That is a huge question, but what we can tell you is that right now if all of the approved housing was built and in place, the population is estimated to be 176,429 people living in Eagle Mountain. These statistics are from a presentation that was given to the City Council on July 19, 2022, by city staff during the City Council work session.
There are a couple of terms that will help make sense of this article. The first term is “vested, or vesting”. When a development is approved by the City Council, that developer now has a vested right or they have the right to build the number of approved units regardless of future zoning, regulation, or changes. The second term is “a plat”. A plat is the approved plan that shows the details of the property lines, the size, and the location of each parcel or lot. The plat is what is filed with the county after the city verifies that the infrastructure is in place. Once this filing is done, then the developer can sell the individual lots for the building of the units.
The city currently has 17,080 units in approved plats that have not been built yet. If those units are built, the city population is expected to reach 75,000+ people. The city also has 22,746 units that are vested (legally promised to allow to be built) in the city that has not been platted yet. The city currently is approximately 52 sq miles. Of that area, 30 sq miles have already been vested or built on. That means that ~58% of Eagle Mountain already has development plans that are approved by the city council that the developers could start building on.
The next question you may have is where, will this growth happen. The report divides the city into a north and south section.
The North area currently has 5,455 units that are vested that are not part of a Master Development Plan, so they are spread throughout the North area of Eagle Mountain. If you want a specific location, Upper Hidden Valley has a total of 3,136 additional units vested, followed by Silverlake which has 2,356 units vested.
The South area currently has 4,905 units that are vested that are not part of a Master Development Plan, so they can spread through the South area of Eagle Mountain. Specifically, the Pole Canyon development has a total of 9,659 units vested. The developer of this development has come back to the City Council to try to get this number increased. The next largest vested area in the South end of the city is Overland, they have 3,800 units that are vested but not platted.
If you look at the type of density that is vested as well as unplatted you will find a mix of 79% single-family housing, leaving 21% multi-family housing.
You can read the full report here:
The report lists the following observations.
- Single-family detached homes are still the most desirable type of housing unit
- Affordability / Attainability is key – high demand for homes on small/standard lots
- Continue to focus on economic development (commercial and industrial growth) to subsidize the ongoing cost of providing services to single-family homes
- The “19%” multi-family units should be located in areas to maximize their benefits & reduce their impacts (walkable, near commercial, near major roads and intersections, near future bus/transit)
- The growth will continue. We should focus on livability of neighborhoods (access to trails, parks, services; traffic calming & pedestrian safety in neighborhoods; convenient and safe roads/routes to business centers and destinations; transportation options).
- Preserve usable open space for recreation, wildlife, etc. while we can
- Plan now for necessities of higher population – water & utility needs, major roads & connectivity, busing & future transit options, public safety needs, future regional parks, etc
The City Council spent 63 minutes having city staff present and discussing city growth with them. I have downloaded and cut out just the City Growth discussion and presentation from the city’s recording of the meeting. You can view it here.
Mike Kieffer is an IT geek by hobby and trade, with a BS in Information Systems & Technology. He is a proud father of 10, a grandpa, an author, a journalist, and internet publisher. His motto is to “Elevate, Inspire and Inform”, and he is politically conservative and a Christian. Mike has a passion for technology, writing, and helping others. With a wealth of experience, he is committed to sharing his knowledge with others to help them reach their full potential. He is known for his jackassery or his form of self-expression that encourages boldness, creativity, and risk-taking. It can be a way to push the boundaries and challenge traditional norms, leading to creative solutions and positive change.