The Story
Utah Valley has a problem: the young adults who staff its companies, teach in its schools, and build its houses cannot see a path to owning a home here, and some are giving up on that path altogether. This issue is about a loose proposal to change that: a housing development with smaller homes, close to the arterials that people already drive, with 120 homes of 800 to 1,200 square feet, on about 20 acres. Amenities include a community center, a pool, a fitness center, pickleball courts, and shared green space. This project intends to put a young couple within reach of owning a home instead of renting.
To be clear, here is what these homes are, and what they are not. These are not trailer homes, and they are not mobile homes. These are high quality homes, just with a smaller footprint, built to last, and built to appreciate in value, like a site built home. Community comes first, with green space at the center, not left over after the lots are sold. Energy, internet, and other home services are included in the HOA, so the monthly cost is the monthly cost, not a stack of separate bills on top of a mortgage. The location is the other half of the price break: close enough to the metro to live and work here, far enough out to really get a price break on land. The target is an all in price of $250,000, with a mortgage of less than $1,800 per month. That is a target, not quote, and it will depend on rate, down payment, taxes, and insurance, and it does not include HOA dues, but that is the number this proposal is shooting for.
There is something much larger at stake here, too. If we do not house our own kids, we lose the demographic benefit we have in this county. We are one of the only counties in America at population replacement rate. That advantage does not stay on its own. If the young adults who grew up here cannot afford to stay here, they leave, and the county loses the very thing that made it different.
Utah County still leads the nation on young homeownership. The question is whether the next cohort can keep that lead when the homes being built are far larger, and far more expensive, than a first time buyer can carry. That is especially true with rates above 7%. That is as much of the story as anything. Here is the math, at the current rate: the Utah County single family median was $600,900 in October 2026, and the 30 year fixed rate was 7.18% on November 5, 2026. With minimum down, 3%, that is $18,027 down, a $582,873 loan, and $3,949 a month in principal and interest alone. Add property tax, insurance, and mortgage insurance, and the total is about $4,800 a month. At the proposal's $250,000 target, same rate, same 3% down, the payment is $1,643 a month in principal and interest, about $2,070 a month with tax, insurance, and mortgage insurance. That is the gap this proposal is trying to close. For reference, the average cost of renting a two bedroom house in Utah County is $2,600.
Carine Clark, CEO of First Colony Mortgage, said housing costs are showing up in hiring whether people say it out loud or not:
"It's showing up in every hiring conversation, whether people say it out loud or not. A young person can love the job and the team and still leave because they can't see a path to owning a home here. When that path disappears, so does the reason to put down roots. I've heard people say they've given up on housing, but I haven't. There won't be a simple fix, but there are a lot of levers we haven't pulled yet. Employers need to be part of pulling them, because if the people building our companies can't afford to live here, no signing bonus is going to keep them."
Why it matters in the valley: if the people building and working for valley companies cannot afford to live in the valley, the valley does not just lose workers. It loses the households that keep a community young, that fill its schools, and that, a generation from now, are the valley's own next set of employers, volunteers, homeowners, and leaders.
The Case
Here is the record, in order, that the story above rests on.
• The gap: the Gardner Institute estimates about 280,000 homes are needed statewide by 2035, about 61,500 of them for households age 35 and under. Homes affordable at 80% of area median income run about 1,272 square feet, against about 3,379 square feet above 120% of area median income. The valley is not short of large homes. It is short of small ones.
• The tools: HB 492 (2026) created a $100 million revolving infrastructure loan fund. Utah Housing Corporation First Time Homebuyer Assistance offers up to $20,000 at 0%, for new construction only, with a $450,000 cap. Detached accessory dwelling units were opened up by SB 284, effective October 1, 2026.
• The cost: small homes generally run from the low $200Ks to the low $500Ks, before land and site work, depending on size and finish. Those are one off costs. At volume, 120 homes together, it gets even more affordable.
The Request
Our request is plain, and it has two parts. First, to the cities in Utah County: can we find a path to a 120 home community, with homes at 800 to 1,200 square feet, even if that requires new zoning? We would run this as a test site. Can it actually work?
Second, to builders and lenders in the valley: bring a real number. An all in quote, land plus site work plus home, for a small starter home on a Utah site, and a mortgage product that helps a first time buyer actually move. On the second point, Carine Clark, CEO of First Colony Mortgage, proposed a portable mortgage, placed here after first time buyer help:
"I keep thinking Utah should lead out on a portable mortgage product for our most underserved citizens. Your car insurance goes with you when you move. Why not your mortgage rate? Picture a first time buyer who qualifies on income for a home under a set price, say $500,000. They lock a rate. A few years later they're ready for a bigger home, and they take that rate with them. It works almost like a refinance, except they keep the rate they have. That gets people moving again, and every time someone moves up, a starter home opens up for the next family."
The Question
What would it take for a young valley couple to own a first home here, without moving out of the valley or the state to do it, and who has to say yes first: a city, a county, a builder, or a lender? Can we figure this out together?
The Calendar
• Friday, November 6, 2026. This issue publishes; Utah County election results remain unofficial until canvass. Check the county results page for updates: https://vote.utahcounty.gov/results
• Tuesday, November 10, VentureCon: Student Business Tradeshow, UVU Hall of Flags, Orem.
• Friday, November 13, America Recycles Day Annual Conference, South Utah Valley Solid Waste District, Spanish Fork.
• Tuesday, November 17 to Thursday, November 19, November Interim, Utah Legislature, including the Public Utilities, Energy, and Technology Interim Committee.
• Saturday, November 21, Project Paideia AI Buildathon at UVU.
• Monday, November 30, Office of Energy Development annual consortium report due to the Public Utilities, Energy, and Technology Interim Committee.
The Why
I wrote this because it feels like there is a disconnect between the people living in the valley and housing. So many people are against "high density," but they don't realize it is their own kids and grandkids they are forcing to move out of the state. I have kids who want to live here. They want to raise their families here, near the people they grew up with, in the place they call home. But the supply doesn't meet the demand, and the homes being built are not the homes they can buy. So they look elsewhere, not because they want to leave, but because staying is not an option they can afford. That is the disconnect. The same valley that raised them, that gave them schools and jobs and a community, is now telling them, through price alone, that there is no room for them. I don't understand the push back against homes our own families can actually afford. These are not homes for strangers. They are homes for our kids, for the teachers and the builders and the young couples who keep this valley running. If we want them here, we have to build a place for them to live.
Election Results
Election night, in brief, key seats only, unofficial, November 3, 2026. Utah County voters filled two open County Commission seats at once, a majority of the three member body, and those two seats will shape county decisions on growth, land use, and infrastructure for the next four years. As of tonight, November 5, with more mail ballots counted, Michelle Kaufusi (R) leads Seat A with 60.93% (80,774 votes) over Jeanne Marie Bowen (D) at 30.68%, and David M. Spencer (R) leads Seat B with 55.88% (73,728 votes) over J. Allen (D) at 34.58%. Local reporting calls both races for Kaufusi and Spencer, but these are reported wins, not the certified canvass, which comes later. Two county offices were reported won on election night: County Attorney Jeff Gray, the Republican incumbent, and Sheriff Mike Smith, the Republican incumbent. For the full results, including every race on the ballot, see the Utah County Elections results page: https://vote.utahcounty.gov/results
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Sources for this issue: Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 Public Use Microdata Sample, ages 25 to 34 tabulation (2024 level, upper bound, Utah County PUMA approximation); Carine Clark, CEO, First Colony Mortgage, comments October 28, 2026, on the record; Gardner Institute statewide housing need estimates; HB 492 (2026); Utah Housing Corporation First Time Homebuyer Assistance; SB 284 (effective October 1, 2026); Utah County Elections results page, https://vote.utahcounty.gov/results (unofficial results, November 3, 2026, election night, partial).