In 2017, I wrote an op-ed for The Salt Lake Tribune advocating for the expansion of the Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) program. Five years later, I warned in the Standard-Examiner that our housing crisis had worsened with record rent spikes, overwhelming demand and multi-year waitlists for affordable units.
Now, in 2025, Utah’s housing shortage is no longer a crisis — it’s a full-blown emergency. And the time for polite suggestions has passed.
We must act boldly, immediately and without excuses.
According to the most recent Utah Affordable Housing Report, we face a shortage of more than 45,000 affordable units — a number that grows each year we delay.
On average, Utahns spend more than 30% of their income on rent. Schoolteachers, senior citizens, grocery clerks, EMTs — they’re being priced out of the communities they serve.
There are a few ugly truths about what’s blocking progress in Utah. And while some very important progress has been made — notably Gov. Spencer Cox’s and Steve Waldrip’s plan to provide $300 million in affordable housing initiatives to build starter home condos for homebuyers — much more work needs to be done to change the two forces most responsible for this inflection point: outdated zoning laws and underutilized federal housing programs.
First, zoning codes still outlaw multi-family housing in vast swaths of urban and suburban Utah. One practical step is to modernize outdated single-family zoning. By allowing duplexes or smaller-lot homes in areas currently limited to single-family use, we can create more housing options without overhauling neighborhoods overnight. A smart approach might be to start with two-family zoning and, if it works well, gradually scale to triplexes or fourplexes where appropriate. It’s a way to grow with intention — preserving neighborhood character while making room for the next generation of Utahns.
Next, NIMBY resistance — often cloaked in concerns about traffic or “neighborhood character” — continues to block high-impact projects. When NIMBY concerns block needed housing, local officials must respond with facts, not fear. Delays only widen the gap between supply and need. We have a responsibility to plan for long-term growth — not just for new residents, but for the next generation of Utahns who deserve the chance to live, work and raise families here.
Finally, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development recognizes LIHTC as “the most important resource for creating affordable housing in the United States today,” which remains underfunded relative to the need. By way of perspective, in 2022, the International Monetary Fund estimates that fossil fuel subsidies topped $757 billion. That same year, the LIHTC program cost the federal government an estimated $13 billion. That’s lopsided arithmetic.
Affordable housing is not some fringe issue. It is economic infrastructure. It is a public health intervention — with residents in affordable, stable housing experiencing 18% fewer emergency room visits. It is criminal justice reform – with individuals with stable housing exhibiting dramatically lower rates of recidivism. It is education policy — because housing affordability, stability, quality and neighborhood characteristics are strongly linked to students’ school readiness, attendance and test-score performance. And it is the moral test of any society that claims to care about families.
We know what works: building mixed-income communities, transit-oriented development, streamlined permitting, state and local alignment with federal tax credits, and the political will to tell the truth, even when it’s uncomfortable.
Here in Utah, we’ve already proven this can be done. Our team helped build communities where refugees, formerly homeless veterans, and working families live side-by-side with doctors and financial analysts. These developments didn’t just house people — they revitalized entire neighborhoods.
So I say again: No more excuses. No more performative concern. No more performative faith. If we care about the widow, the refugee, the teacher, the line cook, the retired couple living on Social Security, then — in the words of our governor — we must build.
More units. Less red tape. More vision. Less fear.
We have the tools. We have the funding. We have the proof. What we need now is courage.
(Bill Knowlton) Bill Knowlton is a real estate attorney and affordable housing developer based in Salt Lake City.
Bill Knowlton is a real estate attorney and affordable housing developer based in Salt Lake City. He is the author of “Affordable Housing Development: A Brief Overview of the LIHTC Program” and specializes in LIHTC-financed projects, public-private capital structuring and zoning reform.
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