The Bus Rapid Transit line, a 5-mile project connecting the Frontrunner to WSU, McKay-Dee Hospital and the business district in the surrounding area, is on its way alongside plans for land usage, housing, parks and open spaces in Southeast Ogden.

The Ogden City Council will host a virtual meeting with the aim of ironing out the final details of changes to come to the Southeast Ogden Community. A final Ogden City Council meeting will be held on July 14 at 6 p.m.

The Southeast Ogden community zone covers the majority of Ogden City. This area spans WSU, McKay-Dee Hospital, Shadow Valley and a large portion of Southeast Ogden.

“The Southeast Ogden City Plan has been in development for over a year now,” Ogden City Council’s Communications Manager Brandon Garside said. “There hasn’t been an update to the community in nearly 30 years.”

According to Ogden Utah Planning website, the last fully-completed Southeast Ogden City renovation to the area was back in 1987.

“The community planning involves several steps, a good example of the community planning process is to help put in place new ordinances and measures which will help the community to preserve its historical character and also help it thrive in the future,” Clint Spencer, Deputy Planning Manager for Ogden City, said.

Residents, business owners and community opinion leaders of the Southeast Ogden area have come together in helping sculpt the focuses of this plan. The meeting on July 14 will be the final opportunity for residents to take action in discussing their concerns regarding the plan before it is finalized.

There has been community involvement throughout the planning project, with some residents allowing for council members to visit their homes and get an inside look into how they can renovate while maintaining single-family homes and the integrity of the Southeast Ogden City’s identity.

“The area is already about 90% developed,” Garside added. “It’s all about making sure that the integrity of the area will be maintained and improved upon.”

Some initiatives of the plan directly impact WSU: the plan includes incorporation of quality student housing for WSU’s growing community.

“Aside from the university and the hospital, the majority of the community consists of single-family homes, roads and vacant land, most of the remaining vacant land isn’t developable,” Mitch Shaw noted in an article for the Standard-Examiner.

Ogden City encourages as much community participation as possible to help them ensure they have taken into account the community’s perspectives before finalizing the plan and moving forward with it. They encourage individuals to go over the plan documents, visit their website for in depth details and attend the meeting on July 14.