The right changes to zoning and land-use regulations can make housing more affordable for Utah’s families.

Read our report to learn about these changes.

 

Click to view full report

 
 
 

Envision Utah spent the last year working with local officials, policy experts, developers, and others to identify specific recommendations that can help make housing more affordable. This process included

➔    A detailed review of 35 current land use and construction ordinances in counties and municipalities across Utah

➔    An extensive literature review to uncover research-backed correlations among regulation, housing supply, and housing costs

➔    A review of national best practices and case studies, including an assessment of regulatory impacts on housing supply and attainability in similar markets

➔    A land buildout analysis for the Wasatch Front counties

And much more

The result was 7 recommendations for the state and regional associations of governments along with 6 recommendations for local governments (Please check out the full report for details and context behind these recommendations).

State and Regional Recommendations:

  1. Education the public about the need for more housing
  2. Develop materials for training local government officials about what they can do to promote housing affordability and how to address concerns.
  3. Assist communities with transportation infrastructure to soften community opposition to more housing.
  4. Analyze and address non-zoning barriers to condominium development to promote ownership opportunities.
  5. Consider state-level financial assistance for structured parking in centers and transit-oriented developments.
  6. Standardize plan review and inspection for offsite construction.
  7. Conduct a more in-depth analysis of available land and water to understand where growth can and should go and whether planning is adequate.


Recommendations for Local Governments:

  1. Allow smaller lots.
  2. Allow more than one housing unit per lot and per building.
  3. Facilitate smaller homes.
  4. Promote mixed-use development.
  5. Reduce development delays and costs.
  6. Facilitate the use of offsite construction techniques.

As part of this process, Envision Utah partnered with RCLCO to research the impact of regulations on housing affordability.