(Leah Hogsten | The Salt Lake Tribune) Homes built by Community Rebuilds in Arroyo Crossing are south facing, energy efficient, built with sustainable material out of straw bale or cellulose and equipped with passive and active solar panels. The Arroyo Crossing housing development, built on acreage owned by the Moab Area Community Land Trust, provides permanent affordable housing to Moab’s workforce of families and individuals who could not otherwise afford a home, May 16, 2023.
The housing crisis in Utah cannot be addressed appropriately without bold reforms to our zoning laws. Between 2013 and 2023, affordable rental units in Utah fell by more than 50%. Families are being pushed further and further into poverty due to a system that is unfair and outdated. In Salt Lake City, more than half of those renting spent more than 30% of their income on housing alone.
One of the biggest obstacles is outdated zoning. Almost three-quarters of the land is zoned for single-family homes, which limits supply and drives up cost. Without immediate effort from the state, we will never catch up to the demand of an estimated 28,000 new units each year. Utah leaders should work to update housing policies by ensuring that state funding is tied to affordability goals and providing incentives to developers that include affordable units.
While some efforts have been made, most are stalled due to local pushback. Fear stems from those who worry that these zoning changes would harm them or their neighborhoods, but research shows the opposite. More diverse housing types can stabilize communities and strengthen the economy without lowering property value. These reforms are not to undermine local control but to ensure all Utahns have a fair shot at affordable housing.
Safe, affordable housing is not just an economic problem but a moral one. We cannot afford to delay reforms that support affordable housing in Utah any longer.
Morgan Huntsman, Washington
