To build or not to build? Council candidates disagree on affordable housing solutions
Local governments play a crucial role in creating affordable housing. They control zoning codes, set design requirements and reign over the project approval process, which all impact the price and availability of homes. They can also fund affordable housing programs and encourage development with incentives.
But city and town council candidates across the Valley disagree on what steps they should take to rectify Arizona’s housing crisis. The state is short 270,000 residential units, according to the Arizona Department of Housing.
Most candidates in Phoenix said affordable housing topped their list of concerns. They proposed streamlining the city’s approval processes, fast-tracking affordable housing projects and incentivizing developers to build affordable units.
"Everyone wants a magic bullet, but there is no such thing in housing. The only solution is ‘build, baby, build,’” said Phoenix District 6 candidate Sam Stone in an email.
Meanwhile, candidates in Scottsdale, Gilbert and Peoria prefer low-density growth and oppose large apartment buildings.
“They can build it other places. Just not Scottsdale,” said Pamela Carter, who is running for Scottsdale City Council. “[Residents] don’t want it here.”
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The Republic asked council and mayoral candidates in Phoenix, Mesa, Scottsdale, Gilbert and Peoria where they stand on affordable housing.
Jump to your city: Phoenix | Mesa | Scottsdale | Gilbert | Peoria
Phoenix
More than half of Phoenix’s 16 council candidates named housing affordability as one of their top three concerns.
“We have a city that is no longer a city for everyone,” District 6 candidate Joan Greene said in an email.
Phoenix candidates almost universally advocated for streamlining the city’s zoning, design approval and permitting processes to speed up new development.
The processes typically take between six months and a year, depending on how straightforward the project is and whether the site needs to be rezoned, according to Deputy City Manager Alan Stephenson.
Some candidates voiced support for innovative housing models, such as tiny homes and container homes, converting city-owned land to affordable housing and establishing inducements for developers to build affordable units.
Several candidates said they would like to limit the amount that landlords are able to raise rents — if the Legislature were to give them that power.
“We can’t allow greedy landlords and management companies to take advantage of our residents and gouge them because of a hot housing market,” District 2 candidate Matt Evans said in an email.
Nick Griemsmann of District 8 also said he would consider capping rents.
A third candidate, Greene, said, "Arizona has a law that prohibits limiting the amount of rent increases so that is not an option right now."
While state law prohibits municipalities from controlling rents, several Democratic legislative candidates expressed interest in amending the law if elected.
Mesa
Council incumbent and Vice Mayor Jenn Duff, who represents Mesa’s District four, said affordable housing is one of her top three concerns for the district. She said the city should incentivize infill housing, fast track affordable building permits, create a city housing trust fund and make it easier for homeowners to add an accessory dwelling unit, or "mother-in-law suite," to their property.
Trista Guzman Glover, Duff’s challenger, advocated for a more hands-off approach. Mesa should continue working with nonprofits to identify areas throughout the city where those organizations could develop affordable housing, she said. She would also like to speed up the project approval process as long as the public comment period isn’t rushed.
But she doesn’t agree with creating a city housing trust fund. Affordable housing should be treated as a regional and statewide issue, she said.
“Municipalities can’t go at it alone, otherwise we face having a piecemeal approach in Arizona,” she said.
Duff said cities can’t wait for state lawmakers to solve the problem.
“Cities are on the end of the line. We’re the ones working with the community members and citizens and having to find solutions,” she said.
Scottsdale
The two candidates for Scottsdale’s only open council seat both want increased wages for essential workers so that they can afford to live in the city.
But the candidates aren’t in favor of large apartment complexes.
“People in Scottsdale do not want the apartments coming in,” Carter said.
Carter’s opponent, Barry Graham, voted against several proposed market-rate apartment buildings while on the city’s Planning Commission, including a four-story mixed-use building near Osborn and Hayden roads that was ultimately approved by the City Council. He said he didn't vote for the project because residents weren't supportive.
The candidates also do not want public housing — government-owned housing for very low-income people — in the city.
Carter said she is concerned that public housing would weaken surrounding property values, while Graham said he wanted to protect the “special character” of Scottsdale.
Although most research shows that government-subsidized housing has little-to-no negative impact on neighboring property values, findings are mixed. One 2022 study found that government-subsidized housing in Chicago actually slightly increased nearby property values in both low- and high-income neighborhoods. A nationwide study from 2015 showed that subsidized housing increased property values in low-income neighborhoods but decreased them in high-income neighborhoods.
High-quality developments with good management that fit the neighborhood’s scale and character are more likely to have a positive or neutral effect on surrounding property values, according to a research review by the National Housing Conference's Center for Housing Policy.
Scottsdale does not have any government-owned housing but does have a Housing Choice Voucher program, often known as the Section 8 voucher program, which subsidizes market-rate rents for low-income people.
Carter said she would not be in favor of a “Section 8 mandate” in the city. In September, Tucson passed a ban on “source of income discrimination,” meaning landlords cannot deny a rental applicant just because they have a housing voucher or other government assistance.
Instead of building affordable apartments, Graham said he would support persuading developers to set aside units for workforce housing. This type of housing aims to be affordable for middle-income earners, such as teachers.
Carter disagreed with the idea, saying that having a “token” number of workforce housing units doesn’t address the root issue. She advocated for reducing the time it takes developers to build condos, duplexes and triplexes.
She also pointed to the resources the city already has available, including Community Development Block Grant funds, which are used to support low- and moderate-income families.
Gilbert
Both Gilbert town council candidates said they are in favor of new development that is tailored to the community’s needs but they do not support building more large apartment buildings.
Candidate Bill Spence said the city should analyze socioeconomic data to determine what types of housing the community needs, rather than “blindly” building apartments that may not suit residents’ lifestyles.
“We don’t want to build places that nobody can afford or go vacant after the housing crisis is over,” Spence said. “We need to look at what is going to be a good 20-year fit.”
Rental data shows Gilbert has built over 4,000 new apartment units since 2018. The average apartment rent in Gilbert is about $1,900, up more than $300 since last year.
Bobbi Buchli, Spence’s opponent, said she believes Gilbert has enough high-density apartments. She worries that building more will bring additional traffic and crime, stretch city services and cut into the city’s water supply.
“I don’t think the growth is being properly managed,” she said. “And at some point, it’s going to be a detriment to the town.”
She instead supports building more low-density apartments, townhomes and single-family homes as needed.
Peoria
Peoria candidates championed high-quality residential development and job growth. Economic development within the city, they said, would provide higher wages, allowing residents to afford more expensive housing and avoid commuting.
Business owner and mayoral candidate Jason Beck said he’d focus on “head-of-household job growth” to bump up wages in the city. He also supported streamlining the building process to allow developers to build faster.
Bridget Binsbacher, executive director of the Cactus League Baseball Association and Beck’s opponent, said she would work to “thoughtfully expand” the city’s housing portfolio “while maintaining the high standards our residents expect.”
Longtime Acacia District Councilmember Vicki Hunt agreed, emphasizing the need to create more workforce housing while maintaining quality development standards.
Jennifer Crawford, Hunt’s challenger, said the city should work to attract well-paying companies instead of only focusing on increasing housing inventory.
Both candidates for the Mesquite District, Diane Douglas and Brad Shafer, also advocated for economic development that would allow Peoria residents to stay in the community for work, instead of commuting to other parts of the Valley.
Douglas, a former state superintendent of public instruction, fueled her campaign with opposition to a market-rate apartment and dining complex near her home that the council approved in April. Interim Councilmember Brad Shafer voted to advance the project while serving as a member of the Planning and Zoning Commission.
Republic reporters Taylor Seely and Sam Kmack contributed to this article.
Juliette Rihl covers housing insecurity and homelessness for The Arizona Republic.
Coverage of housing insecurity on azcentral.com and in The Arizona Republic is supported by a grant from the Arizona Community Foundation.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Affordable housing solutions debated by city, town council candidates
