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USU Eastern study: Emery and Carbon counties lack housing stock needed for incoming jobs; officials urged to plan now
Summary
A USU Eastern presentation warned Emery and Carbon counties have limited hotel, RV and for‑sale inventory and could see displacement as near-term hires arrive; the study urged zoning updates, ADUs and developer partnerships and noted Orangeville's Airbnb moratorium as a local response.
Doug Miller, a researcher with the Huntsman School of Business at USU Eastern, told the Emery County Council of Governments that the region’s available housing for new workers is small and unevenly usable. "There are 951 hotel or motel rooms available" and "115 RV slips," Miller said, but "the portfolio of available inventory is ... closer about 80%" once rundown units are set aside, leaving a much smaller pool for new demand.
Miller said his students’ inventory count across Carbon and Emery counties yields roughly 1,100 total short‑term or temporary units, and active for‑sale listings are thin: "107 homes available in Carbon County and 18 homes available in Emery County," he said. He warned that incoming employers — which Miller identified as Valor Atomic (about 40 hires for a 12‑month testing period) and the Fossil Rock mine (an estimated 300–400 jobs, with…
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