A new year means a new work plan for the County Courthouse as officials narrow down the key issues they want to address in 2024. 

The Summit County Council met for its annual retreat in October, where their top concerns were divided into seven priorities they want to tackle this year. The commission began adopting an official work plan in 2018 as a way to deliberately dedicate resources to specific projects.

The focus areas for 2024:

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• General plans and the Our Summit visioning project results.
• Cline Dahle project planning and a request for proposal.
• Regional planning efforts.
• Local housing choice education.
• Short-term nightly rentals impacts and regulations.
• Solid waste management.
• The lands and natural resources program.

Each priority addresses the county’s strategic objectives related to growth management and regional planning, local housing choice, transportation and traffic congestion and environmental stewardship.

Planning will be a large theme throughout the year. 

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Officials want to analyze the findings of the Our Summit Community Vision and Strategic Plan, which has input from around 20% of the county population, to determine what updates are needed to the county’s general plan and development codes. 

This might include revisiting Policy 2.3, which requires new developments to have “a compelling countervailing public interest” as well as neighborhood mixed-use zones and the workforce housing chapter of the Snyderville Basin development code. The results will also help them study other issues such as community development, water infrastructure and sustainability and develop an interdisciplinary approach, according to a staff report.

Staffers also want to work with the County Council to discuss the future of the 30-acre parcel on Rasmussen Road near Jeremy Ranch Elementary School, known as the Cline Dahle property. Summit County closed on the land in 2017 with plans to use a portion of the site for market, workforce and affordable housing projects as well as a park-and-ride lot or transit center. Part two of the project would involve going out for an RFP to determine the scope of work.

Regional planning efforts include working with the Utah Department of Transportation on the Kimball Junction and Interstate 80 on the Environmental Impact Study, collaborating with the Mountainland Association of Governments on the Wasatch Back Rural Planning Organization and participating in a transportation group focused on preparing for the 2034 Winter Games.

The County Council is also determined to learn more about the types of housing possibilities and the nuances of affordable housing. 

There will be six work sessions to discuss topics such as plans and codes, demographic and economic data, growth concepts, housing constraints and projected needs. Officials will then assess the existing supply and determine ways to facilitate and retain welcoming communities.

They’re also expected to have related conversations about short-term rentals and the impacts the units have on county infrastructure, services and individual neighborhoods. Licensing regulations will be a large part of the discussion, too.

The county last year put in a historic effort to acquire and preserve open space from the Snyderville Basin to the Kamas Valley, and natural resources will continue to be a priority in 2024. 

Officials will pursue closing on the Ure Ranch and 910 Cattle Ranch, which cost $80 million altogether. The County Council committed millions as a downpayment for the properties, using money from the $50 million open space bond passed by Summit County voters in November 2021, and officials want to develop a strategic plan to leverage the rest of the money. They’ll also start a community engagement process to determine how some of the land should be used.

The last priority will be enhancing the waste diversion program and partnership with Recycle Utah. A public education campaign, “Save our Space,” will also launch to raise awareness about recycling and how the public can help extend the life of the landfill. 

Other areas that may require input include child-care initiatives, federal lobbying, updates to the animal control code, public engagement, behavioral health, public works, community development on planning projects such as Crossroads at Silver Creek and the Cedar Crest Village Overlay Zone, a regional housing authority, senior citizens programs and more.

Officials will also have to consider the 2024 budget, which was adopted before the work plan was created, the ongoing legislative session and the unknowns of living in “tumultuous times” as they navigate issues throughout the year.