Affordable housing is Utah goal

An initiative to help municipalities craft and implement affordable housing programs has the endorsement of the governor and is scheduled to launch early next year.

The Utah WorkForce Housing Initiative is a technical and training resource designed to help accomplish legislation passed in 1996 that established plans for the provision of moderate-income housing and for a program to assist local government in planning for such housing.

Those housing plans have been slow to develop, because municipalities said they needed better resources to build realistic affordable-housing programs for their cities, said Richard Walker, a member of the not-for-profit Lotus Community Development Institute.

Speaking Thursday at the annual summit of the Utah Intergovernmental Roundtable, Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. said correcting an increasing gap between workers and affordable housing is essential to protecting economic development in Utah.

"The lack of affordable housing is squeezing people out," he said, adding that closing that gap "is a must-deliver for our state."

Utah's good jobs, quality of life and housing stock are among the amenities that continue to feed growth in the state, Huntsman said. The availability of affordable housing is the top concern the governor said he hears about when talking to law enforcement agencies and school districts around the state.

Partners in the initiative include state government, the Utah League of Cities and Towns, key housing industry organizations, Envision Utah, community and industrial banks and others. Huntsman said such partnerships are critical to the development of effective plans for affordable housing.

Vernal, Moab, South Salt Lake, Logan and the tiny Garfield County town of Boulder are acting as pilot communities already working with the initiative to develop housing plans.

The rollout early in 2008 will include statewide training sessions and the availability of new software that will help cities develop housing plans unique to their needs that also meet the state mandate, Walker said. "A strategy is what we're helping communities develop."

E-mail: sfidel@desnews.com

Recent comments

• Most Popular
• Most Commented

1. Glenn Beck sees new project as 'most important' of his life
2. Collie has made his All-American case
3. USU football: Andersen is the Aggies' new guy
4. MSNBC names Buttars 'worst person in world'
5. BYU, Weber State basketball: Cougars shoot down Wildcats
6. Utah Utes, BYU football: Utes are rewarded with MWC accolades
7. Utah State football: Andersen to Boise State: 'Here we come'
8. BYU, Weber State basketball: Rahe says BYU loss will be turning point
9. 2008 Deseret News Mr. Football: Craig Bills
10. Reid gives Big 3 little hope

1. Sore losers won't let go in California 665
2. Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin, oldest apostle, 91, dies at home 252
3. Boise State should man up, play TCU 197
4. BYU football: Destination is unknown for Cougars 195
5. Buttars says bah to 'holiday' greetings 193
6. Smith's journals made available to public for 1st time 151
7. MSNBC names Buttars 'worst person in world' 136
8. Utah Utes football: Johnson, Sakoda, Whittingham headline All-MWC honors 110
9. USU football: Andersen is the Aggies' new guy 107
10. Obama announces Clinton, Gates for Cabinet 105
11. (Stories published in the last five days with the most comments)

• A & E
• LDS news
• Sports