Orem staff outline plan to rewrite general plan as shorter, land-use–focused document

At a Jan. 15, 2025 planning commission work session, Orem planning staff said they will produce a shorter, staff‑led update to the city's general plan that emphasizes land use guidance, the State Street corridor and the city's annexation policy.

Gary (city planning staff) told commissioners the general plan is the city's statement of goals and aspirations and differs from zoning, which contains the legally enforceable rules. He said staff's preferred approach is to draft a concise, readable plan in house, move nonessential material to appendices, and bring an iterative draft back to the planning commission and council rather than commissioning a lengthy consultant‑led document.

The land use element and land use map are the central pieces staff will emphasize, Gary said. He described land use categories used in the plan—low/medium/high density residential, regional commercial, light industrial, mixed use—and explained that land use designations guide zoning decisions but do not by themselves change zoning or property rights.

Staff dis…