Brock MarchantTraffic, open space, water and affordable housing.
Those topics are what Cache Valley residents want us to cover, according to results of a survey we recently distributed to people throughout the area.
The questionnaire, which was taken by 238 people from Feb. 18 to March 9, was sent to local government officials, posted on popular social media channels and blasted out to readers of our weekly Cache Valley newsletter, The Cache Crop.
We want to know what residents are thinking as we launch a new project that explores potential solutions to the problems Cache Valley faces. We’ll look at how the valley can continue to grow while preserving the things that make it special.
Over the next several months, we’ll delve into the topics that matter to readers, like housing, traffic, the cost of living and disappearing open space.
The rub of rapid growth
We asked specifically how readers felt about rapid growth and affordable housing. Spoiler: Both topics have residents worried.
“Cache Valley is disappearing,” one person said. “It was a treasure.”
Here’s how the numbers shook out: about 80% of respondents reported being somewhat or very concerned about growth.
(Brock Marchant | The Salt Lake Tribune) In a survey distributed by The Salt Lake Tribune to people in Cache Valley, almost 80% of respondents said they were somewhat concerned or very concerned with the area's rapid growth.
Affordable housing elicited similar levels of concern.
“Is the development sustainable, and is it providing opportunities for folks to get into housing?” one respondent asked.
(Brock Marchant | The Salt Lake Tribune) In a survey distributed by The Salt Lake Tribune to people in Cache Valley, almost 79% of respondents said they were somewhat concerned or very concerned with the lack of affordable housing.
We also asked participants which areas they think should be the top priorities for Cache Valley leaders.
Respondents were able to pick three options, including a write-in. Here’s what we found:
(Brock Marchant | The Salt Lake Tribune) In a survey distributed by The Salt Lake Tribune to people in Cache Valley, respondents identified the issues they would like their leaders to prioritize.
What matters to you
We also asked three open-ended questions:
• What is one change you’d like to see in Cache Valley over the next five years and why?
• What topics would you like to see more and/or deeper news coverage of?
• What is something you love about Cache Valley that you hope to see protected or enhanced in the next five years?
Respondents said they want to see more efficient roads, slowed growth and better transportation. They hoped local businesses, small-town vibes, open space and public access to nature would still be around in five years.
“The small-town charm has quickly disappeared,” one respondent said. “I would love to see more of it preserved and some of it come back.”
Many suggested we delve further into the topics you’d likely expect — city governments, community planning, transportation and arts and culture.
Some other answers stood out.
One respondent asked that we shun “fluffy feelgood” stories and focus on the harsher, expensive realities many young people face as they try to have kids and buy homes.
Others asked us to do the opposite and explore positive actions people are taking, fun stuff like the county’s live-action-role-playing scene, and ways people can build communities in a pocket of Utah that can sometimes feel isolating.
In short, people seem to want two things from us — news that exposes the problems that can sometimes make things feel hopeless, and stories that remind people they aren’t.
Fair enough. We’ll see what we can do. We’ll check out what’s working elsewhere and see how it could fit in here.
And if you want to chime in, feel free to take the survey yourself. We’ll keep checking in on answers.
I’m Brock Marchant, The Salt Lake Tribune’s Cache Valley reporter in partnership with Utah Public Radio. As a valley native, I’ve seen firsthand the issues that people face everywhere from Richmond to Avon — unaffordable housing, dwindling open space and a rapidly increasing population that has cities struggling to keep up. I want to explore local problems by reporting on the ground, not just quote elected officials and news releases. As residents work diligently to overcome challenges, I want to tell their stories and share their solutions. Smart, hard-working people have built the valley’s history, and I’m certain they will frame its future.
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