Business View Civil & Municipal | Volme 3, Issue 2

88 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 3, ISSUE 2 We’re also focusing on open space preservation, so we don’t lose the agricultural feel of the community.” Some of these growth challenges are mitigated by strict adherence to the North Ogden General Plan. With Utah being a pro-property rights state, cities must be proactive in planning or else they won’t have enough resources to accommodate residents. “The goal is to maintain and improve quality of life while providing a variety of housing choices,” says Hess. “It helps that the city has a great working relationship with developers in the area. Our locally grown developers put their name on the line, since housing areas rarely change for 100 years. These folks who live, work, and develop in our community are doing a fantastic job.” North Ogden also manages its capital facilities well. The budget for infrastructure projects remains strong, partly due to enterprise funds housing stock is only continuing to appreciate. As Hess reports, “We have a good mix of people who have lived here forever, benefitting from the appreciation in housing values, and those who are investing at a high level into our community, because housing is worth so much right now.” Regarding developments, he estimates the city is “about halfway there” in building housing for 40,000 residents. “From a planning perspective, we’re flexible with the options we offer. Approximately 27 percent of our new rooftops include attached housing such as a townhouse, condo, or apartment. This way, we can expand while maintaining a lesser footprint on growth.