The Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute is estimating that Utah’s population will increase by 2 million in the next four decades, and Wasatch County is the only county projected to increase by more than 110%. By 2065, Wasatch County is expected to be home to 84,126 residents.
That doubling of Wasatch County’s current 39,428 residents is not surprising to Heber City Mayor Heidi Franco. It’s something for which she said Heber City’s local government is bracing.
“The city has had 20 annexations just since 2019, and in those 20 annexations, the city has approved 9,293 units,” Franco said. “Plus, the city has approved one million square feet of commercial space in those 20 annexations … That’s more than doubling the size of our city.”
Franco said keeping up with growth is the city’s number one issue.
With growth comes more traffic and a harder time finding affordable housing. Franco said she defines responsible growth as protecting the safety and welfare of each citizen — ”even future citizens” — by protecting air quality, protecting natural resources and ensuring new growth contributes to building the community.
“Growth needs to build its own needed new roads, parking and infrastructure, or increase existing capacities for connectivity, public welfare and safety,” Franco said.
When it comes to local government, Franco said that role falls to actively listening and communicating, but also to proactively protect the “permanent public interests.” For Franco, that includes commercial growth and traffic capacity.
“That is the only way to save the soul and spirit of the community,” Franco said.
As mayor, Franco said “responsible growth” has come with implementing certain safeguards in the city. That means developing stormwater standards for new developments, working with Wasatch County to adopt agricultural protections, working with open lands boards and protecting open space despite constant development.
It’s infrastructure that comes before development for Franco. That’s something Franco said the city has been working on for years. Tuesday, Heber City updated its master capital facilities plan that will be a guideline for the next 20 years.
“I think the infrastructure has to match the housing that’s already approved,” Franco said. “We’ve always had the master capital facilities plan, but now it’s been updated to those current projections.”
Some new developments, Franco pointed out, are necessary. For Heber, that includes the new Deer Creek High School and M-Tech campuses. Adding on to educational opportunities that way allows for more wiggle room in the city. Other developments, though, are not always seen the same way. For instance, the Jordanelle Ridge Development includes more than 5,000 residential units, a new amphitheater, arts event center and golf course.
“Heber City accepted these annexations after much city and community discussion over several years and is working extensively with all of these developments to ensure that needed infrastructure will be built and other details are completed in each annexation and master development agreement,” Franco said.
If the economy holds strong, Franco said Heber City could have several thousand new residents who, hopefully, will have a new highway bypass road to use to avoid traffic congestion. Franco expects to see new types of housing, new recreational opportunities and more affordable housing.
Heber City’s population of nearly 20,000 makes it the largest city in Wasatch County. But it’s not the only one to be rapidly growing. Midway Mayor Celeste Johnson said the city is seeing stress from the county’s increased development and growth.
Development in the Mayflower area, Johnson said, has created a spillover effect for the rest of the county.
“What is distressing or surprising to me with all of this growth is how little attention is being given to affordability,” Johnson said, adding that development in Mayflower and expansion in the Deer Valley East Village has been a “very expensive play land for very wealthy people.”
Affordability, Johnson said, is her main sticking point when it comes to growing pains. Johnson stressed that there needs to be increased housing for individuals who work in that area. Essential workers are her priority when it comes to creating deed-restricted and affordable housing.
“I want our nurses to live up here. I want our police officers and teachers and our firefighters. I want those folks to be able to afford to live up here and they can’t,” Johnson said.
But that’s not all she’s worried about.
Johnson said Midway City is preparing for the increased growth by safeguarding its open space. The city is known for its open space and, in the past two elections, has passed million-dollar open space bonds. Johnson said it’s a way for landowners to have options.
“In the past, all they could do if they were land rich and cash poor was sell their property to a developer,” Johnson said. “Now, with conservation easements being provided because we have passed two open space bonds, we can use that bond money to buy the development rights. The landowner ends up with a chunk of change, and their property can stay a farm or a ranch in perpetuity.”
The second $5 million open space bond passed with 72% of the vote, years after the first passed in 2018 with 53% of the vote.
Johnson said the flipside of land protection is that Midway is becoming more expensive.
“People desire to live in places where there are open spaces, where there are trails that are connected, where there are ways of accessing the state park,” Johnson said. “And so Midway is very appealing that way.”
Wasatch County officials are currently in the process of creating the county’s general plan and are using data from the U.S. Census Bureau, the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute and local studies to inform land use scenario planning. The general plan acts as a guideline for the county and also identifies opportunities or challenges in the road ahead.
County leaders said they are investing in maintenance of existing road infrastructure and public safety improvements to keep up with the expected growth. Wasatch County Planner Austin Corry said the projections from the Kem C. Gardner are not as “shockingly different” as one might think.
“The doubling of population has been the projection each time these studies come out for at least two decades. What’s important is that the communities continually evaluate their trajectory to ensure their core values are maintained. For us, that means balancing growth with conservation, limited space and resources,” Corry said.
He added that it’s no surprise that more residents are moving to Wasatch County each year.
“It’s a beautiful place and the more we steward the environment we are in, the more likely we can share that with generations into the future. The growth forces us to be proactive and really think about the impact we each have on the community and the natural environment,” Corry said.
Interim Hideout Mayor Ralph Severini said the town’s most pressing issue is not growth, but lack of a commercial tax base.
“The community is missing restaurants, retail and other local services,” Severini said, adding that those establishments reduce the residential tax burden and enhance quality of life. “Along with this, Hideout still lacks a community center — something residents consistently ask for.”
Hideout’s biggest proposed development — the annexation of Richardson Flats (also known as Silver Meadows) — is also the town’s long-term plan. It’s envisioned to become the commercial center of town and a “thriving mixed-use development,” according to Severini.
“Hideout is moving forward in a collaborative way with our community partners and the project developer to ensure this development meets the many needs of our entire region and the neighboring communities around us to its fullest potential,” Severini said.
Smart and responsible growth, Severini said, is a balance. It’s a “win-win-win” for everyone from homeowners to the town and then the larger region. But, he said it also requires accountability.
“Developers and the town alike must live up to their commitments, so trust is maintained and growth happens as promised,” Severini said.
Like Midway and Heber City, Hideout expects to see a vast amount of changes in the future. In five years, Severini said the “vibrant town with magnificent views” will also be host to new residential, retail, light commercial and recreational amenities. In 20 years, the town will still be defined by its natural beauty.
“By then, Hideout will be in its second or third generation of growth, with the children of today’s residents carrying forward the vision and continuing to value what makes the town unique,” Severini said.