Arizona PBS: The City of Scottsdale will see two new state laws take effect that Scottsdale leaders say will kneecap the city’s ability to do everything from limiting short-term rentals to preventing apartment complexes from cropping up. The laws are expected to dramatically reshape the character of Scottsdale’s suburban neighborhoods and lead to an uptick in multifamily housing.
The new statutes are called “preemption” laws. That means the Arizona Legislature passed them to take regulatory power away from local governments like Scottsdale’s City Council. City policies preventing these laws have been on the books for decades.
Mayor Borowski: The state is meddling in one of the (biggest) priorities in local government and that is to protect homeowners. By undermining our ability to engage in zoning and planning, I think that it’s gone way too far.
Arizona PBS: House Bill 2720, a law about casitas, requires Scottsdale to allow certain single-family homes to build up to three more small houses in their yards, without increasing the home’s parking or constraining the design of those small homes. Those structures have been banned outright in Scottsdale until now.
Mayor Borowski: (The Casita Law) eliminates Scottsdale’s ability to require fire sprinklers. It eliminates setbacks on property lines. They can be short-term rentals. It doesn’t require additional parking. There are so many ways that it can be offensive to other community members over the fence.
Arizona PBS: HB 2297, or the “adaptive reuse” law, allows developers to convert unsuccessful commercial properties into apartments without needing permission from the city. Historically, that zoning change was the only way Scottsdale could reject most apartment projects.
Mayor Borowski: Allowing a dilapidated commercial building to now be turned into an apartment project…and they limit the use of multi-dwelling units to 10%…makes no sense.