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Traffic flows along Interstate 15 as seen from a bridge along 1600 South in Springville on Wednesday, May 15, 2019.

Isaac Hale, Daily Herald file photo

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A map of Spanish Fork, highlighting the location of a possible new FrontRunner station.

Courtesy Spanish Fork City

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Spanish Fork is seeking community input on developing a station area plan for growth around the proposed new FrontRunner station as part of the city’s overall land use update.

The city released a survey for residents and property owners in the area or those who visit the city to gather data and feedback on developing around the potential FrontRunner stop as well as growth throughout the city.

Dave Anderson, community development director for Spanish Fork, said the city will be seeking public input on land use plans, specifically around a possible FrontRunner stop, for the next few months.

“It’s definitely kind of an all-hands-on-deck effort to get the word out in the community about what the city’s doing, and why the city is doing it, to try to make sure that at the end of the day, the decisions that are made are as well-informed as they can be,” he said.

The potential location for a FrontRunner station, according to the Utah Transit Authority’s South Utah Valley transit study, would be near Center Street and Interstate 15.

In October, the Utah Department of Transportation released a draft purpose and need statement for an I-15 interchange on Center Street and sought public input on the statement. Any designs for an interchange could be finalized at the end of this year.

UTA is currently working on a study to extend the FrontRunner commuter train line, adding stops in Springville, Spanish Fork and Payson. Currently, the southernmost FrontRunner stop is in Provo.

The state requires the survey, Anderson said, with the state also providing direction to create “more intense” land usage around public transit to support those systems, adding the state has minimum requirements regarding the number of homes surrounding a station.

The survey asks participants what they value about Spanish Fork the most, what the city’s greatest challenges are and what kind of development should be prioritized in the city.

Survey takers also are asked how long they’ve lived in the Spanish Fork area or, if they don’t live nearby, what their connection is to the city.

To some extent, how the area gets developed will “hinge on the input that we get from the community,” Anderson said.

According to Anderson, the area immediately around commuter rail might have a “transit-oriented” focus with a mixed-use environment for retail, businesses, jobs and housing. The area immediately surrounding the possible FrontRunner stop could have a focus on residential to allow for people to walk to public transit, he said.

“Part of that planning effort will be to really try to understand what uses will help make commuter rail be as effective as possible in Spanish Fork and, generally, that’s not just one use,” Anderson said.

The initial survey will remain open until Feb. 14. Anderson said there will be more opportunities for community engagement in the upcoming months through meetings, additional surveys and project updates.

Payson also requested feedback from its residents through a community workshop last January and a survey last March. The proposed station there would be located near the I-15 Main Street exit, with a station plan encompassing a half-mile radius around that.

Spanish Fork’s station area study is part of a larger plan from the city to update its land use. Anderson said the general plan’s main focus is on the area around the FrontRunner station and 2700 North, where a new I-15 interchange is being built. General plans are typically updated every 10-15 years and address future development and growth.

Anderson said they hope to have the station area plan and general land use plan update completed together by about October.

The survey and general plan information are on the city’s website, www.spanishfork.org.