Seven affordable housing units at the Big Willow development are set to be reserved for Draper police officers, firefighters, city employees, and Canyons School District staff, according to the agenda for the Tuesday, July 21 Draper City Council meeting. The item appeared as a Community Reinvestment Agency action during the 7 p.m. business session at Draper City Hall.

Official vote tallies and minutes from the July 21 meeting have not been published. The full meeting recording is available on the city's Granicus portal and on YouTube.

The reservation targets a city where the median home price hit $1 million in August 2025, according to the Salt Lake Board of Realtors. Draper employs 319 people, 275 full-time and 44 part-time or seasonal, including police and fire personnel, according to Mayor Troy Walker's State of the City address in January 2026.

Walker has framed workforce retention as a budget priority. "Good people cost money. Paramedics are at a premium right now," he said at that address, according to a Feb. 27 Draper Journal report.

The per-unit cost of the Big Willow reservation has not been disclosed. The CRA budgeted $3.34 million for subsidized housing citywide in its fiscal year 2024-25 adopted budget, the most recent publicly available.

The workforce housing concept at Big Willow was first discussed publicly at a council meeting on Oct. 21, 2025, when the project was described as creating seven units for police, fire, city, and Canyons School District employees. The July 21 agenda item appears to advance that proposal toward formal approval.

Canyons School District, one of the designated beneficiaries, is weighing school closures partly because high home prices have pushed young families out of the district's boundaries. Reserving units for CSD employees could help the district retain teachers and staff who want to live near the schools where they work.

What's next

The next CRA meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, August 4. Draper's Truth in Taxation public hearing, where the council will consider a proposed 25.12% property tax revenue increase that would raise the annual bill on an average $941,000 home from $466.83 to $583.80, is set for Wednesday, August 12 at 6 p.m. at Draper City Hall, 1020 E. Pioneer Rd.

Residents can watch the full July 21 meeting recording on the city's Granicus portal or on YouTube.