The year in review: Housing

In a rare case of Republicans and Democrats successfully working together, Arizona’s lawmakers passed a group of laws to increase the state’s affordable housing stock this year.

The new policies work through state preemption, however, and most cities and towns don’t like being told what to do by their state legislators.

Proponents of the legislation argued housing reform has to happen at the local level. City and town councils decide zoning laws that determine what can be built and where, have the final say on new developments and can incentivize developers to build affordable housing.

And the numbers show the policies Arizona’s localities have now aren’t working. In Maricopa County, at least, the total number of housing units built decreased 25% in the past 12 years, per the Maricopa Association of Governments. About 26% of residential properties in the area are owned by investors or people who don’t live here year-round.

Source: https://www.arizonaagenda.com/p/the-year-in-review-housing