On Thursday, Gov. Cox gave his State of the State speech to the legislature, and as completely expected, emphasized again his commitment to building more housing, especially starter housing, in the state.  Here’s a summary from Utah News Dispactch  of what he said:

• Housing attainability: “We are reforming the regulatory regime, supporting more single-family construction, and fast-tracking approval processes,” Cox said, pointing to his administration’s Utah First Home program’s goal to build 35,000 starter homes in five years. “The greatest generation did this after World War II. We can do it again.” He thanked a pair of lawmakers — Sen. Lincoln Fillmore, R-South Jordan, and Rep. Stephen Whyte, R-Mapleton — for leading out on another slate of bills expected to encourage cities to build more “attainable” homes. He said housing will “surely be the defining issue of the next several decades.”

Also that evening, the anticipated first phase of the State Housing Plan was released.  You might recall that back in November 2023, the State Office of the Legislative Auditor presented a report to the legislature on Utah housing policy.  It was critical of a number of things being done, and not being done, with regard to the availability of affordable housing.  One of the primary recommendations made in the report was:

1.1 The Legislature should require the creation of a state-level strategic plan for housing in Utah, including goals to address the current housing shortage and forecasted population growth.

Laura Hanson and her team at the Governor’s Office of Planning and Budget (Laura is now the Governor’s Senior Advisor for Long-Range Planning), along with Steve Waldrip (Governor’s Senior Advisor for Housing Strategy and Innovation) took on the task, forming a steering committee and technical team of state, local, business, legislative and other leaders to produce this plan.  This is the first phase of that plan.

The game plan is for the public and interested parties to review this first phase and provide feedback by March 7 (which also happen to be the last day of the legislative session).

The plan is more of a statement of issues and an overview of goals and desired outcomes.  Some of it’s notable recommendations:

Vision:  Our vision is to ensure that every resident in Utah has access to safe, affordable, and stable housing options that provide access to opportunities and a high quality of life.

Commitment:  We commit to addressing the housing crisis through the development of a comprehensive, long-term strategy that engages legislators, the state’s executive branch, private industry, local governments, advocacy organizations, and philanthropic partners.

Administration Priorities: Gov. Cox has outlined an ambitious goal, facilitating the market delivery of at least 150,000 new housing units, including 35,000 new starter homes and 40,000 new homes in identified regional centers, such as those depicted in Wasatch Choice Vision, by the end of his second term (December 2028).

In many other states where housing affordability is an issue, the approach often seems to be a top-down one, where the state mandates or dictates actions to be taken at the local government level, where land use decisions are generally made.  That has mostly not been the approach in Utah, where there has been more collaboration between state, local, and private players.  The plan recognizes and posits the continuation of this strategy:

The following guiding principles are intended to serve as guideposts for how Utah stakeholders resolve to work with one another to address our housing crisis. These principles describe both the “Utah Way” of problem solving and desired long-term outcomes for the state:

• Prioritize Collaboration Over Preemption

• Promote a Holistic and Regional Approach

• Collaborate Across Sectors

There’s plenty to ponder over in the plan.  Take a read and share your thoughts by March 7.

Now, back to the legislative front.  A few more bills of interest have dribbled out.  Here’s a quick summary:

HB318 – Residential Turf Amendments – would make changes to the recently adopted Water Wise Landscaping section in LUDMA.  The bill would limit the size of grass area that could be installed as landscaping around new homes (percentage based, up to a maximum of 2,500 sq ft).  It would also prohibit grass in any area smaller than 8 sq ft, or in any parkstrip.

HB320 – Municipal Ordinance Amendments – allows a municipality to impose a civil fine that exceeds the maximum Class B misdemeanor fine if the municipality has previously imposed a fine on the individual for the same violation three or more times within the past months.

HB328 – Water Usage Amendments – would direct a municipality or county to require compliance with a prohibition on use of overhead spray irrigation as part of land use approvals; requires a municipality or county to give notice of the prohibition on use of overhead spray irrigation; prohibits for new development and redevelopment the use of overhead spray irrigation except under certain circumstances.

SB152 – Local Land Use Regulation Restrictions – in the section of LUDMA that prohibits regulation of building design elements, this bill would prohibit a municipality or county from requiring a garage on a one- or two-family dwelling.

And we haven’t even gotten to the big bills yet!  Oh boy!