Park City has an ongoing workforce shortage, which is directly tied to a lack of housing. It’s the only city in Utah with more jobs than residents. Some 11,000 jobs need to be filled each winter, and there are only 8,500 residents within city limits according to figures from Mountainlands Community Housing Trust. Just 15% of Park City’s workforce—about 1,650 people—actually lives in town. Fortunately, multiple groups are making efforts to address the dearth of rental units available to area workers.
Perhaps the most creative endeavor is the delightfully acronymed Workplace Employer Rental Incentive Program (WE RIP). WE RIP is a partnership between Mountainlands Community Housing Trust, the Park City Chamber/Bureau and the winter sports brand Rossignol, which will provide a ski or snowboard package valued at over $1,000 to homeowners who rent units seasonally or on a long-term basis to local workers.
WE RIP began a pilot program last season in which would-be landlords were given season passes to Deer Valley for renting units to the resort’s workers. It was based on a successful program started in Aspen, Colorado, but both Deer Valley and Park City declined to participate this season. It’s unfortunate, as ski passes are a very effective carrot in ski-obsessed communities, and it’s as of yet unknown if people find gear equally enticing.
Perks alone won’t fix a monumental housing shortage, so local developers are joining the fray. “The housing shortage is a demographic issue that’s been ignored for too long with significant impact on the greater community,” says Tony Tyler, Partner at Columbus Pacific Development. “Helping address the situation is more than an obligation for us, it’s the right thing to do.”
Columbus Pacific has developed a lot of properties in Park City, notably the current home of the Kimball Art Center as well as the high-end Apex Residences and Pendry Residences. Just prior to this winter, the company held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a far different property, the Slopeside Village. The development has housing for 1,197 full-time Summit County residents with deed restricted prioritization for local workers at the base of the Canyons Village. “It’s a unique structure,” says Tyler. “Essentially there are nine tiers of priority based on where you work and how much you earn. It levels the playing field for people who work locally, and businesses here have seen a dramatic rise in their ability to recruit workers.”
Neither the promise of free skis, nor a single, if significant, development is going to solve all the area’s housing woes, but it’s an encouraging start. Hopefully some added momentum will push the local resorts to pony up a few passes to sweeten the pot. Every little bit helps.
What Happened to All the Rentals?
These rental-based affordable housing initiatives are crucially important to bolstering the local workforce. Much attention is paid to the cost of ownership in the area, but a dramatic decrease in long-term rental inventory has long hampered hiring. Seventy percent of rental supply in Park City is short term, used primarily by vacationers. The proportion of second homes owned locally continues to increase, threatening to exacerbate the existing shortfall.
