The former state representative said her goals are ambitious, but she has faith in her council to achieve them.
Fast-growing Provo has an overwhelmingly young population and is the state’s fourth‑largest city. And like most parts of the country, housing affordability is one of the chief concerns for its young residents. Right now, the average rent for a studio apartment in Provo is $1,299.
One way people save money on housing in Provo, according to Judkins, is by renting out granny flats, or finished basements, otherwise known as accessory dwelling units. Leading up to the November election, KUER spoke to a few Provo residents about their housing concerns.
Tyler Fleischman is a 25‑year‑old who runs a small business on the south end of town. Last year, he tried to build an accessory dwelling unit but was met with what he described as extreme zoning laws and regulations from the city.
“We are in the zone where ADUs are allowed. We have the financing ready to fund it. We found a builder. They gave us a design. We told them to move forward with the permitting,” he said at the time.
“When our builders spoke to the city, and they talked with a couple different departments, they came back and called us and told us they were quoted $15,000 in city fees.”
It was too much to deal with for Fleischman, which is why he voted for Judkins in November. She campaigned on streamlining building permits.
Judkins said her plan to cut red tape for accessory dwelling units has received pushback, but she still believes they are a piece of the puzzle in solving affordable housing problems in Provo.
She explained that many of those who oppose renting out basements had negative experiences with illegal units that shaped their views, including too many parked cars or people having parties. When she’s engaged with some, she said they’ve found common ground.
“I have found that we actually do want a lot of the same things, but our experiences in life have really colored how we feel about things,” she said.
Her goal is to create a city environment that streamlines the process for legal accessory units to operate – and won’t break the bank for families like Fleischman’s.
Another key piece of her mission: revitalize Provo’s west side.
For decades, residents who live west of I-15 have claimed that their side of town has been neglected by the local government.
Judkins, being from the west side, won the hearts and minds of those who live there with her grassroots campaign. She wants to dedicate time to developing that side of I‑15. What that looks like is yet to be determined.
“We have to bring in all different kinds of people — city planners, the city council, and residents who live out there — and proceed carefully but also with vision,” she said.
West side resident Laura Johnson said before the election that one of the long-time complaints from her neighbors is the lack of grocery stores and businesses.
“Twenty‑five years ago, Smith’s Marketplace was going to be put in at Center Street and Geneva, and we needed a grocery store out here, and we were excited about this,” she said this fall.
Johnson said there used to be a small mini‑mart and hardware store, but once news of the Smith’s spread around town, these small businesses closed.
“They were like, ‘Oh, Smith’s is coming in,’ so they shut down. Well, guess what? They never built it.”
Johnson said at the time that west‑ side residents have been without ever since — something Judkins has telegraphed she wants to change.
There is a Super Walmart in the works close to the Provo airport, and while Judkins agreed it might be convenient, it “doesn’t really build community.” Judkins said she wants to build an area where a collection of businesses like grocery stores and restaurants can support some of the larger facilities on the west side of town.
“We have to remember that we’ve got an epic sports park, we have an airport, we have places that probably need to have amenities for those places.”
