Reader comments
Affordable housing elusive in Park City

I graduated from Park City twelve yes ago and even then new teachers weren't able to live in PC. This situation didn't sneak up ok anyone, yet I haven't seen any reasonable action taken to offer teachers a housing deal or lottery for living on PC. What would it take to set up some sort of program so that teachers can buy a partially subsidized home? I'm ignorant, so please educate me.

I can't believe I still subscribe to this Newspaper! With everything that is going on in the world, the headlines are about affordable housing in a tourist trap that long ago lost it's quaint image of a mountain mining town. Basically who cares? The rich have to live somewhere.

It seems to me that what's driving the current housing market is greed, pure and simple. The pervailing wisdom that "I'm going to get what's mine, no matter the costs (social, economic, religious, family, etc.)", is pure selfishishness. Of course I'm in agreement that honest people should get what's fair for their property, but so many have made their fortunes on buying and selling property at outrages prices that it has made us as a society lazy and way over indulgent. It creates an upper class that looks down on others in a condenscending way, although they have no right or justification for doing so. They expect and demand things now that would have been laughed at and thought of ridiculous 10 years ago. This type of attitude is not healthy for society. It's brought us to the point we are now where very few people can afford housing and many are in debt to the point that it's an epidemic. Something has to give.

Goof balls who live in Park City: tell your school districts to vote for a levy to give teachers more $. Then the problem disappears.

"It seems to me that what's driving the current housing market is greed, pure and simple."

It's not called "greed". It's called living in a society with a free market system governed by supply and demand. Are you greedy because you demand the same salary as others in your profession and with your experience - the salary determined by market demand for your services?

You are sadly ignorant if you believe that this is the result of free market conditions. When planning boards purposely restrict the construction of apartments, multi family housing, and other affordable housing options in an already affluent area then of course only the rich will be able to live there. It's no accident - it's snobbery and yes even greed.

Please don't preach about supply and demand when you yourself don't understand it - this is a case where local government is limiting the supply.

Dave is wrong, and I guess I'm ignorant too,,, is right!

What has been going on is NOT the free market system, and is not our constitutional system.

The FED has blown up bubble after bubble, grossly distorting the free market. Greed IS a big part of this but that greed was ENABLED by the FED and the corrupt banking system.

Well it's all unraveling now. It would have already unravelled but for massive manipulation by congress, the FED, Treasury.

Dave would be we right if our system was a truly free market, but currently it is not.

When immigration cracks down, you'll find more woes in Park City than the price of housing. Try getting someone from down the hill to go up to Park City for housekeeping or landscaping. Price adjustments will make living in Park City even more elusive to many. It will be the downfall of the greedy...heehee

So if only the affluent can afford to live in PC, then up the property taxes in order to pay the teachers and city workers more.

Those who want to stay will pay more. Those that don't can move their families to a cheaper area. And for those that continue to commute, that is their choice. They can apply for a job in another school district if they choose. They aren't being forced at gunpoint to teach/work in Park City.

Folks,
The point of the article is that Park City is, as it were, deficient in certain vitamins. It's been growing at an alarming rate, but has not taken care to ensure that it can sustain itself. Some act as if it's the teachers asking for hand-outs, which us not the case. Rather, it's the city that needs to ensure that it's worth it to teach there. PC is VERY proud of their academics, comparing themselves to the best and bigger schools in the state. If they want to remain that way, they need to do what they can to attract the best teachers. As an alumnus, I'd like to see a good academic tradition continue and think one way to get good teachers is to make it worth it to them. Why doesn't supply (which is diminishing) and demand of teachers follow the same economic rules?

There are few places, I least want to live than Park City. If you are paying over a million why not go for a decent climate? If you can afford a million dollar home, you can afford to ski anywhere. You can still live were no one knows what a snow shovel is used for. Give me Santa Barbara and a sailboat.

Where is there affordable housing anywhere?

You can go out to 1 million west and 1 million south and houses are still $400,000+! I feel really bad for people a few years younger than I didn't get into a house 5+ years ago. No more can a descent house with a good location be found for under $200,000. Think about it, a quarter million for just a standard 50's rambler is now cheap.

With other prices going up and up, I don't know how people can afford it now. Anyway, this problem isn't just unique to Park City. If it were just PC, this would be a non-issue.

I feel so bad for all the rich people in Park City with nobody to educate their children. I guess they'll all have to hire live-in tutors.

Residents of Park City, it sounds like it's time for Deer Valley's Mitt Romney to step up to the plate and organize another fund raising dinner. This time collect the same $70,000 per couple, but give the money to the teachers instead of the republicans.

The idle rich should do their own work. boo woo

This is just my 2 cents worth, but I find most housing unaffordable anymore. The newer houses are far from modest in size. We raised our six kids in a home less with than 2000 square feet. Somehow we made it work.

I see the problem being that everything is costing more and more because the dollar is worth less and less. I honestly don't see how anyone can afford a new house these days.

It isn't like Heber and Kamas and even Jeremy's Canyon are on the moon. Low wage employees can hardly ever live in expensive enclaves. Of course, the houses in Park City are empty most of the year so the place is a modern ghost town much of the year.

It is true that there is virtually no affordable housing in the Salt Lake Valley either. Apartments are at about 95-98% occupancy, and rents are sky-high. As others have indicated, houses are still out of reach. I teach in the Salt Lake Valley, have 26 years of experience and a master's degree, and make in the mid-50's. If you think anyone can get housing on that income, think again. I live in a basement apartment. Our blessed legislature thinks it's better to split a well-functioning school district and double everyone's taxes than to keep things the way they are and provide a living wage for teachers. Go figure. Oh, yes, you needed a math teacher to teach you enough to "go figure."

I lived in Park City for nearly 10 years. There is no section 8 housing. I have moved to a better more normal place with more Normal people. Normal Illinois. Be liberal with your substance.

Judy is correct. All small resort towns have a work force that drives in - Park City is lucky to have Heber, Kamas etc. SO CLOSE!!

Folks working in Telluride have to drive at least three times as far, or CAMP!!

PS: The anti-PC comments must be coming from Salt Lakers - now THAT'S my idea of hell.