Legislature failed on housing package. Why that matters to Arizonans, the economy
A stack of newspaper headlines dealing with the cost of living and inflation.
With more than half a million Valley residents paying more than they can afford for rent and homelessness up 72 percent, the legislature had a chance this session to pass bills offering at least some relief. However, SB 1161 and SB 1163 died before going to a vote. They would have allowed higher-density housing near light rail if 20 percent of units were affordable, removed roadblocks to accessory dwelling units and permitted shared housing for seniors. Though they offered far less than Arizona State Sen. Steve Kaiser’s original bills, they “would have started some much-needed changes in the zoning and building process and countered some of the growing not-in-my-backyard-ism movement known as NIMBYism,” according to the article. It also quoted sources calling for the rezoning of land for single-family homes and an increase in height and density.
