Lehi City News
New General Plan takes shape as City Council reviews proposed 16 goals for Lehi’s future
On Tuesday January 28, Kim Struthers, Director of Community Development for Lehi City presented the City Council with proposed goals of the new Lehi City General Plan. The current General Plan is over eight years old and will be updated by mid-2020.The current plan includes nine goal categories, but the updated version will grow to 16 categories. An overview of the new General Plan goals follows:
1. Environment
1.
Be cognizant of environmental features like the Jordan River, Utah Lake, Dry Creek and the surrounding hills.
2.
Look into low-impact developments including lower densities and different storm water mitigation around these natural resources.
2. Sustainability
1.
Strive for development that meets present needs without compromising future generations’ needs.
2.
Created a broad tax-base to ensure financial sustainability.
3. Place-Making
1.
Create public spaces that provide a unique sense of place. This includes things like public art, memorable architecture, pedestrian focused infrastructure, way finding signage and features that support Lehi’s character.
2.
Integrate public art in gathering spaces, streetscapes, parks, plazas, transit stations, City gateway areas and civic spaces.
4. Parks & Recreation
1.
Provide a diverse and connected system of parks, trails and recreational facilities.
2.
Explore strategies for expansion, increased utilization or reinvestment in the existing rodeo grounds. Possibilities may include concerts, fairs, markets, demolition derbies, classes, or temporary ice rink.
5. Parking
1.
Provide an adequate amount of parking for business vitality, while limiting excess parking and providing alternatives to traditional parking minimum requirements.
2.
Evaluate the feasibility and need of public parking structures within Historic Downtown and the Urban Center. Research funding methods for structures including private/public partnerships.
6. Health & Safety
1.
Promote the health and safety of residents through land uses and streetscapes that encourage physical activity, natural surveillance and traffic calming.
7. Strong Communities
1.
Establish strong communities where residents have opportunities for meaningful social connections and support systems.
2.
Create a life-cycle housing policy that requires diversity of housing types in Lehi’s neighborhoods to provide options for prospective residents of differing ages, incomes, abilities, and lifestyles.
3.
Develop neighborhoods that include common greens, community gardens, parks, greenways, and plazas that allow for social interactions.
8. Community Services & Infrastructure
1.
Provide community services and infrastructure that adequately supports the growth of the City and region.
2.
New development shall be designed in a manner that discourages sprawl and over consumption of land and maximizes investment in existing and new infrastructure.
9. Mixed-Use Development
1.
Create walkable and vibrant districts with a complimentary mix of land uses and densities in the Historic Downtown, Urban Center, transit-oriented development areas and other areas of concentrated density such as The Exchange, Cold Springs Ranch and Holbrook Farms.
2.
Implement the 3 D’s (diversity, density and design) of walkable development to provide more opportunities for active transportation and transit use.
10. Commercial Development
1.
Provide for a wider range of commercial uses and scales to both residents and the larger region and improve bike and pedestrian accessibility to retail, services and other neighborhood orientated uses.
2.
Encourage infill of retail and commercial services around the existing office uses.
11. Residential Development
1.
Accommodate a range of housing and neighborhood types suitable for a variety of lifestyles, ages, affordability levels, and design options.
2.
Require residential developments greater than 50 units to integrate a range of designs.
12. Transit-Oriented Development
1.
Create livable urban neighborhoods around existing and planned high capacity transit stations that include employment, active transportation, housing and commercial retail uses.
13. Village Centers
1.
Create places with varying housing types that are built around a neighborhood scale mixed-use center and connected with greenways and open space.
2.
Prioritize villages in areas with access to major transportation corridors such as Pioneer Crossing, west Main Street, areas with future transit access and the areas west of the Jordan River.
14. Historic Downtown
1.
Develop the Historic Main Street area and surrounding historic neighborhood into a walkable mixed-use civic center that prioritizes the preservation of significant historic elements.
2.
Encourage development to include retail, housing, office, commercial services, civic buildings, entertainment and community gathering spaces.
15. Urban Center
1.
Create a regional Urban Center along the I-15 corridor between 2100 North and the Timpanogos Highway that facilitates business and economic growth while creating an urban neighborhood with housing that provides opportunities for alternative modes of transportation.
2.
Encourage infill development around existing office buildings including high density residential, retail, vertical and horizontal mixed use and public open spaces.
16. Public Involvement & Participation
1.
Inform, educate and involve the community in a continuous general planning process directed at guiding the City in a manner consistent with the needs and desires of its citizens.
2.
Engage members of the community that typically are not involved through additional outreach events, targeted educational efforts, and other means.
The City is projecting the final draft of the land-use map and goals will be ready to present to the pubic in late February or early March. The City will host a public open house for residents to see the proposed General Plan and provide input to City staff and City Council. Residents are encouraged to offer suggestions and desires now before the City Council adopts the final plan in the coming months.
