Farah Sanders is a Heber resident and a professor in UVU’s communication department. She said, over the last three years, her students have been surveying Wasatch County residents about their housing needs.
On March 4, the group met with the Heber City Council to share what they’d learned.
One student said the need for more affordable housing is clear.
“Over a third of the respondents are dissatisfied with their life in Heber City, and 78% of respondents know someone in Heber City who is struggling with housing insecurities,” the UVU student said.
A group of students said they’re making a video that spotlights quality of life in Heber with the message “Affordable for All.” The video will include resources for locals to find and apply for affordable housing.
Councilmember Mike Johnston encouraged the students to translate their materials into Spanish as well.
“If you could dub your video in Spanish, there’s a lot of Spanish-speaking citizens that rent, and they’ll be left out if you don’t,” he said.
Another group asked the city council to make changes to Heber’s moderate income housing plan by prioritizing detached single-family homes over condos or townhomes. Sanders said her students’ research showed residents want green space to call their own.
“When we did our research, they specifically said apartments and condos were absolutely no-go,” she said. “The next least favorite were townhomes and duplexes. They absolutely wanted the single-family home with a yard that didn’t share walls with a neighbor.”
Students asked councilmembers to require any new development to include at least 1.5% affordable, single-family homes.
Councilmembers said while they sympathized with the goal, the construction costs are difficult to square with affordable prices for home buyers.
Johnston said there’s only so much the council can do to make detached homes affordable.
“I love how you want to work with us on an ordinance, and that’s doable, but I want to be realistic with you,” he said. “Just because people want a single-family home on a lot doesn’t mean they’re going to get it in Heber.”
He said most new construction starts at around $1 million for a detached house and lawn.
Still, councilmembers said they’re open to studying the proposal. Councilmember Aaron Cheatwood said he valued getting a fresh perspective on the affordable housing challenge from the students.
“I’m going to say, don’t back down from something that looks hard, because I’d rather get a challenge and dig into it and understand it a little bit, even if we come back and say this isn’t possible,” he said.
The students will also have a booth at the Heber Valley Community Expo on April 12. They intend to help educate residents about how to access affordable housing.
