Cottonwood Heights voter guide 2023

City Council

District 2

Scott Bracken

Occupation: City Council member/stay-at-home parent.

If elected, what would you do to provide more affordable housing options to your residents? Would you support higher-density housing?

Cottonwood Heights does well at the 80% AMI (area median income) level for affordable housing. That said, there are always opportunities to do more. One project currently under construction will have 20 units restricted to 50% AMI tenants. We also have set aside funding from older … projects to be in line with current code dedicating funds to affordable housing projects. We also are committed to provide some affordable housing in our Hillside Plaza redevelopment project. We have approved medium-density housing, but for many residents anything more than one unit per lot is “high density.” So “high density” under an urban planning definition would be a rare request and not likely supported. Medium- and low-density housing (town home/condo) have come up, and I have voted for them.

What is your city’s responsibility in addressing homelessness, and what would you do within the boundaries of your community to help unhoused Utahns?

I was at the Council of Governments meeting years ago and made the motion to have all cities in Salt Lake County contribute a portion of their budgets to help with costs/issues involving those that find themselves unhoused. That practice is still underway, and we contribute each year. We have submitted plans for properties, etc., to be used to help address the problem, but at this time other cities’ proposals have worked better overall.

Besides affordable housing or homelessness, what is the biggest challenge your city faces, and how would you address it?

We have a tug of war between “keeping things the way they are” and “growth.” People would like their kids/grandkids to live close by, but that also requires development (and at densities higher than single-family homes) of units that are affordable to them. As each new zoning request comes before us, that is foremost on my mind: How does this balance the two forces?

What is a fun or unique fact about yourself?

I’ve played the organ at the Mexico City Shrine of Guadalupe during Lent and at the Assembly Hall on Temple Square.

Sharon Daurelle

Occupation: Retired Department of Corrections administrator.

If elected, what would you do to provide more affordable housing options to your residents? Would you support higher-density housing?

The lack of adequate affordable housing is an issue all communities must address, and while residents of Cottonwood Heights have indicated their preference for single-family residences, there is also room for other solutions to help address this challenge. In some areas of our town, low-profile, higher-density housing may be appropriate, however, since much of the demand for affordable housing in our community is due to adult children seeking more independence, or other family members struggling with economic challenges, allowing homeowners to build accessory dwelling units (ADUs), often called mother-in-law apartments, may provide better solutions for our residents.

What is your city’s responsibility in addressing homelessness, and what would you do within the boundaries of your community to help unhoused Utahns?

While Cottonwood Heights doesn’t experience the challenges associated with large populations of unhoused people, every community has individuals or families who are one paycheck away from losing their home. There are parents who are skipping meals so there will be food for their children. There are those struggling to pay their utilities, medical expenses or rent, even as the economy grows stronger. Rather than blaming people for their situation, I believe city leaders should care about the people in their community. Many towns have public-private partnerships that provide resources for those struggling to make ends meet. Some have community centers that provide practical services, classes and programs that address the issues that often lead to financial distress, and others have found innovative ways to support those in need. We don’t need to reinvent the wheel. We can learn from the success in other towns, and adapt them to residents’ needs.

Besides affordable housing or homelessness, what is the biggest challenge your city faces, and how would you address it?

Utah’s Department of Transportation has announced its plans to build a gondola up Little Cottonwood Canyon to benefit two ski resorts, while the residents of Cottonwood Heights will have to live with Wasatch Boulevard being remade into a high-speed highway, a 2,500-plus-space parking structure sullying the landscape and our views, and all the other ills this project will bring to our community. Beautiful Cottonwood Heights should be a destination, not a pass-through on the way to a ski resort. Whether this project can be stopped, or at least scaled back, remains to be seen. Our city’s leaders can do a lot to lessen some of the worst impacts this development will have on our town.

What is a fun or unique fact about yourself?

I’m a live musical theater buff, energized by diverse connections and captivated by the tales of people’s lives.

Suzanne Hyland

Occupation: Business owner.

If elected, what would you do to provide more affordable housing options to your residents? Would you support higher-density housing?

Let’s face the starkest reality for all of us: Utah has been discovered as a great place to live and visit. This, along with natural population growth, has resulted in an increased demand for housing. Parents like me want their adult children to afford to live nearby, so affordable housing is a high priority. We must think carefully about the trade-offs of growth, especially in our city, which has limited available vacant land and space for expansion. I’d start by limiting or raising taxes on short-term residential rental properties, revising zoning requirements to make it easier to build ADUs on larger residential parcels, and encouraging the conversion of unused or unoccupied basements as available rentals. Higher-density housing should be located close to transportation and commercial areas. I have confidence there are solutions that can be found as reasonable people come together to find common ground.

What is your city’s responsibility in addressing homelessness, and what would you do within the boundaries of your community to help unhoused Utahns?

With the rising cost of housing along the Wasatch Front, homelessness is becoming more common, especially for working individuals and families. Eliminating homelessness is a complex-yet-worthy community investment because it reduces other government expenditures related to community services, such as law enforcement and emergency health care costs. One of my primary goals as a council member is to eliminate wasteful government spending from duplication of services. Rather than working on our own as a city, we can spend less and be more effective by working as advocates and active partners with existing services in the county and state, such as the Salt Lake Valley Coalition to End Homelessness.

Besides affordable housing or homelessness, what is the biggest challenge your city faces, and how would you address it?

There are three important issues: Hillside Plaza redevelopment, citywide high-speed internet and the implications of UDOT’s Little Cottonwood Canyon Transportation Plan (the gondola). The Hillside Plaza area should be a beautiful mixed-use, community-centered landmark. My preference is for it to feel more like the downtown Holladay area than the high-density Sugar House downtown. I will actively seek input from my constituents for their preferences. Laying fiber cable in a buried cable community like ours is a tricky proposition. I don’t want long-term financial obligations backed by the city for buried cable if wireless technology surpasses wired technology soon. I will work with the city to determine that trade-off. Finally, the gondola is Phase 3 of UDOT’s plan. My goal is to work so that Phases 1 and 2 sufficiently meet canyon transportation goals to render the gondola unneeded. Many are skeptical of this approach; I think it is achievable.

What is a fun or unique fact about yourself?

I have been to North Korea.