Arizona is Over 200,000 short houses Lawmakers believe they can fix that by removing local zoning restrictions, a strategy that has drawn fierce opposition from cities across the state.
The state’s supply of affordable housing options is dire. Only 24 rental units available for every 100 very low-income householdsRepublican lawmakers have focused on local zoning as the culprit.
“We’ve seen the evolution of these zoning regulations spiral completely out of control,” Senate Speaker Warren Petersen, whose family owns a construction company, said at a news conference Wednesday. Arizona used to be quick to respond. When someone wanted a house, we could… take the dirt and turn it into a house in about six months.”
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The housing crisis, at its most basic level, is a question of supply and demand, added Senator Steve Kaiser. But bureaucracy and lengthy deliberations are widening the rift between Arizonas and the homes they’re looking for, according to Phoenix Republicans.
To deal with it, the Kaiser sponsored Senate Bill 1161 and Senate Bill 1163 This will force cities and towns with populations over 30,000 to adopt more permissive zoning and building codes.
SB1163 seeks to increase density by prohibiting cities from setting parcel size requirements greater than 4,000 square feet for new construction. However, cities may choose to limit developers to a maximum of 6 units per acre.
SB1161, on the other hand, allows developers to bypass zoning restrictions entirely, allowing low-income residents to be placed in reserved commercial, mixed-use, or multifamily neighborhoods located within half a mile of a public transit stop. gives permission to build a multi-family rental property. Past attempts to redevelop abandoned commercial areas for affordable housing have resulted in little successbecause cities prefer to keep available areas to attract future business.
A third proposal, endorsed by the Republican legislature, House Bill 2536, sponsored by Republican House Speaker Ben Thoma, will streamline the development application process and implement tight timelines for urban zoning commissions to respond. It also bans builders from withholding permits for failing to adhere to design factors such as project floors, paint colors, and landscaping types, and limits the ability of city officials to determine what construction will look like. severely restrict. let it end.
It also prohibits blocking the construction of attached housing units, which are small second homes added to existing properties that are becoming increasingly popular in Tucson.Casitas”
We the people cannot afford to wait any longer and the status quo cannot be maintained.
– Senator Anna Hernandez, D-Phoenix
Democrats joined Republican lawmakers on Wednesday in supporting the move.
Senator Anna Hernandez, a freshman congressman and die-hard housing advocate, D-Phoenix, said the state can afford little when it comes to affordable housing, citing fellow Democrats and Katie. He urged Governor Hobbes to approve the bill.
“Our people cannot afford to wait any longer and the status quo cannot be maintained,” she said.
Hernandez was an outspoken supporter of another Kaiser proposal that would similarly overturn cities with the aim of increasing housing supply. crushing defeatwith lawmakers who voted against it, citing concerns over local control.
the city responds
The Arizona Federation of Municipalities, which represents Arizona’s 91 municipalities, vigorously opposes each measure. The bill will not increase affordable housing or help struggling Arizona people, but rather will not address developers, league spokesman Nick Ponder said in an email. Stated.
“[These proposals]give developers greater property rights than they do today, effectively tipping the balance of rights in favor of developers over residents living in communities,” he said. “It is important that developers consider these measures primarily to their benefit while eliminating the need to inform and collaborate with the public to ensure that housing developments meet the needs of the community.” This is why we are pushing hard for legislation.”
Among the supporters of this measure are the Central Arizona Home Builders Association, the Arizona Multi-Housing Association, and the Arizona Manufactured Housing Industry.
The position that zoning regulations are the cause of the affordable housing crisis ignores the bigger picture, Ponder added. A year of low development rates after the Great Recession Exacerbated by supply chain issues resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Also, the state’s friendly property tax laws don’t help. About 26% of the housing stock in Maricopa County alone is investor or seasonal owner, and his 15% of homebuyers are from out of state.
It should not be taken for granted that families cannot afford rent and other basic necessities such as groceries and utilities.
– Carla Naranjo, Unemployed Coalition
Claims that city officials are slowing the construction process are likewise unfounded, Ponder said. More than 80,000 of his planned and licensed units in the Phoenix metropolitan area are awaiting construction, and it is not the city that is delaying construction, he said.
As an alternative proposal, the league would not eliminate design or building code standards as the current bill does, but would favor reducing design review processing time and speeding up some zoning change petitions. Incidental and single-occupancy housing for residents age 55 and older in Arizona, which were part of current and previous bills, are also included in cities with a population greater than 75,000. It also provides a menu of affordable housing strategies for cities to choose from with her three options. Among them is a city with more than 75,000 residents requiring that her SRO be expanded to non-elderly people such as homeless Arizona, so that city property can be used as interim or veteran housing. should be Reduce or eliminate impact fees for affordable housing projects.
Rather than forcing Arizona municipalities to come up with one-size-fits-all solutions, Ponder said the focus should be on helping specific communities better meet their affordable housing needs through flexible proposals. One place where statewide action could be put to good use is to dismantle policies that have proven harmful, such as state policies. Inclusive zoning preemptionThis eliminates the need for cities to build affordable housing alongside market-priced units. Otherwise, local control is best, says Ponder.
“The needs of the municipalities and their residents in Maricopa County are different than in Navajo County,” he said.
Looking Forward: The Need for Solutions Continues
Both measures have bipartisan support, but they are unlikely to win Mr Hobbes’ approval if criticism from city officials continues. , but the Democratic Party Never hesitated to veto a bipartisan bill If she disagrees with the policy.Her opposition from cities across the state inspired her Before decision making There have been similar proposals to reject the law and replace local government faced her skepticism.
Still, fair housing advocates hope some compromise can be reached, conscious of the struggles Arizonans face every day.
Karla Naranjo, organizer of the Federation of Unemployed Workers’ Unions, which has thousands of members, urged Congress on Wednesday to work to alleviate the worsening problem.
“It shouldn’t be taken for granted that families can’t afford rent and other basic necessities like groceries and utilities,” she said.
And for many, Arizona housing is even more limited. Her Veronica Monge, co-president of the Poor People’s Campaign, has emerged to represent the interests of her home residents, mobile, who have become local icons of the affordability crisis after the city of Phoenix. Refused to enact zoning changes and instead voted to evict 3 mobile home parksMobile homes are the last option, according to Monge, as rents continue to rise. often one of the lowest income earnershas been left in a hurry.
That’s a harsh reality that Gloria Higuera, 63, who lives in a mobile home, is aware of. I fear the day when I will be forced to
“Once I am evicted, it will be incredibly difficult to buy an apartment or a house because I have no funds. I live day to day,” she said.
***Correction: A previous version of this article confused the description of SB1161 and SB1163.
