UTAH COUNTY GENERAL PLAN
CHAPTER 1: GOALS, OBJECTIVES & POLICIES ELEMENT
The Goal :
It is the desire of Utah County citizens, the Utah County Legislative Body, and the Utah County Planning Commission to have a pleasant and progressive county in which people can live and work, without sacrificing the traditional rural atmosphere inherent in the unincorporated areas of the county while protecting the quality of life in the incorporated municipalities and respecting the rights of private property owners. The following are objectives and policies to promote this goal:
Objective 1 Maintain the benefits of the historic satellite-greenbelt form of land use development
Policies
A. Outside the urban corridor, the zoning plan should continue to support the satellite-green belt land use development pattern.
B. Within the urban corridor, the zoning regulations should be designed to produce development which is compatible with the pattern found (or projected) within the municipalities.
C. Non-farm residences on parcels of less than five acres and commercial and industrial development should not be approved within agricultural zones consisting of prime agricultural and irrigated cropland areas.
D. Intense development should not be approved where full emergency services are absent or are too far distant to be effective.
Objective 2 Encourage residential development in locations that are most feasible for the provision of supporting public facilities
Policies
A. Planning for the residential growth of the county, the priority of location choice is: first, within existing municipalities; second, along the outskirts of municipalities where the land can be annexed; third, in newly developed communities anticipating incorporation; and fourth, in unincorporated communities that have a water system approved for culinary use and fire suppression.
B. The design of roads and public facilities in subdivisions and other large scale developments should be done in a fashion which will compliment future annexation by a municipality or the development pattern of the surrounding properties.
Objective 3 Encourage a pleasant, wholesome neighborhood atmosphere in residential areas
Policies
A. Develop residential areas in a manner that will not result in conflicts with surrounding land uses.
B. Developments should provide for adequate off-street parking which is conducive to a safe neighborhood atmosphere.
C. Utilities should be located underground in residential developments.
Objective 4 Encourage a fair share of affordable housing
Policies
A. The amount of affordable housing provided for in each jurisdiction should be proportionate to the population of lower income households in the entire County area, to the population of each jurisdiction.
B. Affordable housing should be provided in locations where public facilities and private services are in reasonable proximity.
Objective 5 Maintain prime agricultural land in active production, and retain the traditional rural nature of the unincorporated county
Policies
A Agriculture is a significant economic utilization of land in unincorporated Utah County and should merit a strong emphasis in land use policies and regulations.
B. Prime agricultural land should be kept in agricultural production or available for agricultural production.
C. Areas served by irrigation systems should be safeguarded from non-farm development and the irrigation infrastructure protected.
Objective 6 Support a variety of methods to preserve agricultural land
Policies
A. Zones should be created which have the sole purpose of protecting and fostering production agriculture.B. Continue to provide the option for the landowner to apply for an Agriculture Protection Area.
C. The Farmland Assessment Act should be maintained as one method of preserving farm land in Utah County.
D. Private foundations and trusts for agricultural land conservation and open space preservation should be encouraged, including protection of farming in agricultural areas and protection of open space in nonagricultural areas.
Objective 7 Commercial land use in unincorporated Utah County should only be encouraged to meet the minimum needs of the local community
Policies
A. Additional unincorporated land should not be rezoned for commercial use unless a significant community need is proven and adequate land area is not available in previously established commercial zones.
B. The county should not approve commercial zones or developments in outlying areas which are beyond the reasonable response distance of full emergency services.
C. Commercial uses in the unincorporated area which require monitoring beyond the staffing limitations of the county organizations governing such uses should be discouraged.
D. Neighborhood commercial developments should be limited to those uses beneficial to the local residents.
Objective 8 Develop industrial land uses in unincorporated areas where essential services are available and encourage necessary industrial areas only where the use will not create problems which outweigh the economic and other public benefits brought into the community by industrial growth
Policies
A. Care should be taken to make sure that no new industrial zone or industrial establishment will be harmful to adjacent properties or to the county.
B. Both new mines and new gravel pits and the expansion of "grandfather" mines and gravel pits should be subject to bonding procedures which will ensure that the mines and pits are used in a way that will protect neighboring property values and will ensure that the land is rehabilitated for future use.
Objective 9 Establish recreational areas for the general public which encourage a sense of community and are pleasant and relaxing
Policies
A. Only parks and recreational facilities that are county-wide or regional in scope should be operated by the County.
B. Utah County government should be part of a multi-jurisdictional cooperative effort to develop and maintain a county-wide recreational trail system which should interconnect major recreation areas and popular trail routes whenever possible.
C. Canyon floor areas should be designated for recreation use, limiting housing and commercial developments, which will permit full recreational use of the canyon locale and not detract from the natural beauty. Recreation areas should be done in a manner which will protect water quality, riparian areas and critical wildlife habitat.
D. Additional mountain recreation areas should be developed due to the increased public demand for camping, picnicking, and scenic travel ways.
E. The open space associated with the shoreline of Utah Lake should be protected and enhanced in order to make the most of the lake’s recreational and scenic potential.
F. Discourage use of off-road vehicles and recreational shooting in areas inappropriate for such uses, and accommodate development of off-road vehicle and shooting areas.
Objective 10 Preserve, protect, and make access available to historical sites
Policies
A. Priority should be given to the preservation of historic buildings, roadways, railroad sites, and other historic landmarks.
B. Utah County should establish a county registry or utilize any existing county registry for those important historic sites which are not included on the National Historic Register.
C. A citizens committee should be maintained to evaluate and recommend preservation sites for the register, increase public awareness and appreciation, as well as procure donations and grants for preservation, maintenance, and restoration.D. The grounds around historic buildings and sites should be tied to an extended park site or connected to the county trails system wherever possible.
Objective 11 Assure that essential governmental facilities and services are provided
Policies
A. Each municipality and the county should have a general plan for its respective jurisdiction, and the governmental entities should cooperate to make the physical development consistent across jurisdictional boundaries.
B. The existing interagency fire protection agreements should be periodically reviewed and updated to compensate for changes occurring in the unincorporated area.
C. The Utah County Health Department provides public health protection countywide and all entities should be contributing to fund this health service.
D. Public facilities which support residential development, should be provided in the cities, not the unincorporated area, in accordance with the policy that development should occur in the cities where services are most efficiently provided.
E. If a development is proposed to be located where a jurisdictional sewer or water system does not exist, the developer should pay for the cost of all necessary tests and studies to assure state-approved sewer, culinary water, fire suppression, and irrigation water systems will work.
F. To encourage annexation, water, sewer, and other services should not be provided by municipal governments to property owners in the unincorporated area.
G. Streets, parks, and other public ways, grounds, places, spaces, and public or privately owned utilities and utility corridors, above ground or buried, should be allowed in all areas of the county to provide the needed public uses for growth and development.
Objective 12 Enhance the transportation of people and goods within Utah county with maximum safety, convenience, and economic benefit
Policies
A. All county roads should be classified according to their functional use and in conjunction with their connection to municipal street classifications.
B. A capital improvements program should be developed to upgrade roads to meet the design standards for each classification in order to facilitate more efficient and economical transportation.
C. All new roads added to the official county road map of Utah County should meet the design standards for its classification at the time it is added.
D. Standards for county road design should be followed as maintained by the Utah County Engineer.
E. Irrigation and open drainage ditches, utility poles and fences, adjoining and parallel to county roads, should be relocated to a location out of the designated clear zone and should also be relocated off the entire right-of-way whenever possible.
F. Utah County should encourage commuter and other traffic to utilize existing and any future mass transit systems.
G. Corridors should be identified and acquired for future freeways and expressways.
Objective 13 Preserve and protect natural resources and open space
Policies
A. All development in the unincorporated area should be designed to conserve as resources, clean air, pure water, riparian areas, wet lands and open space.
B. All disturbance of land due to construction should maintain a protective barrier from natural streams, flood channels, rivers, or bodies of water.
C. To protect areas of sensitive terrain, foliage, water features and wildlife habitat, the county should enforce ordinances prohibiting off-trail travel.
D. The county should encourage recycling of waste materials.
Objective 14 Adopt policies for careful use of water resources
Policies
A. Protect mountain watersheds that produce the water that forms the basis of growth and development in the county's arid setting.
B. Known water infiltration and recharge areas should be protected from paving and other activities which would inhibit infiltration or cause pollution of the groundwater resource.
C. The irrigation systems of Utah County should utilize pressurized piping systems to more efficiently use water.
D. Minimum stream flows should be maintained for fishing, boating, and other recreational uses.
Objective 15 Maintain a tax system which works in tandem with county development policies
Policies
A. County government should not be engaged in the delivery of urban services; existing or new municipal governments should provide long-term comprehensive funding of urban
services in places where development occurs.B. Where feasible, the county should follow a system in which taxation district boundaries are
drawn to coincide with zoning district boundaries.
C. The tax rates of the taxation districts should be set to reflect the differences in cost of delivering governmental services to areas where zone districts allow expanded development versus those where zoning minimizes development.
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