In a collaborative effort to tackle Utah’s affordable housing crisis, Governor Spencer Cox invited mayors from approximately 40 cities to the Governor’s Mansion for the “Built Here Housing Summit.”
The summit aims to address the urgent challenge of making housing more attainable for families across the state.
“How can we work together — state and local — to make housing more attainable for Utah families?” Cox posed at the post-summit news conference.
The governor previously set a bold goal to build 35,000 new starter homes by 2028, with over 5,100 already built or in progress.
Despite these efforts, Cox acknowledged that this number is insufficient given the state’s rapidly growing population.
“We need to do more, and we need to move faster,” he emphasized, highlighting the increasing demand for affordable housing.
A primary obstacle identified by Cox is the persistent tension between state and local governments regarding zoning and land use.
Although the Utah Legislature has debated the use of preemption powers to mandate housing type allowances, recent years have seen a more collaborative approach focused on incentivizing local governments and developers.
Unlike states such as Colorado, California, and Massachusetts, where lawsuits have arisen from state mandates on housing, Utah has so far opted for a gentler method of ensuring housing development.
In his remarks, Cox made it clear that collaborative efforts with mayors and local leadership are essential to finding effective solutions.
“The American dream of home ownership is slowly but surely slipping away from too many, out of reach of our children and grandchildren,” he remarked, stressing the importance of working together to reverse this trend.
Among the mayors present during the summit was Clearfield Mayor Mark Shepherd, who shared that most of his seven children are homeowners, except for one who is struggling to afford a home despite being married to a developer.
This sentiment echoed across the discussions, as many of the mayors expressed their shared concerns about the challenges their residents face in securing affordable housing.
In a bid to improve communication and transparency regarding housing progress, Gov. Cox announced a new statewide housing dashboard project.
This dashboard is designed to give residents and planners the ability to track housing developments, identify gaps, and learn from successful initiatives across different communities.
As part of this initiative, data collected from the University of Utah’s Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute and various real estate sources will be utilized to create an informative tool.
The initial launch of the dashboard revealed a heat map displaying the locations of deed-restricted units and other affordable housing initiatives, highlighting that while progress has been made, there is still work to be done.
Currently, Utah County stands at the forefront with 2,489 starter homes built or planned, followed by Salt Lake County with 706 and Tooele County with 432.
However, as of the dashboard’s launch, it remains a work in progress, with certain pages still pending data completion.
Steve Waldrip, Cox’s senior housing adviser, mentioned that the aim of the dashboard is to encourage cities to enhance their housing efforts by spotlighting both success stories and areas needing improvement.
He referred to it as a potential “carrot-shaped stick,” helping to motivate reluctant cities to step up their housing initiatives.
Cox, drawing from his past experience as a rural mayor, recognized the significant hurdles that local officials encounter, particularly amidst resistance from communities against new housing developments.
Expressing empathy for challenges in local leadership, Cox noted that some officials have opted out of running for re-election due to public backlash over housing policies.
“They’ll do the right thing and improve a development that benefits future generations, and then there’s a referendum, and the project gets denied,” Cox explained.
During the news conference, many mayors reiterated the importance of addressing housing as a personal issue affecting quality of life.
Spanish Fork Mayor Mike Mendenhall emphasized the need to approach the housing problem from a practical standpoint rather than a political one.
He stated, “If we can find a way for this problem not to be political, but practical, I’m confident that we can solve these problems for home ownership in our state.”
While the summit brought together a significant number of mayors willing to collaborate, Waldrip acknowledged that not all mayors share the same perspective.
Some city leaders have campaigned on platforms of no growth, driven by local constituents that oppose further development, making progress more complicated.
Nonetheless, Waldrip noted a shift in attitude among some resistant officials as they begin recognizing the severe housing shortage as a real issue that demands attention.
The collaborative effort seen at the summit signals a potential turning point for how affordable housing is approached in Utah, aiming for communal gains rather than conflict.
As discussions continue, Governor Cox’s commitment to fostering cooperation across various levels of government may pave the way for solutions that bolster housing growth and ensure a future where the American dream remains within reach for all Utah families.
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