Murray moves quickly to convert Fashion Place West small‑area plan into a state‑required station area plan

Murray City planners and consultants told the council Aug. 5 they will update the Fashion Place West small‑area plan to satisfy recent state requirements for fixed‑rail station area plans and to focus on implementation steps the state expects within five years.

Mark Morris of VODA Landscape and Planning said the city adopted a small‑area plan in 2021 and that the state’s station‑area requirements are implementation‑focused: they require the city to identify specific projects, responsible parties, and timelines for infrastructure and land‑use changes within a half‑mile radius of the rail platform. Morris said the current small‑area plan covers much of the state’s requirements, so the work will be a targeted update rather than a full new planning process.

City staff said the station plan must cover a half‑mile radius around the transit platform but that plan boundaries will be tailored to account for physical barriers such as I‑15 and the rail corridor. The consultant said UTA and the Wasatch Front Regional Council (WFRC) will be partners in the adoption process and that UDOT and other agencies may be required for some improvements. Morris said the updated plan will separate recommendations by appropriate scale — what belongs at the platform edge versus what is suitable farther away — and will include a strengthened implementation schedule with assigned responsibilities.

Chad Wilkinson said the process will move rapidly because much of the work was completed in 2020–21. He and Morris invited a council member to join a steering committee of staff and planning commissioners so an elected official has direct briefings. Morris said the state requires a report every five years on progress and that the plan’s implementation section will list short‑ and medium‑term steps, partners, and funding needs. Council members asked about outreach and saw public outreach documentation and an appendix summarizing the earlier public survey and stakeholder contacts.

The council was told adoption by the WFRC (and related regional bodies) will follow the city’s approval and that the city’s portion must be complete by the end of the year to meet statutory requirements for stations; staff noted the city has other small slivers for other stations that will be processed in parallel and that completion of those areas plus this plan will meet the requirement.

The discussion was informational; staff said they will return to the council with the updated materials and a proposed adoption schedule.