People living in Coalville, Henefer, Wanship, Kamas, Oakley, Francis and other areas of eastern Summit County who want a role in shaping the future of their communities will have an opportunity to participate in the planning process this month.
Summit County is hosting two open house events for community members interested in providing input on the Eastern Summit County General Plan, which staffers are working to overhaul for the first time since 2013.
The advisory document is used to influence important decisions, from land use and preservation to transportation and housing, now and in the future. The general plan is used by county staff, the Eastern Summit County Planning Commission and the Summit County Council.
County planners will be at the Ledges Event Center in Coalville on Tuesday and the Kamas Library on June 18 from 6 to 8 p.m. to present information about the general plan and the timeline for updates. Attendees are also encouraged to provide feedback on what they want the community to look like in the future.
Staff will update the policies, objectives and strategies laid out in the general plan based on community comments collected during the planning process, which will also be combined with insights gained during the Our Summit visioning project that was completed last year.
There’s also a twin document on the West Side that will be going through the same process. The Snyderville Basin General Plan was last updated in 2015.
Access to trails and recreation, open space and maintaining community character were the top values listed by North and South Summit residents as well as those living in the Basin listed during the visioning process. Those areas will likely be prioritized in the general plan.
“We began with a vision for the county as a whole. Now, we need to get more specific information in order to develop a plan to meet that community vision. After revising our general plans, we may take a closer look at the development code to ensure we have the tools needed to achieve our community-specific goals and larger vision,” the county’s website states.
A general plan must have elements for land use, transportation and traffic circulation, moderate-income housing, water use and preservation, and resource management planning. It can also include environmental protection or conservation, public services or facilities, an economic development plan and anything else county officials deem important.
Two advisory committees are forming to help county planners create the general plan documents. The groups are tasked with examining the existing policies, clarifying the goals and digging deeper into future plans. Applications closed on May 8.
Seven people will serve on the eastern Summit County panel: two planning commissioners from eastern Summit County, one planning commissioner from the Snyderville Basin, three members at-large and one County Council member. An at-large member will be appointed from both North and South Summit.
The Snyderville Basin committee will have five members: two West Side planning commissioners plus one from eastern Summit County, one member at-large and one county councilor.
County planners hope the general plan will be adopted by the County Council by the end of 2025. Each planning commission must first review the draft documents, conduct public hearings and issue a recommendation.
A community survey will also be online starting Tuesday in addition to the open houses. Details for outreach events in the Snyderville Basin have yet to be announced.
More information and a link to the survey will be available at
ut-summitcounty.civicplus.com/2475/General-Plans.