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OGDEN — A housing development in the works in Weber County calls for a portion of the planned homes to be priced more moderately and earmarked for first-time homebuyers, first responders, teachers and active-duty military members.
"Attainability is what this is all about, and I think this is a great step forward," said Weber County Commissioner Sharon Bolos.
South Ogden-based Nilson Homes is spearheading the JDC Ranch Properties development on some 240 acres of what was once farmland just west of Farr West. The proposal has been in the works since at least 2022, and county commissioners on Tuesday approved an amendment to the development agreement, allowing for the addition of 275 more "attainable" homes to the proposal.
Nilson had proposed a 725-unit development, and Tuesday's amendment boosts the potential number of homes that can be built on the property to 1,000 — a figure that includes 100 to 200 town homes.
"Homeownership is a big problem right now in Utah. ... These attainable homes are something we're very excited about," Bryan Bayles, of Nilson, told county commissioners. He said Nilson has been working with Steve Waldrip, a senior adviser on housing issues to Gov. Spencer Cox, on the plans, which aim to bolster the pool of affordable housing stock in Utah.
Per the plans, the homes would be on the smaller side and priced at $330,000 to $400,000. First priority in selling them would be given to first-time homebuyers, active-duty military members, first responders and teachers. Deed restrictions of 10 years would be placed on the homes to prevent their acquisition by large corporations and conversion into rental housing.
"These are starter homes. They are around 900 square feet, no garages, either no basement or no finished basement in there," said Tammy Aydelotte, a planner in the Weber County Planning Division.
Bayles said Tuesday that the other "market rate" homes in JDC Ranch would be priced starting at $500,000, with the "attainable" homes mixed among the varied units. "You won't be able to tell the difference. One will be a little smaller," he said.
When addressing the county commissioners on the plans in 2022, Bayles said the price tag for some JDC Ranch homes would be as high as $1 million.
As part of his presentation to county commissioners, Bayles played clips of Cox addressing the housing issue at a press conference at a Nilson Homes development in West Haven last December. Cox was highlighting an initiative to address the housing crunch and fight homelessness.
"The fact is, the single greatest threat to our future prosperity, the American dream and our strong communities is the price of housing," Cox said at the December event. "Our kids will never be able to call Utah home if we don't start building starter homes again."
The Nilson Homes website says JDC Ranch homes are to come available starting in the spring of 2025. The development is to feature homes "for all stages of life," reads the website.
