The Salt Lake City Council has approved the release of funding to Public Lands following recommendations presented on August 28, 2024. This funding follows an evaluation of the 2020 Foothills Plan and aims to resume planning efforts for the Salt Lake City Foothills Natural Area.
The approved funding will allow for the creation of a land management memorandum of understanding involving several entities, including Salt Lake City Public Utilities, the US Forest Service, Utah State Parks, and the University of Utah. Additionally, the city will begin the planning and design phases for two of the seven Foothills zones: Twin Peaks/Dry Creek and East City Creek/Upper Avenues.
The project aims to establish a vision for sustainable recreation that provides various recreational trail and cultural experiences for different ages and abilities while managing environmental resources. The plan outlines five primary goals: ensuring trails are environmentally sustainable, enjoyable, accessible, safe, and low-maintenance.
Plans for the two concurrent zones will be submitted to the City Council for implementation funding in late 20 25 .
The current developments follow a period where Phase I implementation was paused due to public concerns regarding trail building impacts and deviations from the original plan. During this pause, the city hired consultants including SWCA for ecological and cultural reporting, SE Group with subcontractors Kay-Linn Enterprises and Applied Trails Research for plan evaluation, and DEA Inc. for community engagement.
Prior to the pause, Phase I construction included work in Popperton Park and lower City Creek above the Avenues neighborhood.
