Issues Facing Orem

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Members of the Stronger Orem PAC (aka Stronger Together PIC), are telling people that the plans to widen 1600 N is fear mongering. We would like to set the record straight and show how the information is accurate and where it is coming from.

Widening 1600 No East from State Street to 800 E was planned for 2025 (see Orem Transportation Master Plan).  The current City Council recently advocated & voted to remove the 5-lane widening/restriping planned for 2025 in the City Council meeting of Oct 10, 2023.

Here's why it's important to understand facts in context because a screenshot of an email has been circulating and the interpretation is completely wrong.  Here are the facts:

http://orem.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Transportation-Master-Plan-2015-Final.pdf?fbclid=IwAR1A_6jhpsj2TUgBQxUkc2qo6-5ec-KCTN_FqYF5ixA4pUVAp8xeRrKbU4U

The images below are from the Orem City Transportation Master Plan (TMP). On them you  can see the plans for various roads that it indicates are to be  widened. The Orem plan is based on our local priorities and how it will  affect neighborhoods.

There is also a regional master plan called TransPlan50 that is put out by  the Mountainland Association of Governments (MAG) who is the organization that controls the purse strings to projects. This regional  plan decides on the region's funding priorities from there. The region plan also incorporates mass transit and freeways or state owned  highways.

https://mountainland.org/static/files/transportation/TransPlan50/TransPlan50.pdf?fbclid=IwAR0w3q2dHJEdl0QuTnD2I5es2KYWBmJiAGa3ZrUWVzxgLMSkTTTKLvQ_wr8

On May 16, 2023 during the City Council work session, 1600 N removal from  the TMP and regional master plan was discussed. To watch - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIDn7gyQRo8.

What this all boils down to is that on October 10, 2023 the plan to widen 1600 N east of State Street and around to 800 E was removed by the current City Council from Orem City’s Transportation Master Plan (TMP). If the City Council dramatically changes come this election, the plans to widen 1600 N can be put back on the TMP and result in 1600 N/800 E widening/restriping.

Vote for Crystal Muhlestein, Matt McKell and Spencer Rands to save Orem neighborhoods.

In response to recent misconceptions circulating after a candidate event held at UVU, Stand for Orem PAC aims to set the record straight regarding its recent flyer (see below) distributed to Orem voters. Contrary to statements made, Stand for Orem PAC does not accuse Chris Killpack, Jeff Lambson, and Jenn Gale of advocating for widespread road widening and high-density development in Orem.

The accusations made during the event, suggesting Stand for Orem PAC's stance on these candidates, are unequivocally inaccurate. Nowhere in our materials have we stated that these candidates endorse high-density apartments, although they have expressed openness to evaluate individual projects. However, it is crucial to note that individuals endorsing and financially supporting these candidates have advocated for high-density apartments and were architects of the original State Street Master plan, which proposed adding 10,000 apartments on State Street.

Our flyer's content has been meticulously fact-checked and documented, with source materials available on our website for verification. We have invested considerable time engaging with candidates, organizing Meet the Candidate nights, and researching key issues and stakeholders in the Orem City Council race.

Jeff Lambson expressed support for a moratorium on the State Street Master Plan in his interview with Stand for Orem PAC. However, his recommendation for Bus-Rapid Transit (BRT) on State Street, as documented in a letter to the City Council dated November 21, 2022 (see below), would lead to mandated high-density apartments due to recent state legislation (SB217 - 2021). Lambson's denial of this recommendation is inaccurate and contradicts the Transportation Master Plan on the city website (page 65). Stand for Orem PAC cannot endorse Jeff Lambson due to concerns about his long-term planning recommendations, including the BRT proposal, and his failure to distance himself from the agenda of his supporters seeking to reverse the progress made by the current administration over the past two years.

Statements were made at the end of the debate, claiming that Stand for Orem PAC has accused candidates of wanting to widen all Orem roads. This assertion is unequivocally false. Our flyer shows a map with the roads marked in RED, which were subjects of discussion during Orem City Council meetings on September 26 and October 10. These roads were initially earmarked for widening in the Transportation Master Plan established by the former administration. It's important to note that our current administration voted to remove many of these roads from the widening plans. 

We encourage concerned citizens to attend planning commission and city council meetings to witness firsthand the discussions. By engaging with the city website, city council meetings, and official city plans, residents can access accurate information regarding these discussions. Stand for Orem PAC has also provided other materials on its website, standfororem.org/oremnews/, for those seeking further details.

We are committed to promoting transparency and truthfulness in the political discourse, and we urge all voters to verify information independently before forming their opinions.

For more information on the supporters of Chris Killpack, Jeff Lambson, and Jenn Gale (supporters who created the original State Street Master Plan to add 10,000 apartments on State Street), please watch our informative videos:

1. What is the State Street Master Plan? What is BRT? What do they have to do with the election?
2. What do 10,000 apartments and Realtor PACs have to do with the election?

Stand for Orem PAC strongly endorses Crystal Muhlestein, Matt McKell, and Spencer Rands for Orem City Council as the candidates who will stand up for Orem residents, and not turn Orem’s future over to outside influences. 

Contact: Stand for Orem PAC
(www.standfororem.org)
standfororem@gmail.com

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