By Piper Hansen | Arizona Capitol Times
A bipartisan pair of representatives hope a bill to streamline zoning regulations, improve housing supply and affordability and pour more money into the Arizona Department of Housing Trust Fund in order to curb the state’s rising housing costs and help those experiencing homelessness.
Rep. Cesar Chavez, D-Phoenix & Rep. Steve Kaiser, R-Phoenix.
House Bill 2674 creates by-right-zoning that allows a builder to continue with his project as long as they meet certain density and height thresholds prescribed by the legislation. The bill also notes the $89 million investment from the state’s general fund to the Arizona Department of Housing Trust Fund to help housing insecure Arizonans transition to permanent housing.
In a Rose Garden press conference Tuesday morning, Rep. Steve Kaiser, R-Phoenix, said HB2674 will likely be a “caucus cutter.” The bill is a dense 25 pages with language he said will need to be communicated clearly to earn support from 31 in the House, 16 in the Senate and one from the Ninth Floor.
“The state right now is facing a housing crisis,” Kaiser said. “And we need a statewide response to this crisis.” With a democratic co-sponsor on-board with solving a statewide issue with a statewide response, there’s a chance the two can get the support they need.
Kaiser said “cumbersome” zoning regulations at the local level and city councils constricted the approval of new projects which has made the housing market extremely strained all over the state. The bill proposes simplified zoning laws that recognize all price points and strips away the ability to add design standards to construction projects.
The bill similarly prohibits municipalities from adopting residential construction and developmental standards that are more restrictive than state law. It repeals a building code moratorium on residential and commercial buildings but allows municipalities to adopt new codes for the purposes of health and safety.
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