In the under-construction Arroyo Crossing subdivision just south of Moab, dozens of people bustle in and out of 17 houses in various phases of construction. Some are just framed skeletons, others have sheathing and metal roofing, some have straw bale walls. Some of the people are residents-to-be working on their own and their neighbors’ homes through sweat-equity programs … [Read more...]
Blood, Sweat and Equity — Affordable Housing in Moab
Visitors come from all corners of the Earth to marvel at the majesty of Arches and Canyonlands National Parks, along with the other scenic parks and public lands that surround it. As a result of that popularity, property and housing costs are on a constant rise in Moab. A lack of affordable housing isn’t just an issue in Moab, but seems to be a trend across the country, … [Read more...]
Moab’s Affordable Housing—Is There Hope?
Moab & Housing One might deduce that there is an affordable housing crisis when stories are circulated of working adults living with their parents, camped out on public lands and in the yards of friends and co-workers; house-sharing; and business owners housing workers in Airstreams and single-wide trailers. The US Department of Housing and Urban Development states … [Read more...]
Moab—500 Tourists for Every Resident
Moab's Tourists Moab, UT—Back in February, Moab’s City Council imposed a moratorium on new construction of overnight rentals. Despite room rates fetching upwards of $300 per night, the town that is home to Canyonlands and Arches National Parks wants to attempt to put the brakes on the growth they have experienced hosting nearly 3 million tourists in the town of around 5,500 … [Read more...]
The Good, The Bad, and The Pricey
The real estate market in the Beehive State is buzzing. Apartments are sprouting up across the valley; housing sales are steady despite rising prices; so-called mother-in-law apartments are now legal and being built on developed lots; the population of the region continues to grow thanks to a steady birth rate and an influx of young professionals following the burgeoning job … [Read more...]
Utah’s Unaffordable Housing
Welcome to Utah Housing Utah’s real estate market has softened. Average house prices aren’t increasing in urban areas. Bidding wars are decreasing; the amount of time homes are on the market is increasing; and by all measures, our real estate market is still booming. Vineyard, in Utah County, is the city with the most growth. In the past four years, the population has seen … [Read more...]
Downtown SLC Building Boom: The New Face of Downtown Examined
On a typical week day, 23-year-old Mason Medart hops on the first Trax train to his investment research job at Goldman Sachs, puts in up to 16 hours, then works out at the rooftop gym at 4th West Apartments, and sometimes catches the sun setting over the mountains. A transplant from St. Louis who went to college in Dallas, Medart is happy with his life since moving to Salt … [Read more...]
Moab: Affordable Housing Meets Sweat Equity
“I drive around Moab quite a bit and never see anyone building single family homes,” notes Ben Riley, Executive Director of the Housing Authority of Southeastern Utah (HASU). “And, if I do, it’s usually more upscale, selling in the $300,0000-plus range. I just don’t see any building that isn’t condos or hotels.” It’s no news that tourism is a booming industry in Moab. Arches … [Read more...]
Salt Lake’s Biggest Jungle Gym
Covered in tags and graffiti, the property located on 245 South State Street, has become an eyesore. Utah Stories has spent three months working to learn more about this project and how it has become a derelict slice of urban blight. Here is what we have learned... In May of 2012 plans show for a mixed-use project patterned after a European-style plaza: “The Plaza at State … [Read more...]
Tiny Houses in Utah
Solving the Problem of Affordable Housing On a Glendale neighborhood street, amid old brick, cinder block and aluminum siding houses, a new home building idea is taking shape. With starter money from Salt Lake City Home Grants, and with help from the Crossroads Urban Center, Jeffrey White is building a tiny home. Doing most of the work himself, including fundraising, … [Read more...]