Magna Metro Township

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  • Find updates on planning, visioning, and happenings in Magna Metro Township
  • Share your feedback about your community and experience in Magna 
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Magna Metro Township

Magna Metro Township incorporated in 2017 and was home to approximately 27,000 people in 2019. Magna is located in the north-west corner of the Salt Lake Valley, and includes the historic area of the original settlement nestled against the Oquirrh Mountains, as well as an area that extends north to the shore of the Great Salt Lake.

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Magna Metro Township 2022 Moderate Income Housing Plan

Utah is facing a housing crisis. In Salt Lake County, the median price of a single-family home hit $580,000 in February, up over 23.6% from $469,000 at the same time last year, according to the Salt Lake Board of Realtors. The research accomplished in this plan suggest that given current income rates and housing prices, over 50% of Magna residents no longer can reasonably expect to own a home within the community.

Residents who are unable to find affordable housing within the community, may choose to live in a unit they cannot afford. Over 27% of Magna residents are currently spending more than 30% of their monthly income on housing costs. They might choose to do so because of a connection to the community, it may be that despite the cost Magna offers the best available option, or they may live in a space that is larger than they need because a more suitably sized space was not available. Whatever the reason, households that are paying too much in rent, are not spending enough in the community, and may be struggling to upkeep and maintain the housing they are currently occupying.

Magna is one of the most affordable communities in Salt Lake County. Development of the Inland Port Area, the State Prison Site, and the front range of the Oquirrh Mountains will bring development pressure to the Municipality that will threaten that designation. Magna can act now, to ensure that residents making less than the Area Medium Income of just over $65,000 annually are not priced out of the opportunity to live in the municipality within the next 5 to 10 years. By planning to facilitate a diverse supply of housing units within its borders, tailored to meet the needs of community households in the spectrum of required unit size, and the spectrum of the communities capacity to afford, the municipality can ensure that citizens born and raised in Magna will have the opportunity remain within their community throughout every stage of life, whatever their housing need might be during that time, or the reasonable capacity to afford.

View the 2022 Moderate Income Housing Plan (PDF).

Greater Magna Metro Township & Utah State University - Urban Design Studio 2021

Sponsored by the Greater Salt Lake County Municipal Service District

Over the next 30 years, Magna Metro Township is likely to experience development pressure like it hasn't seen since miners first turned fresh dirt in the Oquirrh Mountains.

  • Development of the Inland Port and new Salt Lake County Prison Site will bring thousands of new jobs within a few short miles of township boarders.
  • The potential restructuring of active large-scale mining processes in the Oquirrh Mountain Range may offer communities like Magna a chance to reimagine their relationship with the benches and slopes of the mountain ranges which frame the western and southern edges of the Greater Salt Lake Valley.
  • An Urban Center is being developed on western side of the Jordan River Canal providing light rail and increased public transit opportunities with walkable commercial and residential districts.

How can Greater Magna integrate its aspirations for growth, development, and preservation with regional influences and subsequent development pressure?

Under the direction of Professor Caroline Lavoie, a team of 29 Senior Class and Graduate level Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning students have spent their semester studying The Greater Magna Area. They have developed innovative design solutions, intended to envision strategies that allow Magna to respond to the influences of the greater region, integrating development within the community, while celebrating the unique history of the former mining camp, all grown up, and poised for a second wind.

Access the Final Document: Greater Magna Metro Township and USU Urban Design Studio 2021.

The video below introduces the Greater Magna Metro Township Area and Utah State University Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning Urban Design Studio 2021 planning and visioning focus.

Drone footage of the area shot by USU LAEP Graduate Student Justin Jaques. Video editing by USU Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning Graduate Student, Jake Bauer.

Assessment Findings & Suggestions Report

Kearns and Magna, Utah and Roger Brooks International - August 2021

In August of 2021, a Destination Assessment of Kearns and Magna, Utah, was conducted, and the findings were presented in a two-and-a-half hour workshop. The assessment provides an unbiased overview of both Kearns and Magna-how they are seen by a visitor. It includes a review of local marketing efforts, signage, attractions, critical mass, retail mix, ease of getting around, customer service, visitor amenities such as parking and public restrooms, overall appeal, and the communities' ability to attract overnight visitors.

The marketing assessment determined how effective the marketing was in convincing a potential visitor that the areas would be worth a special trip, a stop, or an overnight stay. The key to the marketing assessment is to see if you have a primary lure that makes you worth a special trip of a one-hour drive, or from further away. The question on most visitors' minds is: What do you have that I can't get closer to home? What makes you worth a special trip? Do you give a reason for visiting, and do you provide enough information to make it easy to plan a trip?

To entice visitors to visit and spend money in your community, you need to have places for them to spend it-you need to have the right mix of shops, restaurants, entertainment, and lodging facilities, all in an attractive setting, as well as attractions that make them want to visit you in the first place. This presentation provides a number of marketing and development principles that can be applied in Magna Metro Township.

View the Assessment Findings and Suggestions Report (PDF).

Magna's General Plan

Magna's General Plan will be the first General Plan for the Municipality since it incorporated as a metro township in 2017. The General Plan guides the future of planning and development in Magna. Elements that focus on Land Use; Transportation; Housing; Economic Development; Parks, Trails, Recreation and Open Space; Natural Hazards; Community Facilities; and Sustainability are included. Keep scrolling to learn more about the general planning process and long range planning in Magna.

Magna's "Character Areas"

Character areas are places where a combination of buildings and streetscape features create a distinct and valued character. "Character" can be thought of as the look, feel and history of a place - those factors which set it apart from other areas, such as Magna's Commercial Downtown Historic District or the Great Salt Lake Shoreline.

Magna's Future Land Use

Character areas have distinct land use visions and zoning considerations which help to inform future land uses. To view the Future Land Use/Character Area Map, please click on the link below. To explore future land use context, goals, strategies and actions in more detail, scroll through the following Story Map or view the Future Land Use Map (PDF).

Additional Documents

Magna Main Street Arts FestivalSeveral key documents provide the background data and information that guides Magna's general plan. The following documents include the data analysis and details needed to support fact-based future planning activities, provide a platform for coordination, and identify development opportunities or issues.

  • Technical Assessment (PDF)
    The Technical Assessment is an integral component of the General Plan, as it provides detailed, fact-based information about the current state of Magna, and makes basic projections about how its future could be shaped.
  • Master Transportation Plan - 2020 (PDF)
    The Master Transportation Plan (2020) assesses current road, transit, and active transportation performance, and predicts future possible needs and priority projects.

You Can Make a Difference in Magna

Participating in Magna's community meetings will give you a chance to express your vision for the future of your community, and the opportunity to contribute to the implementation of Magna's General Plan.

To join a virtual meeting, go to the Utah Public Notice website. Select "Cities" - "Magna Metro Township" - and the name of the group whose meeting you're interested in attending. The meeting link is on the agenda for that day.

Magna Metro Township Council Meetings

The Council is the land use authority for Magna, and is tasked with the responsibility of adopting a general plan.

The Council cannot adopt a general plan until the Planning Commission has recommended one for adoption.

Planning Commission Meetings

The Planning Commission will hold a public hearing on February 11th to consider the General Plan. The public is welcome to provide comments at that hearing. The Planning Commission will then vote on whether to adopt, adopt with revisions, or not to adopt the General Plan. They may also continue the item to another meeting for further discussion if needed. For meeting details, keep scrolling down to see the Event Calendar.

General Plan Implementation

After adoption, there will be opportunities to get involved in the implementation of the General Plan. This could include joining a working group, advocating for use of the Plan, or participating in future studies or events. If you are interested in getting involved, please reach out to:

Planning Information Finder

Aerial View of Magna Metro Township