The Heber City Council discussed a possible affordable housing development near the Heber Valley Hospital Nov. 3. The project would be built by Utah-based development firm J. Fisher Companies.
J. Fisher Affordable Housing Director Jake Wood and Development Manager Matt Krambule presented the site as 192 two-bedroom and three-bedroom units and a daycare near U.S. 40 and Sawmill Boulevard.
Qualified residents must earn 60% or less of the area-median income or AMI. In Wasatch County, that is up to $57,240 a year for a one-person household.
The development would rely on Low-Income Housing Tax Credits known as LIHTC.
Councilmember Sid Ostergaard said the project would address social needs in Wasatch Back.
“There's three things that we're lacking here, the Wasatch Back senior housing, affordable senior housing, affordable housing and daycare,” Ostergaard said. “So this is checking two of those boxes, especially 60% AMI. This type of project gives back to the community, to families, and so on and so forth.”
Councilmember Mike Johnston said he supports including commercial uses like daycare reducing the amount residents would drive for basic services.
“If we use all the space for residential, which is easy to build and easy to sell, there's nothing left for the people,” Johnston said. “They actually have to get in their car and drive. If we can just cut 5%, 10% of those trips, and daycare is one of them. That's why I'm huge on the daycare.”
Councilmember Aaron Cheatwood also said he’d like to see other amenities included.
“I would love to see, I continue to love to see the idea of a small bodega kind of shop where, you know, you can get a sandwich,” Cheatwood said on KPCW’s “Local News Hour” Nov. 6. “But you can also pick up some milk and a drink or a hot chocolate or something like that.”
J. Fisher is also asking the city for fee waivers, deferrals and some flexibility in how the commercial and residential portions of the project are designed.
The Heber City Planning Commission will take a look at the project before issuing a recommendation to the council, possibly within the next two months.
