Members of the Phoenix City Council are expected to vote next week on a proposal that will allow for the construction of increased housing units in the city’s single-family zones.
The proposal has caused no little consternation among residents, particularly in older neighborhoods, who say it will detrimentally increase density in many areas as well negatively impact property values.
Council members are trying to thrash through an issue that came about because of a new state law passed this spring and scheduled to take effect on January 1 that is designed to increase multi-unit housing.
That law specifically addresses itself to any city or town with more than 75,000 people, which takes in a wide swath of municipalities across southern Arizona.
Opponents say the proposal could have a particularly onerous effect on older and historic neighborhoods, allowing for unfettered development and the destruction of historic structures. Proponents, noting that Arizona has an ongoing housing shortage, have said that the proposal will address that problem, while in the process lowering housing costs.
Speaking before the council, Alex Horowitz, housing policy director at the Pew Charitable Trust, remarked that restrictive city zoning policies often prompt developers to build new projects far away from metro areas, a prospect that “results in more traffic and water usage.”
Brad Brauer, president of the Willo Neighborhood Association, representing a part of the city where some of the existing homes were built more than a century ago, said the new law “isn’t about affordability, it’s a gift to developers.” Brauer added that law in particular “risks further destroying the neighborhoods that give Phoenix its soul.”
November 10, 2025
By Garry Boulard
Phoenix postcard
