I'm curious Atlas as to why you have perhaps categorized the much larger Wasatch Front into the same category as MSA/CSA's that are much smaller and are not only experiencing a much smaller growth rate but are even stagnant or losing people. I don't quite understand how your listed similar MSA/CSA's are anywhere similar in population, mid-rise multi-unit construction, etc., etc. I'm sure you have a formula for your train of thought, and I mean this only as a differing but friendly opinion. I'm sure you were referring to specific types of high-rise density above a certain height, such as 300'. Although, that marker has been rising dramatically in SLC these past couple of years. Other than an economic armageddon SLC doesn't seem to be letting up on its monthly announcement of new high-rises at or above 300 feet in the near future. Hopefully, Salt Lake will soon begin to announce multiple high-rises in the 500-600 foot category. Given its constant dramatic change over these past two decades, anything is probable.
Again, Salt Lake City's greater MSA/CSA area is currently much larger in population than those mentioned as peers such as Buffalo, and it still continues to grow at a much faster pace. Now, I'm only assuming by what the local Wasatch Front forum posts report. That is that SLC's greater MSA/CSA construction is adding all phases of residential and commercial development including dense mid-rise multi-unit residential at a stunning rate, and is still not able to even begin to keep pace with the demand. In fact, That urban area of Utah's Wasatch Front has a long waiting list of people just trying to get in. If current 2021 trends continue the Wasatch Front's upcoming decade will even significantly outpace the past decade, which placed Utah as the fastest growing State in the U.S.
The open tracts of land, hemmed in by large mountains and lakes topography of Salt Lake's Central Metro have all been claimed by conglomerate developers and are currently proceeding through the planning stages. Salt Lake's central metro has no other choice but to grow upward and denser, which it is doing as fast as the labor and supply chains can keep pace. Its Southern and Northern Metros are now outpacing Central Salt Lake's growth. The population of its Southern Metro will soon be larger than Salt Lake's Central Metro itself.
According to the latest 2020 report by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, of the 175 largest MSA/CSA listed in order of population are as follows: For the entire list go to...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Combined_statistical_area
Just those greater MSA/CSA's that you mentioned as being in the same peer group.
Salt Lake City - Rank #22 at 2,672,368...decade growth +17.64%
Louisville, KY-IN - Rank #40 at 1,493,587...+5.28%
Grand Rapids - Rank #42 at 1,418,089... +7.43%
Richmond - Rank #47 at 1,263,617(According to its own internal data)
Buffalo - Rank - #48 at 1,201,500... minus -1.18%
* Also, IMHO give or take 100,000 in pop. Salt Lake City's Wasatch Front would be in the same peer group population as St. Louis, Charlotte, Sacramento, San Antonio and Pittsburgh: Two of these have been stagnant or have lost population over the past decade while #22 Salt Lake City, #21 Charlotte and #24 San Antonio are among the fastest-growing MSA/CSA's in the nation. I would be far more interested in comparing greater Salt Lake City's mid-rise density multi-unit construction growth to those cities of comparable size and growth rate.
I would also be interested in how the Berkadia Reports for greater metros that are similar in size and growth percentage compare when talking about different aspects of construction such as all aspects of commercial, institutional, all aspects of surface/air & mass transportation infrastructure, single-detached residential construction, etc.