Vernal City General Plan Update

A general plan is the primary document adopted by the community to help decision-makers evaluate development proposals and lead growth toward a desired vision. The general plan typically looks at the entire community and future expansion areas, identifying land uses (residential, commercial, manufacturing, parks, etc.) and other elements that make up the community. The general plan vision is established through public participation, which should be dynamic and informative. The general plan has a life of 5 to 10 years, yet looks 20 or more years forward in order to anticipate long term change. Every 5 to 10 years the General Plan needs to be reviewed and updated in order to address changes and evolving priorities.

Updating the Vernal City General Plan provides a unique opportunity for the community to reflect on the past and dream about the future. When successful, the process identifies what works and what needs to be improved. During the update process, the general plan will change and morph, eventually representing the preferred blueprint for the future. Once the Vernal City Plan has been finalized and adopted, implementation tools such as the zoning ordinance and site development guidelines should also be updated in order to help meet the future community vision contained in the plan.

While providing overall guidance to planning issues in the community, the General Plan is not necessarily inflexible. The intent is to state clearly the overall policy objectives and goals - these should remain inflexible until such time as the General Plan is updated or amended. However, within the context of the overall General Plan policy objectives and goals, there is opportunity for flexibility in the execution and implementation of the plan. It is important to adopt the broader ideals to guide decision-making, while considering a range of creative solutions for site-specific issues that do not compromise those ideals. In this way, the General Plan remains a vital, living document that will serve the community for 5 to 10 years.