The mood turned somber when the Moab City Council reached the Mayor and Council Reports portion of the meeting agenda on April 23. That’s when the Walnut Lane affordable housing project and the looming displacement of about 25 lease holders came up.
“I have been discussing this issue with citizens,” said Councilor Jason Taylor. “This is devastating and it’s not something this council wanted. Our hands were forced on the backs of the people who need housing. It’s not something that any of us wanted to happen.”
Taylor said the city is trying to find a way to fix the problem after the Utah Local Governments Trust, which had insured Walnut Lane on a temporary basis for nearly six years, informed the city it would stop coverage at the end of June. The city informed about 25 lease holders they would have to vacate their aged trailers this summer.
“It was a good move when the city bought this land. We gave them six years. We were dealt a bad hand and we’re trying to work it out,” Taylor said.
“I echo a lot of Jason’s comments,” said Councilor Kaitlin Myers. She was a housing specialist employed by the city and was the leader on the Walnut Lane project for two years before leaving the city to head the Moab Area Community Land Trust, developer of the Arroyo Crossing affordable housing development.
“It’s devastating to get elected to office and a couple of months later my hands are tied behind my back,” said Myers. “The residents there deserve better and have for a long time.”
She thanked Kya Marienfeld for her advocacy, including the establishment of a GoFundMe account on behalf of the affected residents. As of April 23 more than $5,000 had been raised.
She also thanked city staff for “taking this on.”
Third-term Councilor Tawny Knuteson-Boyd, who was on the council when Walnut Lane was purchased in 2018, reminded her colleagues and those in attendance that the land still belongs to the city and Moab “still has control over deed restrictions.” She said whatever the council does, it has to benefit residents.
During a campaign interview last year, Knuteson-Boyd stood by the plan and reiterated the council’s position. “It was always in my heart not to hurt them or disrupt their lives,” she said of the people still living there. “I’ve learned a lot about the cultural differences in play. We have to learn how to communicate differently. As it is we spent $2 million on an albatross we need to wear proudly.”
Councilor Luke Wojciechowski has faith in Moab. He said he’s seen the community come together after catastrophic events, such as the flood in August of 2022 or the Cinema Court Fire in 2018. “Walnut Lane is an emergency that could affect the entire community,” he said. “I hope our tradition of helping neighbors continues.”
After the meeting, Councilor Colin Topper had this to say: “This is a heartbreaking turn of events in a long and frustrating saga. I’m proud of the city’s efforts over the past six years to care for these community members and I’m committed, as is the rest of this council, to seeing that this property fulfills its original purpose of affordable housing.
“We’re knocked down, but definitely not out. The path forward will reveal itself and we’re determined to see it through.”