The City of Phoenix approved casitas, or accessory dwelling units (ADUs), on Wednesday to be built in the yards of existing homes, in a move aimed at shoring up the amount of affordable housing in the city.
Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego and city council members approved the change to the city’s zoning to help address Arizona’s 270,000 housing unit shortage, reported ABC 15.
The city’s zoning will require that ADUs generally be no more than 75 percent of the size of a lot’s primary home. The dwellings also cannot be more than 1,000 square feet in total on lots up to 10,000 square feet (or .23 acre), with other restrictions should a lot be larger.
Originally proposed in June, the change to Phoenix’s zoning ordinances is part of a wider plan for the city to become “stronger and more vibrant” by creating or preserving 50,000 homes by 2030 designed “for residents at all income levels and family sizes.”
Research has suggested that cities with zoning for ADUs see more construction of dwellings in city centers, while ADUs in cities without zoning are generally limited to those with higher incomes who live in suburbs or on the edge of city limits.
Some proponents of ADUs say they are an opportunity to promote racial inclusion and diversity while allowing senior citizens to stay in their homes by renting a parcel of land on their property, according to The New York Times. The publication reported that ADUs can also promote “social equity” by providing “a housing option” in neighborhoods where lower-income households are typically priced out.
Critics have expressed concern that the move may diminish single-family dwellings. Other critics in Virginia, where the Republican-led legislature placed restrictions on ADUs in March, expressed concern that ADUs could worsen urban sprawl by incentivizing people to move out of city centers.
Some however, have argued ADUs should be “more popularly understood as ‘renting out your basement,'” as wrote The American Conservative associate editor Jonathan Coppage in 2016. He suggested moves to codify ADUs to enshrine “homeowners’ right to rent out part of their property” could also be a solution to help keep large apartment complexes out of neighborhoods.
Earlier this year, it was reported that half of Maricopa County residents, about 145,000 renters throughout the county, are spending more than the 30 percent of monthly income on rent recommended by experts, according to the Maricopa Association of Governments. An additional quarter of renters spend more than half of their income on housing.
A housing boom was heightened in 2021Â as Phoenix received an exodus of Californians seeking homes. As recently as April of 2023, inflation in Phoenix ranked among the highest in the nation, largely driven by the increased cost of housing.
– – –
Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Georgia Star News and a reporter for the Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
