After a major bipartisan housing legislation package fell through in the 2023 legislative session, affordable housing advocates were hoping the 2024 session would prove different.
While there are some affordable housing measures signed by the governor, stakeholders say there’s still much work to be done.
Gov. Katie Hobbs signed three major housing bills during the recent legislative session, including HB2297, HB2720 and HB2721, which relate to commercial adaptive reuse, accessory dwelling units and middle housing, respectively.“I was born and raised in an Arizona where a middle-class family could buy their own home,” Hobbs said in a statement during the legislative session of the housing bills. “In the past year alone we have made dramatic strides towards making that the reality again for the next generation.”
HB2297 will require major cities to establish objective standards that allow up to 10% of existing vacant commercial, office or mixed use buildings be reused for multifamily residential development while skipping traditional public hearing processes to rezone.
HB2720 requires cities to also allow homeowners to build accessory dwelling units, or “casitas,” on their residential lots.
John Giles
Mesa Mayor John Giles said he wasn’t sure how much of an impact those bills would have in creating opportunities for people to obtain affordable homes, but was much more optimistic about HB2721, which will require municipalities to allow the development of middle housing options near downtown areas, including duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes and townhomes.
“Cities are thrilled,” Giles said. “We want to approve fourplexes and fiveplexes particularly in urban areas where multifamily housing is absolutely what we favor.”
While Giles said cities have supported the idea of accessory dwelling units, the League of Arizona Cities and Towns opposed HB2720 out of concerns that property owners would use their attached units as short-term rental units.
Rep. Analise Ortiz, D-Phoenix, said she thought it was incredibly importan …
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