Mayor? It’s the governor on line 2. Our city is being sued for blocking affordable housing . . .

Photo above - if you had this much money, you could definitely buy a home in Salt Lake City, Utah.

When unaffordable housing come up, Utah is not the first state which comes to mind. It’s a fly-over state. Full of devout Mormons and beekeepers. But apparently WFH corporate and tech people have migrated there from expensive, crime-ridden coastal states. (see link at bottom)

Evidently the Salt Lake City migration became a thing during the Wuhan Chinese Army Lab virus epidemic. As soon as people were allowed to work from home, they quickly figured out there was no reason that home should be in Manhattan, Palo Alto, or Los Angeles County.

The average price of new Salt Lake City home is now well above $500,000. Which doesn’t sound like a lot, but in Utah it could probably buy 50,000 beehives. In any case, $500,000 is out of reach for 90% of Salt Lake City’s legacy residents.

Thank you, corporate/tech America.

The median age of first-time home buyers in now 38. An all-time high, surpassing even the great depression. Although there was probably more affordable housing being built in the 1930s. In Boardwalk Empire one of the guys gets a mail order kit house from Sears delivered. He hires local guys to assemble it. Try getting a permit for THAT from your local zoning board.

Utah passed statewide laws as far back as the 1990s requiring cities and counties to allow housing which was affordable to people who make 80% (or less) of the local median income. These laws were widely ignored. Ignored by places like Salt Lake City, the state capitol and home to the state legislature which enacted those laws.

National Public Radio is cheerleading Utah’s efforts to bring Salt Lake City to court over this. Although I’m not a fan of using taxpayer dollars to have government agencies sue each other, this is one I’d like to watch play out. NPR thinks this lawsuit will end in a victory for affordable housing. I think if it was that easy, that would have already happened.

I’m just sayin’ . . .

Frustrated by NIMBYs, states are trying to force cities to build affordable housing | Utah Public Radio