Unofficial plan lays out potential county makeups of 2040

SALT LAKE CITY — Do you plan to live in northern Utah in 2040?

If you do, then the Wasatch Front Regional Council — a transportation planning group made up of municipal and state political types — wants you to study a map it has created showing Salt Lake, Davis and Weber counties in 30 years.

The map, called Wasatch Choice for 2040, is color-coded to signify different population densities. Salt Lake City is blue, signifying a metro area with 20 to 200 housing units an acre. Places like Ogden and Sandy are considered "urban centers" with 20 to 100 housing units an acre. There are town centers and main streets and on and on to describe areas with fewer residents. A few spaces are designated for open space, industrial parks and commercial districts.

The map has more mixed-use developments made up of office, retail and residential space. One example is land around the 3900 South TRAX station, an area of vacant lots that can be developed for mixed-use buildings with houses, offices and stores, said WFRC Executive Director Chuck Chappell.

The map was made after WFRC staffers visited dozens of city and county planners and looked at future development plans.

"We always hear people saying they wished years ago that (municipal planners) had visions and people were planning," said Michael Jensen, WFRC chairman and Salt Lake County Council chairman.

However, a lot of things could change between now and 2040. The map isn't set in stone, and the WFRC can't control how cities and counties zone.

The map is in draft form and can be changed before the WFRC formally adopts it, Jensen said. People have from Feb. 1 to March 12 to comment.

The map can be found at www.wfrc.org/cms/index.php or by calling 801-363-4250.

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