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Planners outline six-node “polycentric” vision to link FrontRunner, downtown and recreation
Summary
City planners and consultants presented a long-range polycentric plan that divides American Fork into six nodes—Transit, Commercial, Downtown, East Gateway, Employment and Recreation—emphasizing multimodal connections, transit scenarios and grant-seeking for active-transportation links.
City planning staff and consultants on Tuesday outlined a “polycentric” plan that divides American Fork into six distinct activity nodes and proposes multimodal connections and transit options to knit them together. Patrick O’Brien introduced the long-range effort and said the plan has been shaped by about 18 months of public input and steering-committee meetings.
Lauren Leydsman described the nodes as distinct identities for future development: “Transit” centered on the TOD and FrontRunner access, “Commercial” as a modern shopping and working hub, “Downtown” as an authentic and walkable main street, “East Gateway” as a distinctive arrival zone, “Employment” near the I‑15/500 East exit, and “Recreation” around the boat harbor. The consultants emphasized implementable goals such as stronger multimodal (walking/biking) connections and support for local businesses.
Mehrnaz Fereydouni said the transit analysis is considering short‑term and long‑term scenarios, including on‑demand services, realignment of existing routes and a city circulator: “We’re evaluating ridership potential, costs and funding strategies so options are grounded in travel behavior and feasibility.” Ryan Wallace highlighted an active‑transportation opportunity: planners see a chance to link the Recreation and Downtown nodes with a shore‑to‑summit trail and said staff will pursue grants to support those connections.
The consulting team urged community feedback through an online engagement tool (menti.com) and said the study will refine scenarios, assess costs and propose a funding and operations plan in 2026. The Planning Commission will hold a public hearing the following evening as the effort moves toward a draft and final plan.
