Summit County housing plan meets familiar growth question: How much is enough?

Summit County Housing Authority Executive Director Maddy McDonough presented the authority’s first annual report and strategic plan, which outlines a 10-year goal to help create 1,500 affordable housing units. Photo: Summit County

The county’s new Housing Authority is pursuing 1,500 affordable units by 2036, while council members weigh housing need against growth, traffic and land-use concerns.

SUMMIT COUNTY, Utah — Summit County’s year-old Housing Authority is entering a formal planning phase, with a 10-year strategic plan to create 1,500 new affordable housing units.

But the discussion at Wednesday’s County Council meeting surfaced a deeper tension in one of Utah’s most expensive housing markets: how much growth is the county willing to absorb?

The Housing Authority presented its draft strategic plan and first annual report, outlining goals to increase deed-restricted affordable housing, expand housing choice, support a locally housed workforce, and reduce the number of cost-burdened households.

The authority was established in December 2024 and held its first Board of Commissioners meeting in June 2025. It was created with an initial $250,000 in funding and is governed by a seven-member board — two County Council members and five at-large members appointed by the council.

“Here we are celebrating our first birthday,” Executive Director Maddy McDonough told the council.

In March 2025, the council set a goal to facilitate 1,500 new affordable housing units over 10 years. The target excludes units planned for the Altus and Cline Dahle projects, two major housing efforts already underway. McDonough said it focuses on households earning up to 80% of the area median income — the federal threshold for affordable housing. The broader plan covers households earning between 30% and 120% AMI.

County staff estimate Summit County will need 3,745 new housing units by the end of 2036, a figure that does not include the county’s existing affordable housing deficit. Summit County estimated a deficit of 1,621 deed-restricted units in 2024; the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute put the figure at 1,674.

The strategic plan identifies five major goals: creating 1,500 affordable units, leveraging public-private land partnerships, securing new funding streams, reducing barriers to housing access, and building community support.

The plan also defines how the county will count progress. Units qualify if they were entitled after March 12, 2025 — when the goal was set — or if existing market-rate units were deed-restricted as affordable. Units will be tracked by type, number of bedrooms, income level, and whether they are rental or owner-occupied.

McDonough described the plan as a living document meant to help the county monitor housing need while setting measurable targets.

First-year work included a utility-allowance study, a land-prioritization map identifying parcels suitable for affordable housing, a speaker series, and improved public access to housing information. The authority also launched an emergency rental assistance grant — applications are due July 8, with funding expected July 20 — and is preparing requests for proposals for pre-approved accessory dwelling unit plans and a pilot to incentivize deed-restricted ADUs. A housing and economic development dashboard is in progress, with a draft expected July 6.

The authority recommended several policy actions for the council: adopting a small-lot residential zone to encourage smaller, more affordable homes; creating an affordable housing overlay zone with possible density bonuses, height allowances, or reduced parking requirements; revising Chapter 5 of the Snyderville Basin Development Code to clarify affordable housing policies; and continuing or increasing Housing Authority funding.

Council members praised the first-year work, but the conversation quickly turned to the policy tension at the county’s center.

Councilor Roger Armstrong said affordable housing consistently rises to the top of community priorities — but so does concern about growth.

“There was a tension between when we look at the needs, affordable housing rises to the top of the list, but we’re still seeing growth as kind of the overwhelming concern for the county,” Armstrong said.

He questioned what “deficit” means if the county has not defined how many homes it ultimately needs.

“Deficit implies that we should have X number of houses,” he said. “We don’t have that X number of affordable units.”

Armstrong also raised questions about job growth and commuter patterns. The strategic plan notes that roughly 63% of Summit County’s workforce commutes from outside the county. He said the county may need to weigh whether every projected job should be paired with new housing, or whether limiting job growth should be part of the conversation.

Short-term rentals surfaced as another area for study. Armstrong said he believes they exert pressure on housing supply and should remain part of the county’s policy toolbox.

“I still believe that short-term rentals create pressure on housing,” Armstrong said, adding that he would like the authority to study whether converting certain units back to long-term housing would have a meaningful impact.

McDonough said the strategic plan includes a strategy to explore programs that preserve long-term housing availability. She also said the authority is working with Sustainability Director Emily Quinton on a development checklist to evaluate future housing projects against criteria including water use, land impacts, transportation, and community benefit.

Councilor Megan McKenna, who serves on the Housing Authority board, said the plan was built around the council’s 1,500-unit goal — a number the council settled on after discussing percentage-based targets similar to Park City’s.

“Our goal for the next 10 years isn’t even going to address our deficit,” McKenna said. “But I think the rest of the council was comfortable with starting with that number, because it seemed like such a big number.”

Under its bylaws, the Housing Authority must provide the council with an annual report and strategic plan. McDonough proposed an annual report each June, a memo each February, and time-sensitive updates as needed.

The strategic plan gives Summit County a framework for pursuing more affordable housing. The harder question — how to balance that goal with growth, land use, traffic, and environmental limits — remains unresolved.