The Midway City Council approved the city’s first dedicated, deed-restricted affordable housing development Oct. 6 on a 3-2 vote.
The project will add six workforce housing units in the basement of a commercial building at 41 West Main Street. One unit will be a one-bedroom apartment; the other five will be studios. All will be less than 900 square feet.
Up to 75% of Midway’s workers commute into town. City community development director Michael Henke said this is the first step in allowing those workers to live locally.
“As things become more expensive for not only Midway but for the entire Wasatch County region, a lot of workers get pushed farther and farther out to where they're traveling long distances to be able to come in,” he said.
As part of the agreement with developer Cooper Jenkins, Midway has agreed to pay for the project’s water shares and waive building permit fees. In exchange, the units will remain affordable for at least 30 years.
Rental rates will be set at 65% of Wasatch County’s Area Median Income, or AMI, which puts rent and utilities at $1,300 to $1,400 per month.
Councilmembers Kevin Payne and JC Simonsen cast “no” votes. They wanted to bring the AMI requirement down to 60%.
Simonsen said that might not be low enough.
“I just don't want Midway City to subsidize something that actually isn't of benefit,” he said. “It may be all we can get, but it may be something you should walk away from.”
The council approved the project through a legislative development agreement law that supports adding affordable housing statewide.
It’s unclear when the units will be available to rent.
