Brian Olsen - Utah Realtor

Brian Olsen - Utah Realtor Working with you in real estate to increase your confidence and reduce your risk. Contact me today with your real estate needs.

As an agent who's an expert in this local area, I bring a wealth of knowledge and expertise about buying and selling real estate here. It's not the same everywhere, so you need someone you can trust for up-to-date information. I can help you find your next home, sell your house, and Consult on Home Selling Tactics, I work with in real estate to increase your confidence and reduce your risk.

09/04/2026

What happens when a landowner wants to improve their property and they are not allowed to?

Utah changed the development landscape with SB 258.

When communities are not able to work together to allow landowners to improve their property, those landowners now have another option: pursue a preliminary municipality.

The Kane Creek municipality is moving forward and the developer already has signs up if you want to secure a residential unit.

So what is going to happen next?

Will local governments and communities become more willing to work with landowners or will preliminary municipalities become the norm?

Where do you think this will go from here?

09/03/2026

A lot of people are counting on Utah preliminary municipality law SB 258 to be declared unconstitutional.

But what if it isn’t?

Utah has created other entities and delegated significant land-use authority to them before. That doesn’t mean SB 258 is identical or that every provision will survive a constitutional challenge. But simply assuming the courts will make this problem disappear may not be the best strategy.

What is plan B if the law is judged constitutional?
What is plan C if the number of applications to be accepted is increased?
What is plan D if this ‘Pilot Program’ scheduled to end in 2031 is extended?

In our busy lives it is the normal to be reactive vs proactive.
Let me know your ideas for alternative plans.

08/29/2026

Housing is a real problem for growing communities.

Communities typically start rural and then increase density overtime as they install the infrastructure to meet the higher density needs.

The Utah law created by SB 258 is a PILOT program and recently Utah governor Cox said if communities do not support this law, then they are fighting against the state and the state will do everything they can to withhold funds from those communities.

I don’t mind a good threat now and then to get my children to clean their room, or do their schoolwork, but it gets old real quick all the political threats.

Why not work on the ‘PILOT’ program to improve it - putting townhomes and 1/4-acre lots in an area currently zoned for 5, 20, and 160- acre minimums is an unwanted leapfrog in development.

Let me know what you think.

08/06/2026

In 2024, SB 258 sailed through the Utah Legislature with near unanimous support.

It created preliminary municipalities, allowing up to 3 land owners to form preliminary cities with land use authority.

Four proposals accepted to date; one disqualified; one defending two lawsuits.

Among other things critics say this allows development with less local resistance and fewer procedural hurdles… really??

The question continues, how far do private property rights, part of the foundation of our country, extend?

08/02/2026

Tech and related tech companies just signed a big pledge: they will build, buy, or bring the necessary power for their data centers so residential rates are not affected by their data center.

It is called the Ratepayer Protection Pledge.

It’s voluntary. So the truth if it won’t be realized for at least a few years into the future.

Concerning this aspect of Data Centers, does it help you feel better about the electricity demand and maybe economies of scale will work or are you skeptical?

07/29/2026

I don’t think data centers are automatically going to send Utah homeowners electric bills through the roof.

Could electricity become more expensive someday?

Absolutely.

But blaming data center’s alone ignores a bigger picture that includes new power generation, transmission, upgrades, population growth, and long-term utility planning.

I think the conversation needs more facts and fewer assumptions. Let me know if you have data on electricity cost and data center construction.

I’m genuinely interested in hearing different perspectives.

07/25/2026

Wide open spaces. Farms. Ranching. Gardening. Dark sky. Incredible views. Quiet. All part of a development discussion.

Recently two young developers, who had not heard about a proposal for 70 townhomes in a rural Utah community made an observation I had not considered.

They felt that people looking for townhome living generally prioritize, convenience, and accessibility, not acreage, farming, gardening, or animals and pasture land.

Therefore, shouldn’t townhome development be near main transportation corridors rather than deep into rural communities.

Let me know your thoughts?

07/15/2026

Some communities barely change over decades of time.

Others completely reinvent themselves.

Vineyard Utah is one of the Utah’s best examples of how zoning evolves with changing needs.

The challenge is balancing private property, rights, preservation, infrastructure, and the vision residence have for the future.

And most important is if we will be proactive or reactive to change.

07/14/2026

Many people believe development decisions are made, depending on the financial benefit of political leaders.

Could it be that development is due to citizen demands?

Most communities want police protection, fire departments, good roads, nice parks, libraries, etc.

Whether the project is a subdivision, an office building, or a data center, local leaders ask the same question, “How do we pay for everything our residants expect?”

My point isn’t that every project is good or every project should be approved.
My point is that if government spending continues to increase, communities will continue searching for new sources of revenue, usually through development.

Agree or disagree?

07/10/2026

Years ago a development was constructed in Bountiful Utah next to a gun club.

After it was finished and people had moved in, they started complaining about the noise of the guns. They tried to get the shooting range that had been there for decades before the development shut down. This is an easy example of knowing what you are getting into before you buy.

It’s impossible to know everything that is going to happen in the future surrounding any given property. However, it is worth the time to research neighboring property ownership, community master plans, past zoning change requests., successful zoning change requests, etc.
As much information as possible will reduce your risk and increase your confidence about selling or buying real estate.

Feel free to contact me anytime with questions about what may impact your real estate transaction.

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