‘Can’t afford to live here’: Utah governor says lack of affordable housing ‘keeps him up the most’

ST. GEORGE — One year ago, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said the concern at the top of his list was a lack of water in the state. 

File photo of the Stone Ridge Townhomes subdivision, Hurricane, Utah, May 24, 2019 | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George News

Now, it’s a lack of affordable homes.

Responding to a question from St. George News during the Sept. 21 taping of the monthly PBS Utah Governor’s Press Conference program in Salt Lake City, Cox said while the water drought is still an issue despite a year of prolific rainfall, the housing drought might be the more serious short-term problem. 

“Right now, the issue that is my top concern and keeps me up the most at night is the state of housing and especially affordable housing in our state,” Cox said. 

The lack of homes, or even apartments, that people can afford is also cited often by local leaders – from city councils to county commissions – as a cause of their insomnia. The same can be said for their constituents who often come to meetings saying that their salaries aren’t able to pay for many rents and mortgages locally. 

But Cox said the focus shouldn’t be as much on trying to make wages in places like Washington County commensurate with home prices but on reducing the cost of a house (See full article here).