OGDEN, Utah — A new bill in the Utah State Legislature has one housing authority worried about what this could mean for their ability to impact communities — but the city is glad to see clarifications written into law.
In January, we showed you the Weber Housing Authority’s project to permanently house people who are chronically homeless and disabled.
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"We do have a select number of people that we will be placing in the facility that’s kind of in temporary housing right now. That really just is in limbo,” said Andi Beadles, executive director of the Weber Housing Authority.
Her team is working with Ogden City and the city council to get the green light on this project.
"We're still very optimistic that we can come to a workable solution,” said Beadles.
The housing authority bought the building that used to be Aspen Assisted Living in Ogden in 2022.
“But we only talked to the planning department. We didn’t talk to Ogden city administration; that’s kind of where we are running into issues,” said Beadles.
The Ogden City Council has to approve the project before it moves forward because the property is within city limits. The project is at a standstill now as the city and city council are trying to find a different place for this kind of housing.
"The potential is to put another type of housing within the same area that already has a huge concentration of the same types of projects,” said Ogden Mayor Ben Nadolski. He said there are already similar types of projects in the city, so adding another one would be tough for Ogden — hoping other areas can step up to help.
At the same time, House Bill 532 was introduced last week on Utah’s Capitol Hill. Rep. Ryan Wilcox (R-Ogden) and Sen. Calvin Musselman (R-West Haven) shared in a statement: “HB 532 clarifies existing statute to ensure housing authorities are working together collaboratively and maximizing efforts throughout their jurisdictions.”
Beadles said the housing authority opposes the bill. One reason is because it prohibits them from transferring property to third parties. But Nadolski said the bill would help.
"Moving forward, the city absolutely has to have a seat at the table, and it’s important that these approaches are clarified in law, and also clarified in procedure and in practice," he said.
He said that the city “has a seat at the table” with the Ogden Housing Authority and they do similar projects within the city. But underlining that administration needs to be part of the conversation would help streamline these procedures. He added that this project could jeopardize the progress of the investments already made in that area.
Beadles added that they are worried about the implications of this bill, not just on their Aspen project, but for future projects too.
“The not-in-my-backyard mentality that this will, and the spirit of that that it will spread throughout the state,” she said.
Ogden City is working on a way to help the housing authority find a location somewhere else.
"We are exploring opportunities to purchase the property from the housing authority. If we were able to purchase it, it would be a good location for us to do some of the neighborhood stabilization projects we’ve done in the past,” added Nadolski.
The mayor hopes something can be done to help those in our neighborhoods who need it most.
