By Daniel Stefanski |
Arizona Republican legislators are working hard to come up with bipartisan solutions that would help to mitigate the state’s growing housing crisis.
This week, the Arizona House of Representatives passed two bills to augment the state’s housing supply. The first bill was HB 2720, which would “establish requirements relating to accessory dwelling units,” according to the overview from the state House. The second was HB 2721, which would “adopt requirements for middle housing development.” Both bills now head to Governor Hobbs’ desk.
According to the press release issued by the Arizona House Republican Caucus, these bills “will increase the supply of housing types that are currently illegal to build in most cities and towns across the state. HB 2720 will legalize backyard Accessory Dwelling Units, or Casitas, and HB 2721 will legalize duplexes, triplexes and fourplexes—or Middle Housing— in certain areas of cities and towns. Both bills will only apply to cities and towns with a population of more than 75,000 people.”
Both proposals were sponsored by State Representative Michael Carbone, who issued a statement to champion these bipartisan efforts during another contentious legislative session in the state’s divided government. Carbone said, “Arizonans across the state are being decimated by high housing costs and unrelenting inflation. Right now, our teachers, nurses, firefighters, and police officers can’t afford to live in the communities that they serve. Our children and grandchildren can’t afford to live in the communities that they grew up in. Most Arizonans have been priced out of the housing economy – it’s wrong and un-American.”
Carbone added praise for a Democrat colleague, who helped get these pieces of legislation to the finish line in the Arizona Legislature, writing, “I cannot go a single day without hearing from my constituents about the high housing costs in our state that is decimating my community and locking families in poverty. We worked tirelessly with housing and community stakeholders in order to craft this historic and bipartisan solution that we are proud to send to the Governor. This was truly a bipartisan effort, and I am grateful for Senator Hernandez’s leadership on this issue.”
Senator Anna Hernandez, a Democrat, noted the legislative success of one of these bills, saying, “Someone told me months ago, that we could never pass our statewide ADU (casitas) legislation. HB2720 just passed final read in the house with 35 bipartisan votes. This bill, that will legalize casitas, is now heading to the Governor’s desk. Huge thanks to everyone that worked with me and helped get this across the finish line.”
As the two bills head to the Governor’s Office for her decision, both Republicans and Democrats who supported these proposals are hoping for a better result than the fate that met another housing bill earlier in the session. Back in March, Governor Katie Hobbs vetoed HB2570, which would have “create[ed] municipal prohibitions relating to home designs and single-family home lot sizes” – according to the overview provided by the state House. Hobbs explained that she had vetoed the proposal because “this is unprecedented legislation that would put Arizonans at the center of a housing reform experiment with unclear outcomes.”
The Senate Republican Caucus’ press release after the veto of HB 2570 highlighted that Hobbs became the “first Governor in the nation to block a bill removing zoning restrictions to bring housing prices down for hardworking citizens.” Representative Analise Ortiz, a Democrat, said, “I hope Governor Hobbs will support future plans to expand the state’s inventory of modest, starter homes and homes on small lots – homes that our parents & grandparents purchased years ago that allowed them to build wealth, lay roots in communities, and break cycles of poverty.” And Senator Anna Hernandez added, “I hope the Governor takes this moment to reaffirm her commitment to solving the housing crisis rather than stand as another obstacle in the way of solutions.”
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
