Envision Utah praises projects

Envision Utah honored organizations and individuals Thursday for creating projects aimed at improving the quality of life in Utah.

"We are going to have massive growth (in Utah) and we are going to have to be more and more concerned about our quality of life," said Gov. Olene Walker in her remarks to the award recipients. "You are the ones looking ahead, caring, not only about the past, but caring about the future."

Local governments, citizens groups, farmers and developers were among those who received 17 awards for housing, planning, water conservation, open space preservation, transportation and other projects.

Sandy Dry Creek Restoration Project and Brookes Ranch Easement each received a Governor's Award for Critical Land Conservation.

Griffin Bullock, 16, Salt Lake City, was one of the youngest "developers" in attendance. Bullock and about five former Beacon Heights Elementary School students created the idea for the tunnel at 1300 East in Sugar House. The tunnel won the grand achievement award for planning and design.

"With the new development in Sugar House, it really helps connect the park and consumer market. . . . It just makes it more pleasant," Bullock said.

Robert J. Grow, founding chairman of Envision Utah, said that by the year 2020, a million more residents will be added to the greater Wasatch area of Utah — two-thirds of those residents will be children and grandchildren of current residents.

"Look in the mirror. We are the enemy," Grow said. "We are seeing tremendous growth through this region. Just think back what it was like 20 years ago."

If housing development continues to be dominated by single-family homes, Grow said, the housing people need and the housing they can afford will be "quite different." Grow was particularly concerned with future transportation needs, and said major "pinch points" of transportation in the Wasatch Front could become "unbearable" if a good public transportation is not funded.

Award of Merit: Walnut Grove Development LLC for Centennial Plaza in Richfield; Springview Farms II LLC and CW Management Corporation for Spring View Farms in Bluffdale; Manti Main Street Steering Committee for its Main Street Enhancement project; city of Orem for its new mixed-use zoning ordinance — the PD-23 Zone; city of Orem for its new student housing development, Parkway Crossing; Salt Lake City Municipal Corporation Department of Public Utilities for its water conservation plans and ordinances.