Bountiful officials outline general plan update, trail improvements and business review priorities

Bountiful Mayor Kendalyn Harris and Francisco Astorga, the city—s director of planning and zoning, said the Bountiful City Planning and Economic Development Department is updating its comprehensive general plan, coordinating trail improvements with parks and engineering, and continuing routine land-use enforcement and business licensing.

Mayor Kendalyn Harris said the city—s planning work looks ahead 10 to 20 years as officials consider how the community will redevelop. That timeline, she said during the meeting, frames the department—s long-range planning work.

Francisco Astorga described the department—s responsibilities: "The Bountiful City Planning and Economic Development department helps make the city a great place to live, work, and play. We work with residents, property owners, business owners by planning our community in a way that benefits everyone. We handle current and long term planning, giving people business licenses, and making sure everyone follows the rules about land use. We also work on short and long range plans for new businesses, housing, and active transportation." Astorga said staff also manage projects to improve areas of the city, with particular work focused on the historic main street.

Astorga said the department is "working on updating the city's comprehensive general plan," and that staff are coordinating with the parks and engineering departments to improve trails. He noted the department reviews new businesses to ensure they "add to our community," enforces land-use rules and advises elected officials and the planning commission.

The meeting remarks were informational: no formal decisions, votes or specific funding amounts were announced. City officials did not provide a timeline or budget for the general plan update or the trail projects during the exchange; those items were described as current work priorities rather than completed actions.

Officials said the department also provides support for local events and business retention efforts. Mayor Harris closed the exchange by thanking Astorga and the planning staff for their ongoing work.

Next steps were not detailed at the meeting; officials indicated the general plan update and trail coordination are active areas for staff work and will proceed through the department's typical review and advisory processes.