By Bob Christie | Capitol Media Services
PHOENIX — A Republican state senator pushing a major overhaul of city zoning rules he contends will spur construction of more affordable housing has reached a deal on a slimmed-down plan with the League of Arizona Cities and Towns, whose opposition had halted the effort for the past six months.
And it could be voted on as early as Monday.
Sen. Steve Kaiser told Capitol Media Services the most contentious parts of his initial proposal are now gone. They included provisions giving developers the absolute right to build apartment complexes on any property near a light rail or street car line regardless of current zoning, major restrictions on parking requirements for new construction, strict timelines for rezoning request approvals and limiting public opposition to proposed developments.
And he’s raised the population threshold for cities and towns to be subject to the state preemption of some of their existing zoning restrictions from 25,000 to 50,000. That change means only 20 of the state’s 91 cities and towns will be covered.
The revamped proposal, which League lobbyist Nick Ponder says the group has agreed to support, will require cities to approve detached backyard casitas known as auxiliary dwelling units, create areas where people 55 and older can rent single rooms in homes with a shared kitchen and bathroom and give developers with approved proposals the right to grade properties without waiting for extra inspections.
“If this passes, it will create a lot of new opportunity for developers to build higher density product in certain areas.” Jordan Rose, founder and president of Rose Law Group
