Gov. Cox seeks to unite state agencies, organizations to strategize on Utah growth

New homes are under construction in Spanish Fork on Tuesday, July 16, 2024. (Photo by Spenser Heaps for Utah News Dispatch)

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox signed an executive order on Wednesday bringing a handful of state agencies together to try and better manage the state’s growth. 

The order creates the BUILD (Blueprint for Utah’s Infrastructure, Land, and Development) Coordinating Council, tasked with streamlining efforts and long-term planning related to housing, transportation, water, energy, open space, recreation, air quality and quality of life.

Utah routinely ranks among the country’s fastest growing states, and the executive order is the latest example of elected officials trying to wrangle the population boom. 

“As Utah evolves, everything from water use to transportation is affected,” Cox said in a statement on Wednesday. “This council will help us combine efforts and make better decisions to maintain the quality of life that makes Utah exceptional.”

According to the executive order, the council has five main responsibilities — creating a shared vision for Utah’s future; making sure state agencies are aligned in their long-term plans; identifying ways to “leverage state investments for greater impact”; and collaborating across state agencies to address growth. 

The council is also required to produce an annual report to the governor, lieutenant governor and Legislature. 

The order builds on a resolution passed by the Legislature earlier this year. Sponsored by Rep. Bridger Bolinder, R-Grantsville, HCR11 encourages state and local governments, as well as the private sector, to consider “cross-issue growth impacts in decision-making processes.” 

“A growing population means an increased demand for housing, transportation, water, energy, and open space and recreation,” Bolinder said earlier this year. “Growth issues are interrelated and decisions on one issue often affect other growth-related issues.” 

The council will be made up of the following: 

• The senior adviser for long-range planning, who also serves as the Utah planning coordinator and will act as the chair of the committee 
• The senior adviser for housing strategy and innovation 
• The Utah energy adviser 
• The state homeless coordinator 
• The executive director of the Governor’s Office of Planning and Budget
• The executive director of the Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity
• The executive director of the Utah Department of Natural Resources 
• The executive director of the Utah Department of Transportation 
• The executive director of the Utah Department of Public Safety 
• The executive director of the Utah Department of Environmental Quality 
• The executive director the Utah Department of Heath and Human Services
• The commissioner of the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food 

The commission will also include a number of representatives from higher education and local governments, like: 

• The University of Utah’s Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute
• Utah State University’s Janet Quinney Lawson Institute for Land, Water and Air
• Southern Utah University’s Utah Center for Rural Life
• Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games Salt Lake City 2034 
• The Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce
• The Utah League of Cities and Towns
• The Utah Association of Counties 
• Envision Utah
• A rural region Association of Governments 
• An urban region Association of Governments

SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE