But Thursday, the public had one more opportunity to celebrate the building of Plan Ogden with a final feedback session at Ogden Union Station that included giving feedback on the plan’s draft and free food.

Ogden City Communications Director Mike McBride told the Standard-Examiner that attendees also had a unique opportunity to visit the future that could be.

“This was the first time we had used this immersive experience that placed three screens next to one another, making a horseshoe so residents could feel like they were strolling down the middle of the street. It felt like you were walking through the city, seeing the buildings in a more realistic way,” he said. “We also had QR code where citizens could give immediate feedback after experiencing the virtual tour or talking with city staff. We’re now looking through those to incorporate into this draft.”

He said that officials were happy with the turn out.

“It was a great turnout with a wide range of ages. It was exciting to see so many residents bring their families since Plan Ogden goes through 2050,” he said. “Having both a curated walk through with posters depicting the goals of this general plan and the virtual experience, allowed folks to see the plan from a different perspective — like they were actually walking through Ogden neighborhoods.”

McBride added that that those who weren’t able to see the immersive experience in person will have an online opportunity to get a sense of what was available Thursday.

“For those who couldn’t make it to the meeting, we will integrate what we viewed last night into an online format on the project website and the City’s social media platforms to share information,” he said. “An online version will be available after the event.”

Plan Ogden is closing out its second year of formulation. For the last year and a half, the public has been periodically engaged to help steer the direction of the new planning document that will help shape the city’s development priorities for the next 25 years, from housing to transportation and use of downtown Ogden.

McBride noted that the general plan has also been developed alongside a major zoning overhaul.

“Working in tandem with Plan Ogden is the city’s effort to simplify our zoning,” he said. “While Plan Ogden is the city’s general plan update, Zone Ogden is focused on implementation and enforcement through updated codes and ordinances. Together, they ensure that regulations reflect the vision established in Plan Ogden. This alignment brings the community’s voice to life by translating the goals and objectives into actionable standards and regulations for development. Zone Ogden has been discussed in several City Council work sessions since 2023. There, council members could ask questions and provide input as the code is drafted. Once the code is completely drafted the Planning Commission will hold a public hearing to consider the changes to existing development codes and then it will go before the City Council to be officially adopted.”

He said, much like Zone Ogden, the Planning Commission and Ogden City Council will also hold sessions to refine it into a finalized document.

“Elements of Plan Ogden have been discussed in Council meetings, like the Wall Ave. Corridor Plan and the Gateway to Ogden: West Ogden/24th Street Interchange District Plan adopted unanimously by the City Council back in September,” he said. “Now the whole draft, collaborated on with the community, will move forward.”

McBride said it’s been an exciting time to see the process play out over the last two years.

“This process has been a true collaboration with over 20 in-person meetings whether it be in a large group setting last night, or in a smaller neighborhood type space,” he said. “From those meetings we’ve collected over 2,000 comments we then incorporated into Plan Ogden with help from the consulting firm Logan Simpson.”

He said it’s anticipated the finalized Plan Ogden general plan document, utilizing feedback from Thursday night and coming Planning Commission and City Council sessions, will go before the City Council for a final vote in spring or summer of 2026.