Cache County housing task force urges zoning reform, county-city coordination to close 11,600‑unit shortfall

Karina Brown, a policy analyst for Cache County Executive David Zook, told the River Heights City Council on May 6 that Cache Valley needs roughly 11,600 additional housing units between 2021 and 2030 to accommodate household growth and avoid pricing out residents.

The Cache County housing crisis task force — represented to the council by Brown and co-chairs John Drew and Sean Milne — presented findings from a 60‑day review that the group produced in 2022, and updated its data and outreach work through 2024–2025. The presenters said the shortage is driven primarily by natural population increase in Cache County, zoning that limits higher‑density options, and a supply gap across multiple income bands. Brown noted the task force received a $30,000 grant from the Utah Office of the Property Rights Ombudsman to produce public education videos.

The task force told the council that local growth is largely organic: the U.S. Census counted near‑20% population growth in Cache Valley from 2010 to 2020 and the group estimated roughly 85% of that growth came from families already in the valley. Presenters said the average home price in the region peaked near $452,000 in March 2025 and that supply constraints have pushed many households aged 25–45 out of the purchase market. The group cited a Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute estimate that Cache Valley needs about 11,600 units between 2021 and 2030 to meet new household growth.

The task force's three headline recommendations to local leaders were: zoning reform at city and county levels (including limiting the use of zoning referendums that block land‑use changes), a public education campaign aimed especially at younger residents, and coordinated county‑city planning to align land use, transportation and infrastructure for growth. Sean Milne, director of community and economic development at the Bear River Association of Governments, described those three strategies as necessary to attract employers and retain younger residents: he said employers decline to expand in places where they cannot reliably find housing for employees.

The presenters also shared community survey results conducted by Utah State University students using an intercept sampling method across Box Elder, Cache and Rich counties. Milne said the survey gathered just over 300 responses and reported majority support for adding owner‑occupied housing and for mixed housing types in neighborhoods; the task force also reported that nearly 80% of respondents said adult children currently live with them because of housing costs.

Council members asked about survey methods, the meaning of coordinated planning and whether the state is already taking steps to reduce local regulatory barriers. Task force members said state policymakers have begun moving on housing policy and cited recent state initiatives and funding. The task force emphasized that many barriers to building different types of housing are set by local codes and long approval timelines that make lower‑cost products less attractive to private builders.

No formal action or vote was taken by the River Heights City Council on the task force recommendations during the May 6 meeting. The presentation closed with an offer to share the full report and contact information for follow‑up.

Ending: The task force provided the council printed packets and links to a fuller report and said it would continue outreach; council members indicated they would review the materials and bring questions back to future meetings.