Wilf Sommerkorn
Deputy Executive Director
Utah Land Use Institute
Wilf Sommerkorn retired in 2019 after a 40-year career which included directing planning in Salt Lake County, Salt Lake City, Davis County, and Centerville City. He was also adjunct professor of urban planning at the University of Utah, where he taught a class in the politics of planning, something every planner should know! Wilf has served as legislative chair for the Utah Chapter of the American Planning Association since 1990, where he has had a role in writing the state codes regarding land use. Wilf now works with the non-profit Utah Land Use Institute as deputy executive director. He is currently also serving on the Kaysville City Planning Commission.
Session(s):
Utah Legislative Update: Planning Law and Policy Change »
APA Utah 2026 Spring Conference: Bryce Canyon, April 10, 2026 11:00 amJoin planning and legal experts for an update on recent legislation affecting planning, land use, and local government in Utah. This session will review key bills from the most recent legislative session and discuss how new laws may impact planning practice, development review, housing policy, and local government authority. Presenters will provide practical guidance to help planners understand and implement statutory changes while maintaining compliance with state law and professional planning responsibilities. This session qualifies for AICP Mandatory Law Credit (CM).
Planning Commission Meeting Management »
APA Utah 2026 Spring Conference: Bryce Canyon, April 9, 2026 10:15 amThis session creates an opportunity for citizen planners, especially planning commissioners, to ask questions about the meetings they attend or manage in a non-stressful learning environment. A general meeting format, processing options. laying out an agenda, noticing and PC chair opportunities to manage the meeting efficiently and respectfully.
Utah Land Use Law Basics »
APA Utah 2026 Spring Conference: Bryce Canyon, April 8, 2026 3:00 pmThere are land use rules and procedures in place, defined by statute and ordinance. When local governments impose land-use controls, they must adopt specific rules and standards that govern what can be done on private land and the processes they must use. In this session, we will cover what these rules and requirements are and review some of the significant court rulings regarding them.
The Planning Commission and Planning Staff: Who’s in Charge? »
2025 APA UT Fall Conference, October 10, 2025 11:30 amIt sometimes seems like that the Planning Commission’s purpose is primarily to rubber stamp the work of the planning staff. When The Planners Journal broached this topic several years ago, comments from planning commissioners were often like: “sometimes it feels like the PC works for the planners,” and “the planning director just insists that we agree with him.” So who’s really in charge of what the planning commission does and what gets decided? In this session, we’ll take a closer look at what the role and responsibility of the PC is, and how that gets done – do the staff planners run the show, or is it the PC? What’s the relationship between them? Should make for some interesting discussion!
= Keynote
