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Provo Council adopts Northeast Neighborhood Plan to guide phased growth and protect foothills
Summary
The Municipal Council unanimously adopted the Northeast Neighborhood Plan as an appendix to the general plan, directing future land use, annexation considerations and protections for agricultural and hillside areas while identifying corridors for higher density near University Avenue.
The Provo Municipal Council voted unanimously Tuesday to adopt the Northeast Neighborhood Plan as an appendix to the city's general plan, a long-planned document the city says will guide land use, annexation and development in the Northeast neighborhoods over multiple phases.
Planner Jessica Denique summarized the plan's eight objectives: clarify future land use, identify appropriate locations for medium and higher density (focused along University Avenue and near the Riverwoods), preserve agriculture and critical hillsides, improve trail and recreation connections, and propose design-corridor and gateway standards. Denique said staff used advisory-committee feedback and public surveys in shaping the recommended maps and policies.
Public comment featured multiple residents and advisory-committee members who supported the plan's approach to preserve agricultural and hillside character while allowing carefully placed density. Nate Kirkham of the Northeast neighborhoods asked the council to pass the plan, saying it was "a good step and a good direction for the city" (SEG 1430). Advisory-committee member Kynan Griffin said the committee included diverse voices and asked the council to value open space and residential agricultural zones as part of neighborhood diversity.
Several commenters reiterated that accessory dwelling units (ADUs) had been discussed extensively by the committee but that staff chose neutral language in the plan to avoid preempting the council's concurrent ADU deliberations. Denique said the committee generally gave a positive recommendation on ADUs but staff kept language neutral because the council was still considering overarching code changes.
Council discussion acknowledged the plan's lengthy public process and diversity of neighborhood needs. Several councilors said the plan strikes a balance between protecting single-family neighborhoods and allowing targeted infill, and Councilor Gary Garrett noted the plan's phased approach (each phase roughly five years). The council voted 7-0 to adopt the plan.
The adoption makes the plan a guiding appendix to the general plan; specific code changes, overlays or rezones stemming from the plan would follow in later legislative steps with additional hearings and public notice.
