TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — With housing costs going out of reach for so many, state lawmakers are looking for ways to make housing more affordable, but there’s controversy over whether one idea could take zoning control away from cities.
Anyone who’s tried to buy a house or rent an apartment knows affordable housing is a real challenge. A state committee has been traveling the state collecting suggestions on how to improve things, and part of their trip meant a stop in Tucson.
The committee borrowed the Tucson City Council Chamber for the hearing. A committee to gather information on housing affordability was the result when earlier versions of House Bill 2674 failed in the legislature. Critics said that bill went too far in taking away much of the zoning discretion from cities and replacing it with more statewide standards.
Representatives from the housing industry said zoning that can vary from city to city can be so expensive and time consuming, it raises costs and discourages builders from building.
Ginger Kneup of the Southern Arizona Home Builders Association said, “The time it takes to move a project from hard zoned to shovel ready in Tucson has essentially doubled in the last two few years. The time it takes to build a home from permit to dropping the keys in the homeowner's hand used to be three to five months. It is now six to 10 months.”
Apartment manager Christina Beckwith says she has vacant apartments because residents and squatters tear them up to the point where they can’t rent them, or pass the inspections required to offer them as Section 8 low-income housing.
“One of the biggest topics is how do we protect the housing we have? Because in two buildings, right on 22nd and Craycroft I have over 90 vacant units. That’s 90 apartments people could be living in if they felt safe.”
What committee members hear in Tucson, and other areas they visit could influence what goes into a new affordable housing bill in the next legislative session.
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Craig Smith is a reporter for KGUN 9. With more than 40 years of reporting in cities like Tampa, Houston and Austin, Craig has covered more than 40 Space Shuttle launches and covered historic hurricanes like Katrina, Ivan, Andrew and Hugo. Share your story ideas and important issues with Craig by emailing craig.smith@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook and Twitter.
