- [Stan] It's been in my family for 51 years.

- [RaeAnn] This is Stan Smith, the proud owner of Bumbleberry Inn, one of the few remaining independent motels in the small town of Springdale, Utah.

- The only reason I'm here is because of my dad.

I couldn't afford it.

My kids are here because of me, they couldn't afford to buy the houses and buy the business.

- [RaeAnn] Springdale, the gateway to Zion National Park, is a town of about 600, but Stan says the reality is the city swells to about 15,000 when you count all the tourists.

Unfortunately, the combination of increased park visitation, the rise of short-term rentals, and the effects of inflation have made affordable housing an elusive dream.

- Once the Vrbos started, the renters got kicked out.

- [RaeAnn] Essential workers of Springdale are being priced out.

- You have the National Park Service that has employees, you have a lot of restaurants and hotels and other businesses in Springdale that require employees, and there's not enough employees to go around.

- [RaeAnn] Many individuals are enduring lengthy commutes, although these situations are not sustainable in the long run.

- [Stan] The further out you go, the more difficult it is to bring them in.

- Over a thousand people a day are commuting from outside Springdale to come work inside Springdale or Zion National Park.

How do you wanna handle public input?

- [RaeAnn] Thomas Dansie, director of Community Development in Springdale, says it's always been difficult for employees to find adequate housing.

But the nature of the housing market and the pandemic exacerbated the problem.

- Certainly there were digital nomads, people that came and just enjoyed Springdale would stay for a period.

And then we've also seen an increase in remote workers, permanent remote workers.

- [RaeAnn] He says on top of all of this, Zion National Park has experienced exponential growth in visitation.

- The combination of those factors has made it really, really difficult in a resort town like Springdale that relies on service sector employees to be able to find adequate housing.

It's just not available anymore.

It's a real concern for public safety, medical providers.

There's not a single solution that's going to be the answer.

I think what we will have to end up doing is looking at a number of small solutions all adding up to provide a larger benefit.

- [RaeAnn] Thomas says any change to housing styles or development patterns can be threatening to those who already live there.

- What we have tried to do is to explore options that would preserve that community character while at the same time allowing different development styles and helping people understand that maybe we can accomplish both of those goals.

- [Stan] This is Tandy, this is last year's.

- [RaeAnn] Preserving the town's unique character also holds importance to Stan.

Independent establishments are increasingly giving way to big chain hotels, something he questions is truly beneficial for the community's wellbeing.

- I've always tried to stand up for the mom-and-pop shops, but the mom-and-pop shops are going away because they can't afford to be mom-and-pop shops.

- [RaeAnn] A situation Stan hopes never becomes a reality for Bumbleberry Inn.

- Well, hopefully it's thriving and my grandkids are enjoying it and my great-grandkids are also enjoying it.

It's a wonderful place to live.