Valley Visioning

Fulfilling the vision of Utah Valley’s future

Utah Valley is growing — and the Utah Valley Chamber of Commerce is working to ensure that growth occurs according to a vision created by local residents.

A research brief released in July of 2017 by the Kem C. Gardner Police Institute at the University of Utah predicts Utah County’s population will reach 1.6 million by 2065.

This immense expansion in population will affect all aspects of daily life in Utah Valley, from transportation and education to employment and recreation. The future looks both daunting and exciting, and the good news is there is time to prepare for it.

In 2018, with this future in mind, the Association of Utah County Chambers and Envision Utah launched Valley Visioning. The goal of this effort was to create a vision for Utah Valley describing the future that residents want for themselves, their neighbors and their children while also articulating goals and strategies to make that future a reality.

Over the course of two years, 15,000 residents, elected officials, community leaders and topic experts came together to discuss and prioritize their goals for the future and move toward compiling a complete valley vision. Eighteen public workshops were held throughout the county to gather input and create various growth scenarios for consideration.

The Valley Visioning project ended in November of 2020 with the completion of a vision document, which can be read at utahvalleyvisioning.org.

The Utah Valley Chamber of Commerce and its partners are now actively working to implement this vision through six committees set up to address each of the six areas deemed most important during the Valley Visioning process: business, education and workforce development, healthcare, transportation, housing and natural resources.

“These six committees were formed for the sole purpose of implementing the visioning of that collaborative work,” said Curtis Blair, president and CEO of the Utah Valley Chamber.

The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic paused work to implement the valley vision just as the vision document was completed. However, both Blair and former Chamber President and CEO Stan Lockhart recognized that the Chamber’s countywide membership and involvement put the organization in a unique position to begin bringing the valley vision to life when COVID-19 restrictions eased.

“Because of the Chamber’s regional focus, it was a natural step for us to to pick things up where they left off and take the lead,” Blair said.

Formed about a year ago, the Chamber’s six committees are led by experts in the field of each committee’s focus. Made up of additional experts and stakeholders, these committees are meeting to explore how they can help Utah Valley grow in the way its residents desire and act as a resource for local businesses, educational institutions and other organizations.

“I would like to see these committees preserve and protect the greatness of Utah Valley,” Blair said. “I’d like to see them in a very real way pay forward our economic prosperity to the next generation and create a legacy of leaving it better than when we came.”

Join the Valley Visioning effort

The Utah Valley Chamber of Commerce is seeking more people interested in shaping the future of Utah Valley through participating on its six Valley Visioning committees. The members of these committees are volunteers who serve with the goal of ensuring this valley retains its outstanding quality of life through the major population growth forecast for the next few decades.

The six committees are:

• Business & Environment • Education & Workforce • Heathcare • Transportation • Housing Gap • Natural Resources

More information about these committees can be found in this magazine or by contacting the Utah Valley Chamber of Commerce at 385-482-2555, sending an email to info@thechamber.org or visiting the chamber’s website at thechamber.org.

2021 Utah Valley Growth & Prosperity Summit

Join us on Thursday, Oct. 28, for the 2021 Utah Valley Growth & Prosperity Summit where local leaders and stakeholders will discuss and plan for the future growth and economic outlook of Utah Valley. Open to the general public, this summit will be held at the Utah Valley University Noorda Center for the Performing Arts. Those interested in attending can do so in person or online. For more information and to register, visit uvsummit.com.