A Weber County developer is betting that Utah homebuyers will trade a second garage stall for a lower mortgage payment. At JDC Ranch in Plain City, Nilson Homes is building 275 starter homes with smaller floor plans and smaller lots, but the same finishes and craftsmanship found in the company’s pricier market-rate houses.
Maggie Wells is one of the buyers who made that trade. She bought a 1,900-square-foot house with a one-car garage in Plain City for less than $450,000, according to The Salt Lake Tribune. With help from the state’s down-payment assistance program, Wells was able to purchase it on her single income. She has three children, including two teenagers living at home, and told the Tribune that homeownership is empowering and more accessible than people think.
Nilson Homes owner Jed Nilson, who started building houses in 1999, designed the starter homes with a one-car garage or no garage at all, rather than the two-car garage that has become standard in new Utah construction. For inspiration, he looked to older Utah neighborhoods, including the Avenues and Sugar House, the same report notes. Nilson has said he wants his children — he has five, with a sixth on the way, after 46 years living in Utah — to be able to stay in the state he grew up in.
From 725 Homes to 1,000 — With a Catch
The JDC Ranch plan wasn’t always built around smaller homes. Nilson met with Steve Waldrip, who advises Gov. Spencer Cox on housing strategy and leads Utah’s Division of Housing and Community Development, to discuss increasing the development from 725 homes to 1,000. Per Waldrip, that expansion added 275 homes priced below $450,000 to the plan, and it reportedly took local officials months to sign off on the change…