Affordable Housing In Park City? For Olympic Hopefuls, It’s Coming Soon

PARK CITY, Utah – By now, many of us in Utah are used to the sights and sounds of a construction zone, specifically, housing construction.

It’s becoming common to travel anywhere in the state and see plywood being put up in a field that used to be empty.

Utah is experiencing a lot of growth the past few years, and as more people come in, more places are needed for them to stay.

However, one project in Park City is a little different than all the other housing developments.

Construction equipment

“We’re just excited. This is an awesome project,” said Colin Hilton, while standing in a slushy, muddy field looking at a four-story complex being worked on.

Hilton is the CEO of the Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation.

He’s excited about this project because it’s being built for athletes who want to train in Park City to possibly make a future Olympic team.

However, in the past decade or so, living and training in Park City was tough because of how expensive real estate and rent have become.

“For the longest time, athletes who came into Utah would have to find hotel rooms and things and as we’ve gotten busier here in Utah, the cost of that housing is more expensive,” said Hilton.

Project near the ski jumps

This new development, though, is affordable when compared to Park City prices.

Hilton says it will cost athletes about $40 a night, or $600-$700 a month.

There will be 146 beds in the new housing development, which is being built at Utah Olympic Park just under the ski jumps.

“It’s got to be affordable for the athletes, who, many of them are struggling themselves in financial situations that they need accessible, affordable options,” said Hilton.

In 2013-2014, Team USA snowboarder Justin Reiter lived in his truck to save money on training in Park City.

He’s from Colorado and eventually made the Olympic team and competed in Sochi, Russia.

Soon, athletes won’t have to do that anymore.

“We’ve needed it for a long time,” said Lindsey Van, an Olympic ski jumper who also competed during the Sochi Winter Games.

Van is from Park City, but she knows how tough it is for out-of-town athletes to live and train here.

Housing

“Park City is a very expensive place to live, but one of the best places to train. So, it’s good they’re finally making a move to get some good housing,” she said.

Not only is this going to be great for athletes and staff, but it’s also great for the area.

Utah is hoping to be awarded another Olympic Games, and this is another example to show the state’s commitment to the Olympic movement.

“For us, it’s one of the real distinguishers of what Utah is doing compared to other places around the world where we are investing in our facilities with new amenities and this is just the latest example,” said Hilton. “We love supporting our athletes and this is, again, another example of doing that. Our goal was to create very affordable housing for both athletes and staff of the Olympic Park.”

The housing development is expected to be finished in August of 2019.