[1:12:40] for the
[1:12:41] other comments, Mr. Mayor,
[1:12:43] I would like to say, with all due
[1:12:44] respect, even to what
[1:12:45] Mayor Wilson said: We have
[1:12:47] tried to attract
[1:12:48] employment centers, and we—and I have no
[1:12:49] objection to any
[1:12:50] particular entity in this
[1:12:51] room or anywhere
[1:12:53] else—can talk at
[1:12:54] length here. But until
[1:12:55] the state accepts
[1:12:56] the need to preserve
[1:12:57] areas in our
[1:12:59] various regions, as you know
[1:13:00] , for this type of
[1:13:01] project, and not the
[1:13:02] continuous pursuit of building
[1:13:04] more housing. We
[1:13:05] tried. We tried to
[1:13:06] preserve these
[1:13:07] areas. We have a
[1:13:09] West Herman partner who may
[1:13:10] also own a large
[1:13:12] open-pit mine, and we are trying to
[1:13:13] persuade him to set up an
[1:13:15] industrial employment center there.
[1:13:16] correct.
[1:13:18] The state has asked them to build more
[1:13:20] housing. This is
[1:13:21] the message they receive, and
[1:13:22] we strongly desire
[1:13:24] projects in the west,
[1:13:25] because this is what we have realized. We
[1:13:26] all commute daily.
[1:13:28] We must maintain
[1:13:29] our presence in our region of the
[1:13:30] valley, and acquire
[1:13:30] more. It's not
[1:13:31] just about jobs
[1:13:32] , we need
[1:13:33] sports fields, and everything else we need
[1:13:34] .
[1:13:36] Herman will have a population of 110,000. I should
[1:13:37] never
[1:13:38] leave my city, should I
[1:13:39] ? There are cities
[1:13:40] throughout the state with
[1:13:41] populations of 110,000,
[1:13:42] where
[1:13:43] all their needs are met. We
[1:13:44] should never
[1:13:45] leave our community. But
[1:13:46] as a state, we are pushing
[1:13:47] projects in
[1:13:48] these employment centers to the top of the
[1:13:49] mountain in the city center. We
[1:13:50] need to distribute them. I am
[1:13:52] from Bryce, and I grew up in
[1:13:53] Carbon County. When
[1:13:54] the governor took office for his
[1:13:55] last term, he talked about moving
[1:13:56] more jobs to
[1:13:57] rural areas of
[1:13:58] Utah. I still haven't
[1:13:59] seen much of that, have I
[1:14:00] ? Where we can
[1:14:01] relieve a lot of the pressure
[1:14:02] on the Wasatch Front area
[1:14:03] , and I don't know how we do
[1:14:04] that in this context, do I
[1:14:05] ? I think what I
[1:14:06] mean is that I like what we're talking about
[1:14:08] here. I don't know
[1:14:09] how to convey this message.
[1:14:11] I think we understand it,
[1:14:12] but how do we get it across to
[1:14:14] our partners who we work
[1:14:15] with and who are following up on the
[1:14:17] matter?
[1:14:18] Well, I'll admit that we don't
[1:14:20] know either. But perhaps the
[1:14:24] new way
[1:14:26] we think about this is as a
[1:14:29] transportation strategy. If
[1:14:31] we can, in some way,
[1:14:34] invest a lot of
[1:14:36] energy in transportation, then
[1:14:38] achieving this balance will
[1:14:39] help us maximize
[1:14:41] our transportation system as
[1:14:43] well. You are absolutely right, Mr.
[1:14:45] Mayor, and I am not attacking
[1:14:47] anyone, but we need
[1:14:49] all these
[1:14:50] partners to work with us
[1:14:52] to address these
[1:14:54] issues. Know. We will conclude
[1:14:56] here, as this is the
[1:14:57] last item on
[1:14:58] our agenda. We will conclude
[1:14:59] our discussion here shortly,
[1:15:01] but I would like to invite
[1:15:02] Commissioner Camus to comment.
[1:15:03] Cameron, Ted, as a
[1:15:05] member of the North Salt Lake City Council
[1:15:06] . If you would
[1:15:08] like to comment as well,
[1:15:09] you are
[1:15:10] certainly welcome. Jason, if
[1:15:11] you'd like to participate,
[1:15:12] or...oh, Mayor
[1:15:13] Day, please.
[1:15:14] Mayor, why aren't you
[1:15:14] speaking? She hasn't spoken yet.
[1:15:16] Help yourself.
[1:15:17] Always very fast. No, that
[1:15:18] was a
[1:15:20] very interesting point from Mayor
[1:15:20] Palmer. They are ahead of us
[1:15:21] in Clinton,
[1:15:22] but we are working on our
[1:15:23] overall plan and we have also tried
[1:15:25] to say: "What if
[1:15:25] we set up a
[1:15:26] business or jobs center
[1:15:27] here?" Yes. The
[1:15:29] developers told us: "Oh, no, no
[1:15:30] , no, you know
[1:15:31] this won't sell. You won't be able
[1:15:32] to do that.
[1:15:33] Why don't you build
[1:15:34] housing or
[1:15:35] commercial projects or something like that
[1:15:36] ?" Yes.
[1:15:38] So, how do we overcome that?
[1:15:39] Are they economic incentives?
[1:15:41] What is the best way
[1:15:42] to achieve this?
[1:15:43] I wonder if this
[1:15:44] effort, led by Laura
[1:15:46] Hansen, is necessary, and whether
[1:15:48] this
[1:15:49] discussion should be seriously considered within
[1:15:50] that group? Is it
[1:15:52] connected to the internet? Yes
[1:15:54] , she is
[1:15:55] connected, and I would consider
[1:15:56] embarrassing her, but I feel
[1:15:58] this group is the most
[1:16:00] appropriate.
[1:16:00] Yes, yes. It
[1:16:02] seems as though I gave
[1:16:04] you the opportunity
[1:16:05] to say that, but I didn't
[1:16:06] . Thank you so much
[1:16:08] for saying that.
[1:16:11] I believe this dialogue is
[1:16:12] moving in the
[1:16:14] right direction. As you know,
[1:16:15] Mayor Palmer, you're
[1:16:17] talking about how we've
[1:16:18] tried, but we're having
[1:16:20] some problems. And also
[1:16:21] Mayor Dorty, and I think
[1:16:27] there is a need to
[1:16:29] understand the concept and the promise
[1:16:31] , which has started today,
[1:16:32] but perhaps we need to
[1:16:34] analyze it further, perhaps even
[1:16:36] at the sector level. As
[1:16:40] you know, what kind of
[1:16:41] industry needs
[1:16:43] what kind of
[1:16:47] workforce, what locations have
[1:16:48] access to
[1:16:50] transportation, and how do we align
[1:16:52] these things to meet
[1:16:54] their needs where they
[1:16:55] need them, so that
[1:16:57] we take their point of view into
[1:16:59] account even as we
[1:17:01] think from the perspective of the municipality
[1:17:03] , etc. Do you understand what I mean?
[1:17:08] Let me add another point:
[1:17:10] I think many
[1:17:11] industries prefer
[1:17:13] conglomerates, don't they?
[1:17:15] Therefore, it seeks to be located
[1:17:17] near other companies
[1:17:18] with similar orientations.
[1:17:20] This is, in a way,
[1:17:22] related to the concept of
[1:17:24] city and town centers, but it's
[1:17:26] different, isn't it?
[1:17:28] Town and city centers are
[1:17:29] traditionally referred
[1:17:30] to as places that are
[1:17:31] easy to navigate
[1:17:32] on foot and
[1:17:33] have
[1:17:34] diverse uses. Does
[1:17:39] the center need to be a certain size and located in
[1:17:41] specific places to be
[1:17:43] truly attractive to
[1:17:45] certain industries? What
[1:17:47] practical outcome can we
[1:17:48] achieve, which we
[1:17:50] not only expect the
[1:17:52] local government to achieve
[1:17:54] through good planning
[1:17:55] and zoning, but
[1:17:57] we also need
[1:17:58] state support and support for the
[1:17:59] transport sector? It's a
[1:18:00] precise strategy. This is what's
[1:18:02] on my mind.
[1:18:06] Andrew Bradshaw. Well, much
[1:18:08] like Ted and the commissioner, I
[1:18:12] spent enough time in the
[1:18:14] state capital to see
[1:18:16] how the state dealt with
[1:18:17] all of the incentives
[1:18:19] many times, from changing
[1:18:21] the way retail incentives are delivered
[1:18:22] ,
[1:18:24] through CRAAS and RDAs
[1:18:25] , to TIFF
[1:18:27] red programs and others.
[1:18:33] I think that, in
[1:18:35] many ways, they have used some of the
[1:18:36] tools that
[1:18:38] we might use to attract
[1:18:39] companies, because the focus
[1:18:41] over the past 10
[1:18:43] to 15 years has been
[1:18:44] on the need to
[1:18:46] build housing, and
[1:18:47] our desire to incentivize
[1:18:48] companies to do so. Therefore,
[1:18:52] middle-income housing plans
[1:18:53] and CRAAS programs are pushing us in
[1:18:56] this direction. Our ability
[1:18:57] to provide economic incentives is often
[1:19:00] referred to the Office for
[1:19:03] General Economic Development (GOED). I think
[1:19:07] many of our cities do not
[1:19:08] pay
[1:19:10] enough attention to the Office of
[1:19:11] Public Economic Development,
[1:19:13] or how to implement it.
[1:19:18] Even when I look at the
[1:19:20] Wasatch Front area
[1:19:21] and the targeted industries
[1:19:23] that are offered
[1:19:24] incentives, I find that they are
[1:19:25] industries that need
[1:19:27] vast areas of
[1:19:28] land, which is a
[1:19:30] real challenge
[1:19:31] for many of our communities,
[1:19:33] those
[1:19:34] existing communities that do
[1:19:36] not have vast areas
[1:19:38] of land. There are some
[1:19:39] areas in our region
[1:19:41] that will be allocated
[1:19:42] large areas for development
[1:19:44] , but there is great pressure
[1:19:45] to confine them to housing.
[1:19:47] So, how can we
[1:19:48] achieve that? If we want
[1:19:50] people who
[1:19:52] currently commute to work
[1:19:55] in their cities to consider foregoing
[1:19:56] commuting, we will really need a completely
[1:19:58] different set of tools than the one
[1:19:59] provided by the
[1:20:01] Legislative Council. Herein lies
[1:20:03] the challenge and the opportunity
[1:20:04] to try to find a solution.
[1:20:06] Okay, do you have any
[1:20:07] other quick comments, Kim
[1:20:09] ?
[1:20:10] Thank you, Andrew, and
[1:20:11] thank you for this
[1:20:12] discussion. I am not an
[1:20:13] elected official,
[1:20:15] but I am honored
[1:20:15] to listen to
[1:20:16] elected officials
[1:20:18] throughout the state
[1:20:19] who face many
[1:20:21] of these questions. Therefore,
[1:20:22] in my opinion, no problem can be solved
[1:20:24] until it is
[1:20:26] precisely defined. Therefore, what I would like to
[1:20:27] add in the
[1:20:29] next few minutes is
[1:20:30] just additional obstacles.
[1:20:32] When we talk about how to
[1:20:33] improve this situation,
[1:20:34] here are some other elements to
[1:20:37] consider.
[1:20:39] The commissioner briefly referred to what
[1:20:41] I will call the "postal code problem
[1:20:42] ". The problem of
[1:20:44] the postal code relates
[1:20:46] to the cost of land, but it is
[1:20:48] much broader than that;
[1:20:50] it includes influential market forces
[1:20:51] . Since the
[1:20:53] COVID-19 pandemic, we have not seen any
[1:20:55] new
[1:20:57] Class A office space, which has led
[1:20:58] to a stagnation in our market. But
[1:21:00] looking at the
[1:21:01] general plans drawn up a
[1:21:02] decade ago, we find several
[1:21:03] plans with
[1:21:05] local communities in the
[1:21:06] Wasatch Front area to create
[1:21:07] more
[1:21:08] Class A office space,
[1:21:09] which could form the
[1:21:10] cornerstone of
[1:21:12] future employment centers for
[1:21:14] office jobs, given the
[1:21:14] radical change that has
[1:21:16] occurred in the market since the
[1:21:17] pandemic.
[1:21:18] Downtown Salt Lake City is still
[1:21:19] suffering from stagnation,
[1:21:21] let alone the construction of
[1:21:22] new office complexes in
[1:21:23] Grantsville or Clinton.
[1:21:25] Therefore, we need to
[1:21:26] reconsider how we
[1:21:27] plan for
[1:21:28] future jobs in light of the
[1:21:30] spread of working from
[1:21:31] home. The
[1:21:33] second related point
[1:21:34] is the legislative
[1:21:35] and market pressures related to
[1:21:37] housing, which
[1:21:38] Mayor Palmer referred to.
[1:21:40] I could list many
[1:21:41] communities that have designated
[1:21:43] areas for
[1:21:43] future jobs, whether
[1:21:45] industrial or commercial
[1:21:46] , but are facing
[1:21:47] significant pressure from market forces,
[1:21:49] property owners, and
[1:21:50] others who say, "
[1:21:51] We want to rezone this
[1:21:53] area because we
[1:21:54] currently need more
[1:21:55] housing, and I, as a
[1:21:57] property owner,
[1:21:58] can make a profit, and
[1:21:59] that's not a bad thing
[1:22:01] ." But this is the
[1:22:02] real pressure point;
[1:22:03] once that
[1:22:04] land is developed, it disappears. I could
[1:22:06] point to community after
[1:22:07] community where they fought battles
[1:22:09] to preserve those
[1:22:09] lands because they were thinking
[1:22:11] about the future, twenty
[1:22:12] years ahead, not just the
[1:22:13] present. If
[1:22:14] we look at different parts of the
[1:22:16] country, we find that
[1:22:17] Florida is just one example among
[1:22:18] many.
[1:22:19] California is another example
[1:22:20] where the legislature intervened
[1:22:21] and allowed
[1:22:22] housing to be built in
[1:22:23] commercial areas. So
[1:22:24] imagine,
[1:22:25] virgin landowners
[1:22:26] trying to plan
[1:22:27] for the future, how much damage it would do
[1:22:28] you if
[1:22:29] you couldn't plan
[1:22:30] any future business projects
[1:22:31] because
[1:22:32] residential construction would be
[1:22:32] allowed there. This does
[1:22:34] not mean that
[1:22:35] housing should not be built in
[1:22:35] commercial areas;
[1:22:36] everything has its time and place.
[1:22:37] But this is just
[1:22:38] another obstacle that must be taken into
[1:22:40] account. The third element is the
[1:22:42] demographic composition. When we look
[1:22:44] at the challenges
[1:22:45] facing Harman, a
[1:22:48] relatively young community, we find that they are
[1:22:49] fundamentally different from the
[1:22:50] challenges
[1:22:51] faced by other
[1:22:53] established cities such as South Salt
[1:22:54] Lake, as Mayor
[1:22:55] Wood noted, where residents are
[1:22:57] aging,
[1:22:58] schools are closing, and the like.
[1:23:00] We talked about all the
[1:23:01] travelers to Salt
[1:23:02] Lake, and I pointed out the problem of
[1:23:03] overpopulation
[1:23:04] there.
[1:23:05] Salt Lake City's nighttime population is at its highest
[1:23:07] level ever recorded
[1:23:08] in Utah's history,
[1:23:10] while
[1:23:11] its school population is at its lowest level
[1:23:13] since before
[1:23:14] World War II. Therefore
[1:23:16] , part of this
[1:23:17] alignment is identifying
[1:23:19] the locations of
[1:23:20] current jobs. How can
[1:23:22] more residents be attracted
[1:23:23] to live near these
[1:23:24] jobs while these
[1:23:26] cities are experiencing a
[1:23:27] population decline?
[1:23:29] This demographic aspect is
[1:23:31] also extremely important, because the
[1:23:33] younger generation does not settle
[1:23:34] for one job. Therefore, a
[1:23:38] large-scale employment center could be established in a community
[1:23:39] like Herman, and Cameron might move
[1:23:41] to the
[1:23:42] Hermantown center for a few
[1:23:43] years. Then, if she is in
[1:23:45] her thirties
[1:23:46] , she will go somewhere else, and
[1:23:47] they will move quickly from
[1:23:48] place to place, which is very
[1:23:49] different from what it was
[1:23:51] 30
[1:23:51] years ago when we were planning for
[1:23:53] society. So, as we
[1:23:54] ask this question,
[1:23:55] I think it’s important to have a
[1:23:56] comprehensive picture
[1:23:57] because these are the things I
[1:23:58] hear from
[1:23:59] mayors and council members across the
[1:24:01] state.
[1:24:02] Yes, great. All of them are
[1:24:04] excellent observations. Okay,
[1:24:06] perhaps we can conclude this
[1:24:07] conversation for the
[1:24:08] Regional Growth Committee now. Well, I
[1:24:12] see people pointing that way
[1:24:13] , so I'm just making sure we're
[1:24:15] okay to wrap things up
[1:24:16] now. Ted,
[1:24:20] I just want to connect the dots with the programs
[1:24:21] that
[1:24:24] Megan mentioned at the beginning.
[1:24:25] Good.
[1:24:26] If a community or
[1:24:29] group of communities thinks,
[1:24:31] if you think, you
[1:24:33] know, that we are
[1:24:34] ready to delve into this as a
[1:24:36] pilot project,
[1:24:37] we can do so
[1:24:39] by linking the use of
[1:24:40] transport corridors. So I
[1:24:42] just wanted to
[1:24:43] suggest that one way to
[1:24:44] explore this is
[1:24:46] through a pilot project, and
[1:24:48] that's a viable option. I'll get back to you,
[1:24:50] Ted. Thank you very much. In
[1:24:53] conclusion, I would like to point out
[1:24:55] that this is a complex issue
[1:24:57] with many dynamics
[1:24:59] , some of which have been identified
[1:25:01] here. What I don't want is for us
[1:25:06] all to give up and say, "
[1:25:08] There are so many things
[1:25:10] happening and we can't
[1:25:12] do anything about them."
[1:25:15] From a transportation perspective
[1:25:17] , if we want our transportation system to operate
[1:25:19] efficiently in
[1:25:20] the future, we need to
[1:25:21] address this issue.
[1:25:23] In addition to building housing,
[1:25:25] developing transportation, and
[1:25:26] innovating in it,
[1:25:28] we must work on the
[1:25:30] demand side, i.e., achieving a
[1:25:31] balance between job opportunities and
[1:25:33] housing, and this has
[1:25:35] many benefits, including transportation.
[1:25:36] So, looking
[1:25:38] ahead, our intention
[1:25:39] at the West Florida Transportation Research Center
[1:25:40] (WFRC) is to
[1:25:42] continue talking about this
[1:25:43] topic over the
[1:25:44] next few months. We plan
[1:25:46] to have this type of
[1:25:47] dialogue
[1:25:48] next week at the
[1:25:50] full WFRC Council meeting. I know
[1:25:51] some of you will be there too.
[1:25:53] Welcome, everyone. The
[1:25:57] University of
[1:25:58] Delaware Government Transportation Conference, the
[1:26:00] League of Cities and Towns Conference
[1:26:01] , the American Planning Association Conference, and the
[1:26:04] Planning Conference, we want to have
[1:26:06] this conversation, and
[1:26:07] I hope that people,
[1:26:09] as we discuss this, will realize,
[1:26:10] when thinking about
[1:26:12] transportation, this
[1:26:13] key point: that improving
[1:26:15] the balance between jobs
[1:26:16] and housing can
[1:26:18] help us improve
[1:26:19] transportation as much as
[1:26:21] building more
[1:26:22] transportation. Then we work together
[1:26:24] to find ways to develop
[1:26:26] policies or make
[1:26:27] investments to improve that.
[1:26:29] So, let's work on it
[1:26:31] together as we move
[1:26:32] forward. Well, the floor is
[1:26:34] yours, Madam President.
[1:26:35] Thank you. This is a
[1:26:37] great discussion, and I know we will
[1:26:39] continue it. Cameron, I
[1:26:40] really appreciate the points you just
[1:26:42] raised,
[1:26:43] because they make very sense in the
[1:26:45] context of our conversation. Okay, we've
[1:26:47] arrived at the
[1:26:48] scheduled time. I will make a
[1:26:49] suggestion, or rather, I don't think it's a
[1:26:51] suggestion. I think we have
[1:26:52] adjourned the session. The
[1:26:54] next meeting is on
[1:26:56] October 15th, and we hope to see you
[1:26:58] there. No no. Oh,
[1:27:00] October 8th.
[1:27:01] Yes,
[1:27:02] October 8th is the date of the
[1:27:03] next meeting.
[1:27:04] No problem. Good. Thank
[1:27:07] you all. It was a
[1:27:10] truly fruitful discussion.