The streets of Ogden City never rest, there’s always a new business, building or project adding to what makes this city unique. The Ogden City Planning Division is the first step for those kicking off a start-up, modifying a building, or devising plans for new construction. They coordinate future land uses in the city through zoning and development standards. Not an easy task considering Ogden was the wild west with no zoning until 1951. “We call it cowboy rules, they built however they wanted, whatever they wanted,” says Joe Simpson, Ogden City’s Assistant Planning Director. “This made some of the most interesting things, it gave Ogden character.”

Planning works to keep that character alive while also mapping Ogden’s future. To simplify the process, they created the Concept Review Team (CRT), a complimentary service that review plans, ensuring they align with city code, zoning, and Ogden City’s General Plan. “While not an official review, it provides feedback for a project. It just allows us to get together and talk through the project," explains Simpson. "Planning, engineering, utilities and building come to the table ready to answer questions. This helps cut down on the phone calls, emails, and texts to various city departments and stakeholders.”

Because Ogden is a historic city with buildings dating back to the 1800s, zoning and land uses evolved over time. Planning staff can help determine whether a proposed business or project fits within the allowed uses for a specific building or area. That’s why it’s important to meet with Planning early, before finalizing any plans. Simpson say, “They may not know how to set up a building, meet all the health department requirements, get all the licensing and have all the utilities and things they may need to run their business. The CRT is helpful when people don’t know where to start.”

Ogden’s CRT has become the standard for many cities, some even reached out to hear how the process works. “We run a very efficient meeting because you’ve got a lot of people there, especially the fire marshal and building official,” says Simpson. To serve as many prospective customers as possible, CRT supplies a general template with all their contact information, links to city codes and the applications needed to start a project. CRT members also fill out a summary of action items and next steps to guide the prospective business into a positive outcome although sometimes those plans may not work out, “We want to see things grow, but sometimes we have to say it’s not going to work. But we’re going to work, we’re going to beat our heads to make sure we’ve exhausted every option until we get to that point,” says Simpson.

Every business owner, homeowner, or developer’s journey starts with Ogden City’s Planning Division and ideally ends with a successful project. If you’re ready to take that first step and become part of Ogden’s evolving landscape, connect with planning staff at planning@ogdencity.gov. From there, they’ll answer any questions you have or get you on the CRT schedule. The CRT meets every Wednesday, from 9am to 10:30am inside the Municipal Building at 2549 Washington Blvd.