Summit County Launches Free Housing and Transportation Speaker Series in March

The Summit County Housing Authority kicked off a new quarterly speaker series Thursday evening at the Mountain Regional Water Building on Paintbrush Road in Park City, bringing together local experts, partner organizations, and residents to tackle persistent myths about affordable housing and its relationship to traffic and transit.

The inaugural Housing and Transportation Community Event ran from 5 to 7 p.m. at 5739 Paintbrush Rd., with partner tables from Habitat for Humanity of Summit and Wasatch County, Mountainlands Community Housing Trust, and the Summit County Transportation Department operating during the first half hour. A moderated presentation and Q&A followed from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., led by housing authority board member Joan Meixner, with additional time afterward for attendees to visit tables and mingle with panelists.

Housing Authority Director Madlyn McDonough addressed one of the most common objections head-on: the belief that affordable housing development worsens traffic. According to KPCW, McDonough said that one of the biggest myths is that affordable housing causes traffic, but the inverse is more accurate. The county is also seeking public input on planned changes to its development code as part of its long-term, holistic approach to housing and transportation planning.

A speaker identified only as Miller framed the stakes plainly. "Moving housing and jobs and services closer together and providing better connections really improve the quality of life for everybody," Miller said, according to KPCW. He argued that housing and transportation represent the same issue when planned in concert, and that placing homes near existing roads and transit stops expands residents' options for getting around. The county's 20-year aspiration, as reported by KPCW, is to see community members spending less time in traffic and more time enjoying their lives.

Thursday's event was the first in a four-part quarterly series. The remaining three installments will examine housing and open space, housing and local government, and housing and economic development. RSVP for future events is available at summitcounty.info/housingspeakerseries.