Clearfield City Council adopts 2025 general plan update, with water element to be added by year-end

Clearfield City Council approved an updated Clearfield City General Plan on a 4–0 vote with one abstention, adopting a roughly 70-page document intended to guide the city’s growth over the next 5–10 years.

The plan was presented to the council by Tyson (city staff) and Susie Petherum, consultant with FFKR. Susie Petherum said, "The general plan is an advisory guide for making decisions regarding the progress and growth of the city." The planning commission held a public hearing on May 21, 2025, and forwarded a recommendation of approval to the council, and the council previously reviewed the draft on June 10, 2025.

Why it matters: The general plan lays out vision initiatives, goals, policies and a future land use map that the city will use to evaluate zoning requests, capital projects and long-term priorities. The council and consultants said the document is not regulatory by itself but is meant to inform zoning, the capital improvements plan and other implementing actions.

Key points and council direction: The plan reduces an earlier draft from about 100 pages to roughly 70 pages and organizes the material in two parts: Part 1, a high-level vision and initiatives; and Part 2, the policy guide and required plan elements. The vision includes four initiatives — focused growth, connectivity, community well‑being and resilience — that link to the plan’s six policy elements. The future land use map includes housing categories (neighborhood, transitional, urban), centers and mixed‑use areas, industrial and manufacturing zones, and overlays for historic neighborhoods and land conservation. The plan also recommends a potential greenway following the power corridor for coordination with Rocky Mountain Power.

State water requirement and next steps: Consultants and staff noted a new state requirement to include a water use and preservation element. Tyson said the deadline to adopt that element is "December 31 of this year" and that the water element will come back to the planning commission and city council as a general plan amendment. The city has obtained grant funding to support development of the water element and expects to return to the planning commission and council in the fall to complete that work.

Council action and vote: A motion to approve the general plan (including one small wording change to make an item read "consider" rather than a prescriptive action) was made and seconded. The final roll call recorded Council member Peterson — Aye; Council member Rachford/Ratchford — Aye; Council member Worth — Aye; Council member Roper — Aye; Council member Dakota Thompson — Abstain. The council president announced the motion passed 4–0 with one abstention.

What was discussion vs. decision: The council’s vote approved the plan in its current form as an advisory document; the water element and any zoning or regulation changes required to implement plan policies will be separate decisions. Council members asked for clarifying wording changes and additional detail where appropriate; one council member explicitly abstained until the water element is integrated.

Background: The plan update was started before Tyson began working for the city, paused, and resumed after the city hired FFKR in 2023. Public engagement included a community survey, multiple work sessions with the planning commission and council, and reviews of draft policies and the future land use map.