USU Eastern study: Emery and Carbon counties lack housing stock needed for incoming jobs; officials urged to plan now

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 100–150 likely new permanent residents) — could push demand enough to trigger bidding that lifts prices and displaces long‑time residents.

Why it matters: Miller framed the choices as binary without intervention: counties can either delay action and face rapidly rising rents and displacement, or plan now to add supply in ways that preserve local residents’ ability to stay. He recommended two primary tracks: expanding affordable single‑family homes aimed at local families and investing in mid‑density, market‑rate developments that absorb workforce demand. "This is not affordable housing where it's low income focus," Miller said, stressing the study’s emphasis on market‑rate, attainable housing rather than subsidized low‑income projects.

Local responses and tools: Commissioners and city representatives discussed zoning changes, accessory dwelling units (ADUs) and Community Reinvestment Agency (CRA) strategies tied to solar project revenues. Orangeville reported a proactive approach: "We put a moratorium on it," said the Orangeville representative, explaining the town's moratorium and code changes to increase separation between short‑term rentals. Commissioners noted that state code can require 10% of certain solar revenue for affordable housing if captured within a CRA; cities and counties must coordinate to direct those funds toward local projects.

Funding and timing: Miller urged cultivating developer partnerships early, noting Salina City’s decade‑long effort to secure developers as a cautionary example. He said municipal efforts to derisk projects might require offering land or infrastructure and that realistic timelines to see new housing constructed are measured in years, not months: "it be[s] able to actually build this type of housing in 5 or 6 years," he said. Commissioners also highlighted water availability and canal delivery efficiency as a fundamental constraint on new development and cited a prior local salinity project whose small local seed funding unlocked substantial grant support.

What’s next: Cities and the county discussed using gap funding and RLF/entrepreneurship loan funds to incentivize developers or to convert existing trailer/RV sites where feasible. Miller and his team offered to present their full findings again to local councils. Several officials urged near‑term zoning and planning work so that the region can be positioned to capture investment without losing long‑time residents.

Ending: The council did not take a formal vote on policy changes during the meeting but recorded the study’s findings and recommendations for follow‑up by city councils and county planners.