The Commissioner — Winter 2008

Commission Profile

Staying Ahead of the Curve

Lindon City (Utah) Planning Commission

By Karen Finucan Clarkson

Largely immune from the rapid development in the Salt Lake City–Provo, Utah, corridor, Lindon City sees growth coming. "We are in the enviable position of being able to anticipate, rather than react to, development," says Gary Godfrey, vice chair of the Lindon City Planning Commission. "Unlike other cities where development happened over a long period of time, we have a unique opportunity to create an identity for our city, to structure what we want development to be like and look like."

A combination of factors — a proposed Interstate interchange and road, the opening of a Wal-Mart, and light-rail line — convinced the planning commission the time was ripe to control Lindon's destiny. "We saw where things were going to start hopping," says commission chair Jim Peters, "so we took the initiative." For close to five years, commissioners have worked on a variety of projects to ensure the city retains "a little bit of country" — Lindon's motto — as it grows.

To that end, the seven-member commission has focused on creating commercial architectural design guidelines and updating the city's sign ordinance, in addition to its ongoing reviews of subdivision proposals and requests for conditional uses and zoning changes. "We also issue a new city general plan every five years," says Godfrey. "It takes some time to review state legislative law changes and judicial interpretations and incorporate them into our plan."

The planning commission meets twice a month. "We may be a small community, but there's a lot to do," says Adam Cowie, planning and economic development director. "We are positioned between several larger communities — Orem City to the south has over 100,000 people — and there's enough activity within Utah County and the region that Lindon, with 10,500 residents, functions as a larger city, especially given our industrial and commercial base."

Commissioners spend more than 12 hours a month at or preparing for meetings, according to Godfrey. In addition to reviewing meeting documents, Godfrey spends time in the field. "I try to go by all of the sites that are on the agenda. I drive by, take notes, and come prepared with questions that are site specific," he says.

There are few requirements for or restrictions on planning commission service. Commissioners are appointed by the mayor and confirmed by the city council. Terms are for two years and there is no term limit. "The mayor tries to get a cross section of the city," says Jim Peters. "Our two residential zones — R12 and R20 — are represented and we have a variety of backgrounds—a dairy farmer, real estate agent, accountant, and someone in the computer industry."

Planning commissioners also attend training. "They participate in the APA Utah Chapter conference whenever possible," says Cowie. They recently took part in a program on ethics and legal issues designed for local government employees.

"I have attended more training lately than I did when I was new," says Godfrey. "The longer I serve, the more I realize how valuable the training opportunities from local associations are. I've been really impressed with the perspective they've given me and would encourage planning commissioners, especially those who are new, to take advantage of them. They make us much more effective."