ROADS TO UNDERSTANDING

Roads to Understanding: Moab faces growth challenges with housing scarcity

Oct 3, 2024, 6:47 PM | Updated: Oct 22, 2024, 11:45 am

MOAB — Once a quiet small town, Moab, surrounded by red rocks and recreation, isn’t a secret anymore.

Jason Taylor, owner of the Moab Adventure Center said they love people who love Moab and has a team ready to take anyone on the adventure of a lifetime.

With river guides, off-road guides and canyoneering guides, his team can guide you on just about anything — except for a place to live.

RELATED: The Colorado River Collaborative

buildings in front of towering red rocks.

While a lot of Utah faces housing issues, Moab, shown here Oct. 3, 2024, can’t grow its tourism economy without a place to house its workers. (Alex Cabrero, KSL TV)

“Housing is probably the number one issue for this small town,” Taylor said. It’s such an issue, the city bought housing so its newest workers — such as police officers — have a place to live. Business owners started doing it too.

“It’s becoming the norm, that it’s almost like to start a business, you almost have to take a step back and go, ‘OK, I’ve started this business, now where are these people going to live?’ ”

Taylor has approximately 60 workers living in company housing but for smaller businesses, even finding workers is a challenge. Alex Borichevsky, the owner of 98 Center, a sushi and Vietnamese fusion restaurant has the same challenge.

“Even before COVID, workforce was extremely tough,” Borichevsky said.

Since Moab only has approximately 6,000 full-time residents, he knew he would have to look beyond Moab to get workers and, again, housing.

Good Samaritan, witness recount Moab river rescue of father and two sons

“I’ve been saying this for probably 20 years now; Two apartment buildings would eliminate a ton of workforce housing situation.”

Borichevsky figures with rural loan grants and other incentives the city or county could build housing and keep rent affordable to help businesses with workers. In turn, the economy that is built on tourism keeps going.

“We wouldn’t be able to survive without the tourist economy,” he said. “There’s no way.”

“You hear it all throughout the state,” Taylor said. “And I think here in Moab especially, housing is becoming unattainable for the working class and we’re trying to figure out ways to combat that.”

Moab continues to be a popular tourist destination, not just in Utah but regionally and internationally as well. As tourism goes, so does the local economy. The trick going forward will be, how much more can it grow with housing for workers continuing to be such a big issue?

Moab’s Main Street shown here on Oct. 3, 2024. (Alex Cabrero, KSL TV)

 

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Roads to Understanding: Moab faces growth challenges with housing scarcity