By Jakob Thorington | Arizona Capitol Times
Key Points:
- Major cities in Arizona must adopt middle housing ordinances by Jan. 1, 2026
- Law requires single-family residential lots near downtown areas to allow duplexes, triplexes, and townhomes
- Phoenix City Council faces a $700 million budget cut if it doesn’t comply
Major cities across the state are working to adopt ordinances to comply with a new state law that requires higher density middle housing options near downtown areas. Now, many residents, including those who live in historic districts, are pushing back.
Cities of 75,000 residents or more are required to adopt a middle housing ordinance by Jan. 1, 2026, as a result of House Bill 2721, which was signed into law during the 2024 legislative session.
The 2024 law is intended to increase higher density housing options within larger cities of the state by requiring all single-family residential zoned lots within one mile of a city’s central business district to allow the development of duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes and townhomes.
Phoenix was among the latest cities to consider a middle housing ordinance. However, the City Council won’t officially adopt the policy until later in November, after it unanimously voted on Nov. 5 to table a decision for two weeks.
Phoenix residents packed the City Council chambers on Nov. 5 to discuss the city’s ordinance draft and many of them resided in historic districts, including the Willo Historic District. The ordinance would create a middle housing overlay in compliance with state law while also allowing for up to 20% of lots in new residential subdivisions that are at least 10 contiguous acres in size to be developed with middle housing buildings — another provision of the law.
Willo residents are seeking an exemption to the middle housing law for historic districts in the next legislative session, arguing the law will encourage the demolition of historic homes in favor of out of state investors developing higher density units that destroy the character of neighborhoods.
