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Gov. Cox administration spearheads dive into growth, how to contend with it

By Tim Vandenack - | Feb 2, 2023
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Contending with growth in Utah is the focus of an initiative, Guiding Our Growth, spearheaded by the administration of Gov. Spencer Cox. This photo shows a townhome development taking shape at the southeast corner of 16th Street and Harrison Boulevard in Ogden.
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Contending with growth in Utah is the focus of an initiative, Guiding Our Growth, spearheaded by the administration of Gov. Spencer Cox. This photo shows a housing development taking shape in the 1000 block of 12th Street in Ogden.
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Contending with growth in Utah is the focus of an initiative, Guiding Our Growth, spearheaded by the administration of Gov. Spencer Cox. This photo shows a townhome development taking shape on 12th Street west of Harrison Boulevard in Ogden.
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Contending with growth in Utah is the focus of an initiative, Guiding Our Growth, spearheaded by the administration of Gov. Spencer Cox. This photo shows a townhome development taking shape at the southeast corner of 16th Street and Harrison Boulevard in Ogden.

As Utah grows — seemingly out-of-control at times — the administration of Gov. Spencer Cox is spearheading a campaign to get a handle on the expansion.

It’s not about coming up with a single plan or vision to guide the state, though. Rather, according to a summary of the efforts provided to the Standard-Examiner, dubbed Guiding Our Growth, it’s about figuring out what may work best depending on the circumstances of a particular area.

“We will illustrate how existing broad visions and plans land within different growth scenarios,” reads the document. The aim is creating leeway for “local visualizations and profiles of different types of Utahns and Utah communities.”

It may sound somewhat esoteric, but the growth Utah has been experiencing is undeniable, particularly along the Wasatch Front. What’s more, how to deal with it — balancing the addition of yet more people and need for additional homes with the desire of most to maintain the state’s water, air and other natural attributes — is, perhaps, the key issue facing the state.

As Ari Bruening sees it, the aim of the Guiding our Growth effort — spearheaded by the Governor’s Office of Planning and Budget — is to come up with strategies to accommodate growth “that maintain the qualify of life we all enjoy.” Bruening is chief executive officer of Envision Utah, a nonprofit group partnering, among many other organizations, with the state in the initiative.

For now, leaders of the effort have been gathering input from the public, local leaders, grassroots citizens and others on what they think needs to be preserved and prioritized in the face of growth. Those interested may take an online survey available on the main website of the initiative, guidingourgrowth.utah.gov.

“We’re excited about the effort and have already had some great conversations across the state about growth,” Laura Hanson, state planning coordinator in the Governor’s Office of Planning and Budget, said in a message to the Standard-Examiner.

Next, Bruening said, findings from the initial outreach efforts will be presented to the public for more feedback as Guiding Our Growth participants fine-tune potential strategies to contend with growth. The University of Utah’s Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute, the Wasatch Front Regional Council and the Utah League of Cities and Towns are among the many partner agencies.

Hanson said the most intense public engagement efforts will be in the spring and summer. “We’ll be inviting people to participate in a different survey that presents different types of development patterns, allows the public to sort of ‘build their own future’ and explores the impact of that future on our water availability, housing options, transportation choices, etc.,” she said.

At any rate, Bruening, expecting a final report of sorts with recommendations by year’s end, said some things are becoming apparent. Not surprisingly, perhaps, housing affordability and dwindling water sources are among the top concerns for Utahns. “What’s going to happen with the Great Salt Lake?” he said.

Assuring access to outdoor resources is also a top priority, Bruening said.

Utah’s go-go growth has been the impetus of the effort.

Utah was the fastest-growing U.S. state between 2010 and 2020, according to U.S. Census Bureau stats cited by Guiding Our Growth. Going forward, Utah’s population is expected to increase from 3.4 million to 5.5 million in 2060, up 63%, according to the Gardner Institute.

In the face of such growth, 70% of Utahns think the key issues facing the state are growth related, according to Utah League of Cities and Towns data cited by Guiding Our Growth.

Utahns “expressed concern with growth, worried it might threaten some of the things they love about Utah,” Bruening said. “The growth that happens is happening because we’re a great place. The things that make us great make us grow.”

Many potential “policy levers” to help contend with growth have been put forward by participants in the process, according to organizers.

Among them are rethinking business recruitment, economic incentive programs and tourism promotion strategies. “We don’t need to be #1 in everything; #8 is still really great,” reads the summary document of efforts so far, representing the view of some.

Others have also proposed putting checks on the power of the public to formally protest “land-use decisions through referenda tool reform.”

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