Housing affordability keeps Steve Waldrip up at night. As Gov. Spencer Cox’s housing advisor, he wants young Utahns to afford to stay in the state. But Utah’s median home listing is $579,000, and affordability concerns have dinged the state’s quality of life.
“We spend time and effort building these incredible young people,” Waldrip said. “And the last thing we want to do is then ship them out to other places.”
One of Utah’s big affordability pushes is the goal to build 35,000 new starter homes, priced at or below $450,000, by the end of 2028. Halfway to that deadline in mid-2026, 7,909 starter homes have been built — less than 25% of the goal. They’re concentrated in Utah County…