St. George and other communities are feeling the strain of a rapidly growing population.
Local officials in southern Utah are hoping recent zoning reforms and other policy changes will help slow the region's growing housing crisis, reports Nick Fiala in St. George News.
Mari Krashowetz, an executive officer of the Southern Utah Home Builders Association, said "We credit municipalities in Washington County for becoming more accepting of townhomes, smaller lots, and mixed-use development, but much more progress is possible." However, challenges including infrastructure constraints, neighborhood opposition to new construction or density and onerous entitlement and permitting processes and fees. Material costs and scare labor are also contributing to the shortage.
Krashowetz predicts that the Southern Utah market will "likely continue to trend toward more master-planned communities, a wider mix of housing types, and smaller average home sizes."
Read the full story: A significant shift': Southern Utah communities seek creative ways to tackle housing crisis
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