A "middle housing" plan supported by city staffers is set to alter the type of housing that can be built in a wide swath of Tucson.
The city on Wednesday released three proposals to comply that the state-mandated law that cities across Arizona must comply with by Jan. 1. The law requires cities in the state with a population of at least 75,000 people to more easily allow for the development of duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes and townhomes on all lots zoned for single-family use within one mile of its central business district.
Under the new state law, Arizona cities with a population of 75,000 or more must allow for the development of duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes and townhomes on all lots zoned for single-family use.
In Tucson those boundaries are roughly Prince Road on the north, Silverlake Road on the south, Country Club road on the east and Silverbell Road on the west. But the plan preferred by the city manager's office recommends expanding the area to a larger portion of the metro area.
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The "Extended Middle Housing Area" the staff will recommend to the city council extends the boundaries "primarily east and south," Kristina Swallow, Assistant City Manager, said in a memo. The council is set to decide on a plan next week following a public hearing during its meeting Tuesday night.
That public hearing will be the last chance Tucsonans will have to speak on the new housing law.
The expanded area proposal follows street networks, neighborhood boundaries and adopted plans, while "reflecting public support for a larger geography and aligning with areas already planned for incremental, transit-supportive development."
Under the extended area mapped out in the released Wednesday, middle housing development would be permitted within the geographic boundaries as follows:
• Approximately La Cholla Boulevard, Mission Road, Silverbell Road and the city limits would be the western boundary;
• Los Reales Road would be the southern boundary;
• Wilmot Road would be the eastern boundary;
• and Grant Road between North Silverbell and North Wilmot roads, would be the northern boundary.
The extended proposal option encompasses roughly 64 square miles, Swallow said. Certain areas, like the city of South Tucson, D-M and county-owned property near the air force base would be excluded.
Tucson Mayor Regina Romero said Thursday that staff's recommendation aligns with "policies and priorities I have worked towards for many years."
"When I became Mayor, we passed the Housing Affordability Strategy for Tucson and prioritized affordable housing on city-owned properties. We led the state in creating accessory dwelling units and passed the state’s first Source of Income ordinance. The city’s casita program and the Community Corridors Tool support mixed-use, pro-density neighborhoods that maintain the character and landscaping that are important to Tucsonans. I’m glad to see other communities around the state following similar strategies," Romero said.
The new state law does not allow cities to mandate affordable housing, but city officials have said research shows that increasing housing stock positively impacts affordability.
Among the requirements of the , cities are prohibited from:
• Restricting middle housing to less than two stories;
• Setting permitting rules that are more restrictive than for single-family homes;
• Requiring owner-occupancy of any structure on the lot;
• Setting parking requirements.
While not favored by staff, two other plans will be presented to the council Tuesday night.
Under the minimum compliance option middle housing development would be permitted within one mile of the city's "" with an included "one-mile buffer." The initial proposal given to the planning commission covered 22 square miles of Tucson, while the minimum compliance option, according to Swallow's memo, covers 16 square miles of Tucson.
The third option calls for the middle housing law to be applied citywide. That's similar to Flagstaff, which legalized middle housing across the city and not just in a designated zone. That proposal would allow for middle housing in a 243 square-mile area, according to Swallow.
Like Flagstaff, Phoenix has already adopted their middle housing regulations, at times over the objection of some residents who wanted the ordinance delayed or rejected.
In Phoenix, the council voted to allow up to four dwelling units per single-family lot within one mile of the downtown boundary and requires that at least 20 percent of all new subdivisions of 10 continuous acres or more comply with the regulations.
The proposed zoning code amendments being weighed Tuesday night by for Tucson, Swallow says, if approved "will allow for more development if middle housing by increasing flexibility in development standards while maintaining neighborhood compatibility."
Some "key points" include increasing density standards to allow up to four units per site, reduce the "allowable minimum lot sizes" to enable many lots within the areas to become eligible for lot splits or divisions, standardize parking requirements to one space per unit, implement citywide residential landscaping standards for both single-family and middle housing development, Swallow said.
Tucson, and Pima County at-large, is in dire need of more housing, according to a housing study contracted out by the Pima County Board of Supervisors last year. That study found an additional 38,584 affordable housing units over the next decade countywide. A total of 116,000 additional housing units will be needed in the county over the next 20 years, the study said.
Newer home subdivisions with established homeowner associations within any "middle housing" boundaries the city sets are exempt from the new state law.
