Big Changes to Flood Risk Maps & Updates on the N. Canyon Rd Developments
Here's what the Provo Planning Commission did on May 13, 2026 (and a quick recap of the City Council's light meeting on May 12).
Hey Provo! 👋Big Changes to Flood Risk Maps and Updates on North Canyon Road
On May 13, 2026, The Planning Commission of 8 citizen volunteers dug DEEP (as they always do) into plans for new homes and condos on North Canyon Road. And they got a preview of how new federal flood risk maps will affect homeowners and the city airport.
👇Details below. (Plus a quick recap of the City Council’s uneventful May 12 meeting.)
🚨A NOTE ABOUT MY PROVONOTES: I’m just a regular Provo citizen with lots of journalism experience. I’m writing these previews and recaps to help more of us get informed and engaged. Nobody’s paying me to do this. I try to be as neutral as possible. I have no inside information on proposed developments or code changes. I read the agenda packets the city publishes online for Planning Commission and City Council meetings. (You can too - they’re all linked here: https://www.provo.gov/1331/Transparency-Portal). I attend the work sessions and regular meetings. Then I summarize what I’m reading and hearing as best I can. If there’s stuff going on behind the scenes, I don’t know about it! But once it surfaces at a public council or commission meeting, I’ll tell you what’s said. Feel free to chime in with other information you have/know about these items in the comments.
✅ 115 ADDITIONAL HOMES AND THE AIRPORT NOW IN THE PROVO RIVER FLOODPLAIN
At the end of June, new flood risk maps take effect for Provo - and the results will be COSTLY for 115 homeowners who will now be required to get flood insurance. If they don’t, they could lose their mortgages, because federally-backed loans require that homes in flood-risk zones have flood insurance. How much does flood insurance cost? Between $400 and $2000 a year, said Ben Wood with WSP (a consulting firm working with Provo to draw the new maps). The new maps also put the Provo Airport and pretty much all of the agricultural and open land in Southwest Provo in the FEMA flood plain.
Let’s be clear - Provo city officials are NOT thrilled with these new maps that FEMA is imposing on the city, mainly because they ignore the levees (aka mounds of dirt and trees built up along the Provo River.) FEMA says Provo’s levees are non-compliant with the one-size-fits-all federal standard. City engineers disagree, but years of fighting back against these new maps have been unsuccessful. The Planning Commission unanimously recommended the City Council adopt the new floodplain management maps and code updates (because FEMA has given the City no choice.) But they also urged the City to immediately do an information blitz so no affected homeowner is caught off-guard when the new maps take effect on June 23, 2026.
🗣️KEY QUOTE: “I was on a neighborhood council (in an affected area) when this process started years ago and there were a lot of efforts to fight it. Unfortunately, this is beyond the City’s control at this point. The goal long-term should be to get our Congress people to fix the standards (so Provo’s levees are considered sufficient),” said Planning Commission Chairman Jonathan Hill.
🚨See the following screenshot of the old and new floodplain maps side-by-side. They’re not posted online yet that I could find. CALL 311 and ask for the flood plain risk management office if you think you’re affected.
✅4-STORY CONDO BUILDING ON N. CANYON RD GETS PRELIMINARY APPROVAL
The Planning Commission unanimously RECOMMENDED the City Council allow developer David Bragonje to build a 46-unit condo building (with parking in front and underground) at 5568 N. Canyon Rd. Bragonje will sign an agreement with the city to not go any higher or larger, and at least half of the condos (a mix of 2 and 3-bedroom) will be owner-occupied.
A bit of history: A few years back Bragonje proposed a 66-unit building, but City Public Works said it couldn’t accommodate the sewer demand, so that project was nixed. Then Bragonje proposed 16 townhomes, which the City and the neighborhood approved. BUT, Provo City engineer David Day said, the city recently got more detailed data about sewer capacity in the area and “realized we had enough to accommodate (more units than we’d originally said) so we reached back out to (Bragonje). I don’t know if we said ‘Sorry,’ but we should have.”
The primary concern raised by commissioners and neighbors at the meeting on May 13 was the pressure the new condos would put on Canyon Road at 5600 N. City Engineer Day says realigning that intersection and adding a traffic signal will cost $10 million and is probably 5-10 years out. Neighbors and the planning commission urged the City to prioritize that funding.
🗣️KEY QUOTE: “Something I really like about this development is I’ve long been saying the new “starter home” in today’s housing market is a condo. And yet time after time we hear it said that developers only want to build condos for rent. Now we’ve got someone doing 3-bedroom condos that will be for sale. And that’s something we’re missing in the city,”“ said Commissioner Jonathan Hill.
See attached screenshots from the developer’s meeting slides showing where the condos will be and what they might look like.
✅HIGH-END HOME PLAN IN NORTHEAST FOOTHILLS POPULAR WITH NEIGHBORS
Developers (led by Reza Fakhrieh) have assembled 152 acres around 5450 North Canyon Road that they hope to convert from “open space” and “agricultural” zoning into a large residential development. The proposal is a about half as dense as the original plan they floated. They now envision about 64 custom homes on large (1/2 acre and 1 acre) lots to avoid disturbing “sensitive hillside.” Further down the slope where Canyon Road meets University Ave, they hope to build 38 townhomes. The developers also say the new roads in the development will be open (not gated) to maintain public access to the surrounding hillside trails.
A neighborhood district representative told the planning commission that neighbors overwhelming support the proposal. “It’s the best one we’ve ever seen,” many neighbors echoed during public comment. They and the planning commission again expressed concern about the impact of traffic on Canyon Road and urged the City to re-align that intersection soon.
The only opposition during the public comment period came from Steve Turley who owns land where a main access road on the North end of the new development is currently envisioned. Developers and city engineer David Day said they’ll find another option if Turley is unwilling to accommodate the road.
The Planning Commission voted 5-3 (with Commissioners Gonzales, Temple and Hill voting against) to RECOMMEND the City Council rezone the hillside property to allow for the new development.
🗣️KEY QUOTES:
“The things I’ve seen, the interactions we’ve had with developers, this is something that really fits. Sometimes we all say we’d like things to stay the way they are - ‘Let’s have open property forever.’ But the fact is that things go on. This is reasonable and will be a nice addition,” said Jenny Smith who owns an orchard next to the proposed development.
“I have to tell you, according to our master plan for the neighborhood, this plan hits the closest of anything we have seen. I usually don’t say that when I’m up here, if you know me. If we can stick to this and it doesn’t morph into something else, I think we have a really good plan here,” said Bonnie Morrow who worked on the citizen committee that developed the North District Neighborhood Plan.
“For me this is a difficult vote because you have a lot of neighborhood support on one hand, it seems. On the other hand I look at the initial concept plan (with about 200 homes) that was thrown out and it showed what seemed like a more diverse variety of housing types and lot sizes, which I feel addresses like a core principle of our general plan (for Provo City). So, under the current concept plan, I don’t feel it meets some of those goals and I’d lean towards a no vote,” said Commissioner Daniel Gonzales, who voted against recommending the rezone.
See attached screenshots of developer’s meeting slides showing the proposed layout for the development and sample home designs.
✅TWO NEW HOMES OK ON CARTERVILLE ROAD BEHIND WALMART
The Planning Commission APPROVED (7-1, Gonzales voted No) the Jolley’s plan to build two homes on a steep chunk of land they own at 2132 N Carterville Road. The land is zoned for single-family residential, but because it’s so steep, the commission had to grant a “variance.” City engineers signed off on a geotechnical study that concludes the homes can be built safely without negative impacts to neighboring properties.
📣GOT THOUGHTS ON ANY OF THE ABOVE? Email the Planning Commission at dspublichearings@provo.gov.
The Canyon Road and Flood Map items head next to the City Council. Email council@provo.gov to reach them all.
❓WHAT DID COUNCIL DO ON MAY 12, 2026?
City Council had a light meeting agenda last week: they honored 18 graduates of Provology, which is “one of the greatest things that Provo does,” said Council Chair Katrice MacKay when she introduced the item. (More about Provology here: https://www.provo.gov/417/Provology)
Council also approved some revisions to its “audit committee” rules, bringing it more in line with best practices and re-appointed Rick Anderson as a citizen member of the audit committee. And finally, the council “tentatively adopted” Mayor Judkins’ proposed budget for the city. That’s just a formality so the Council can begin revising and finalizing how the city will spend our money for the fiscal year that starts in July. Lots more to come on that in the next month.
🚨DON’T MISS THESE CHANCES TO BE HEARD THIS WEEK:
Tuesday, May 19: Mayor’s Monthly Town Hall from 6:30-7:30 p.m. @ Rock Canyon Park Pavilion #1. Show up to ask your questions and share your concerns with Mayor Judkins.
Wednesday, May 20: Memorial Park Town Hall hosted by Councilor Whipple @ 7 p.m. at Provo Library. Share your concerns and hopes for the future of Memorial Park on Center Street.