Payson staff, council and consultants review concept plan tied to UDOT's NEBO Beltway alignment

At a Payson City Planning Commission work session (date not specified), planning staff and consultants presented a concept plan for roughly 1,000 acres east of Interstate 15 that would be shaped by the Utah Department of Transportation's (UDOT) proposed NEBO Beltway alignment.

The consultants said the diagonal NEBO Beltway alignment and associated access needs create “a key opportunity to really figure out what the city wants in this area,” and that the draft concept is intended to frame land uses, transportation access and open-space placement as the corridor develops. The presentation covered ownership patterns, preliminary wetlands mapping, a tentative roadway grid and two proposed commercial nodes.

Why it matters: the NEBO alignment crosses largely undeveloped land that is fragmented among about 20 property owners, including a large church-owned parcel and several properties with existing entitlements. The discussion addressed how UDOT's access decisions and wetlands delineation could shape where roads, commercial pads and residential development are placed.

Details from the presentation

Consultants said the study area is about 1,000 acres and includes roughly 20 separate property owners; the church owns several contiguous parcels in the north part of the site and Property Reserve (noted in the presentation) holds entitlements on at least two parcels. Consultants described a wetland-delineation process that used FEMA maps, GIS data and historical aerial photography and said they took a conservative approach to mapping where irrigation and road construction could isolate wet areas.

On transportation, the plan shows a rotated grid of streets intended to provide access to each parcel and a limited number of lighted intersections where the NEBO Beltway would tie into existing routes, including State Route 198. Consultants said the roadway alignment was shifted from an earlier station-area plan to avoid some of the heaviest wetlands and to respond to UDOT feedback about the number of connections the agency will approve. “The station area plan crossing cuts right through one of the heaviest wetlands, so we did shift it a little bit to the northeast to get outside of those,” a consultant said.

Two commercial nodes were proposed: a larger regional node along SR‑198 and a smaller neighborhood node nearer the NEBO alignment. The presentation gave pad-dimension examples — one pad area described as roughly 800 feet deep by 1,600 feet wide and another as about 600 by 600 feet — and cited the Meadows Crossing/Target-style layout as a comparable scale. The consultants said those dimensions were intended to gauge what regional retail or big-box users might require.

Land use and amenities

Around the commercial nodes, the concept layers higher-intensity attached housing, transitioning to mixed attached/detached product and then to detached neighborhoods farther from the nodes. The plan includes a trails and active-transportation network intended to connect across I‑15 to the FrontRunner station and to the Utah Valley University (UVU) campus; consultants said some crossings may be active-transportation-only while others could allow vehicles, a decision still under discussion.

Other facilities shown on the concept map include a tentative fire station location (presenters cautioned the location is illustrative only) and an existing WIC facility. Consultants said they have not yet met with the local school district and that school siting will depend on subsequent population modeling.

Constraints and next steps

Presenters repeatedly noted UDOT access control and wetlands as key constraints. They said UDOT is “not fond of” many direct connections to the NEBO Beltway and that the draft reduces the number of crossings compared with an earlier station-area plan. Consultants also noted existing entitlements on some parcels that could require greater intensity in specific nodes.

The meeting moved into breakout group sessions for detailed feedback on the concept, open space and community visioning. Staff said they will return revised materials reflecting commissioner and council comments and statutory/state-law changes discussed at a recent American Planning Association conference.

Quotes

“This is a key opportunity to really figure out what the city wants in this area,” the planning consultant said while introducing the concept.

“The station area plan crossing cuts right through one of the heaviest wetlands, so we did shift it a little bit to the northeast to get outside of those,” a consultant added when explaining a change to the alignment.

What was not decided

No formal land-use decisions or entitlements were approved at the session. Presenters and commissioners discussed concepts and asked staff to refine maps, but the transcript records no motion or vote related to the concept plan.

Next steps and follow-up

Staff and consultants said they will incorporate feedback from commissioners, city council members and property owners; continue coordination with UDOT on acceptable access points; meet with the school district about future school needs; and refine active-transportation connections across I‑15. A subsequent meeting date and any formal actions were not specified in the transcript.