By Maritza Dominquez | Arizona Republic (abridged)
More than 800 casitas or accessory dwelling units were built in Queen Creek over the past 10 years.
“Since 2015, we’ve had over 850 ADUs and that’s more than even the largest municipality,” Mayor Julia Wheatley said.
The League of Arizona Cities and Towns found that Queen Creek had more casitas than any Arizona city it surveyed, primarily because it had no prohibitions on ADUs, according to the town.
That number is larger than four East Valley cities and Phoenix combined, according to data provided to The Arizona Republic.
In Phoenix, since 2024, it has issued 398 ADU certificates of occupancy. In 2023, the city changed its policy to legalize backyard guesthouses for homeowners citywide rather than on large lot areas.
Accessory dwelling units, also known as casitas, are a detached secondary independent living space located on the same lot as a primary single-family home.
Casitas have largely been seen as a method for addressing the housing shortage. Many cities already had ADU ordinances in place, but rules regarding location, size and design varied.
In 2024, Gov. Katie Hobbs signed new state law requiring cities with more than 75,000 residents to allow the construction of ADUs on properties with single-family homes.
Wheatley said Queen Creek was ahead of the trend and its inventory shows that.
Why does Queen Creek have so many casitas?
Casitas have always been popular in Queen Creek, Wheatley said.
Part of that is driven by multigenerational households and a wealth creation opportunity, she said.
Queen Creek “has always welcomed them, been proactive in updating the zoning regulations and it’s been allowed by right since 2015,” she said.
She said the town never prohibited kitchens in casitas like some other municipalities had in the past.
The town has consistently worked to streamline and expedite the process for residents to permit and build the casitas, she said.
In 2025, 48 ADU permits were issued and, as of Feb. 26, eight have been approved or are under review.
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