While we would hope that most voters’ attentions are focused on today’s primary election, some are already putting their sights on the Nov. 6 general election.

Last week, the Orem City Council voted to call a special election in November for its February zoning decision on the planned 9.58-acre Palos Verdes project on the eastern edge of Utah Valley University. Without the council’s action, the blandly named “PD-48 Zone Referendum” wouldn’t go before the voters until November 2019.

The referendum came about because Orem residents gathered signatures to challenge the decision. It’s in the best interests of all involved that the matter be settled as early as possible and decisively by getting the largest possible group of voters to weigh in.

Although the official name of the referendum is mundane, the decision would affect whether a high-density, 1,605-bed housing project is built on that site. While the Palos Verdes project is aimed at students and the site is surrounded on three sides by UVU, the remaining side of the project opens out onto an increasingly busy residential thoroughfare. That understandably has many residents concerned about Palos Verdes’ impact on an area that has had to absorb UVU’s explosive growth as well as the crush of being near Orem’s main commercial corridor.

We anticipate the upcoming discussions about the merits and demerits of the housing proposal. While we feel it makes sense for student housing to be close to campus, we know there are larger discussions that need to happen.

By voting on this referendum in November, it enables Orem to make progress on this discussion far sooner than having to wait 17 months as originally scheduled. Both the neighborhood around UVU and project developers PEG Development and Woodbury Corp. will be able to know whether the project is going to move forward in its current form.

Scheduling the vote this year also makes it more likely that a larger group of Orem voters will weigh in on the matter. Turnout during off-year elections can be low, but pairing this matter on the same ballot as U.S. senator, congressional representative and state lawmakers will likely provide a higher profile than the 2019 election, which is focused primarily on city positions. Having more voters weigh in will help lend credibility to whatever is decided at the polls.

While the council had the option of scheduling the special election in June 2019, it’s good the council opted for a November date as school will be in session at that time. Having school in session during the vote could help illustrate the issue for voters, for good or ill.

A November election will also give UVU students who are Orem residents an opportunity to weigh in. While students are often viewed as outsiders, they are still members of the community and should have an opportunity to weigh in like everyone else.

Ultimately, the early election will guide the course of future development in Orem, especially near the university. We hope that all sides will heed what the public decides and use that guidance in future housing and development decisions.

Accommodating growth around universities is tricky. By looking at the neighborhoods around Brigham Young University and the University of Utah, we know that finding the right balance will be difficult.

Hopefully, an early election will help Orem find development solutions that will work for as many people as possible.