By Sam Kmack | Arizona Republic
Tempe is crafting a plan that could dramatically relax restrictions on casitas and increase the number of properties that are eligible to have one by tens of thousands.
The move is meant to help beef up the local housing stock and increase affordability.
Casitas, also called accessory dwelling units, are tiny homes that are built on the same property as a larger, main house. They’re one way to increase the housing stock in built-out places like Tempe because they can be rented out and don’t require an empty lot.
They are often used to house elderly relatives or young family members who can’t afford their own place.
As of now, Tempe’s rules only allow casitas on properties that have multi-family zoning, but are currently being used for single-family homes. Existing policy applies to only about 250 properties citywide.
But city staffers are exploring a proposal that could make all of Tempe’s nearly 30,000 single-family properties eligible.
It’s part of Tempe Mayor Corey Woods’ broader effort to increase the city’s housing stock during his second term. He said Tempe needs to catch up to other cities such as Phoenix, which legalized casitas in September as an affordable housing solution, if it wants to keep up with increasing housing demand over the next decade.
“I think this is something that we have to get to a ‘yes’ on … We need more housing. We were actually one of the first cities in the Valley (to adopt) a very forward-thinking policy when it came to” casitas, he said. “But I do think that we are now beginning to fall behind other communities. That’s not a problem. Things happen sometimes. These things move very quickly. But I do think that we need to catch up to where they are.”
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