Arizona and Colorado Report: Power-Hungry Cities Kill Pro-Housing Zoning Reform Bills
Arizona and Colorado could have passed bills this year to mandate reasonable zoning regulations and make it easier to provide much-needed housing. Instead, cities and towns squashed legislative efforts, in effect stomping on property owners’ right to build and worsening the ballooning housing crisis. The League of Arizona Cities and Towns prefers to try to approach the issue with inclusionary zoning and subsidies. This is counterproductive because it passes on costs to pricier units and dissuades development. It also champions tax increment financing (TIF) for redevelopment projects, which is not allowed in Arizona and has a dismal track record in other states. The now-dead SB 1171 would have made major progress in allowing more housing and hastened the permit process, thereby boosting the number of homes available in the state, but cities and towns intent on maintaining a grip on local regulations shot down a golden opportunity.
