Heber City affordable housing project targets 2028 construction start

Heber City’s planned affordable housing community is now on track for a 2028 construction start, but the project still has years of policy, financing and approvals ahead before any apartments are built. The units are meant for residents earning 40% to 80% of area median income, a range that sits at the center of the Wasatch Back’s housing squeeze.

That income band is the one most local workers occupy and struggle to stay in. Teachers, hospitality employees, municipal workers, health-care staff and other year-round residents often make too much to qualify for the deepest subsidy programs, but far too little to compete with market-rate rents and home prices in Heber Valley, Midway and Park City. A 2019 regional housing needs assessment put median income at $87,201 across Summit and Wasatch counties and $94,952 in Summit County, underscoring how far a 40% to 80% AMI project reaches below the area’s broader income profile.

The long runway to 2028 also reflects how much has to happen before a project like this can move. Heber City’s own affordable housing ordinance amendment materials said the city had insufficient affordable housing in 2020 for households earning 80%, 50% and 30% of median income. A June 23, 2020 planning commission staff report addressed an affordable housing ordinance amendment, showing the city has been working on the issue for years rather than months.

More recent city actions show the same slow buildout. Heber City’s FY 2025/2026 policy and budget priorities include affordable housing-related work, and a June 16, 2026 council agenda included discussion of affordable housing funding tools and the proposed Tava-Highlands Public Infrastructure District. On June 26, 2026, developers of The Highlands were also seeking to impose an extra property tax within the housing project, a reminder that financing for new neighborhoods can hinge on local tax districts and complicated ownership structures.

The project is part of a wider push in Heber to move beyond study sessions and into delivery. On June 2, 2026, Heber City Council’s Affordable Housing 101 was set to culminate in a needs assessment and strategic housing plan, and a February 20, 2026 project update said an affordable housing community would finalize its site plan after council feedback. Earlier, KPCW reported in May 2025 that Heber was looking for new tools to meet demand.

Heber has already seen smaller affordable housing efforts that may shape what comes next. Mountainlands Community Housing Trust says it has created 309 for-sale homes and 349 affordable rentals in its history, and its projects page lists Parkview Place in Heber City as a 49-home, price-restricted for-sale community for local community builders. Whether the new apartment project reaches 2028 depends on how quickly Heber can turn its funding discussions and planning work into a final, buildable package.