On HB2375, Middle Housing, and Historic Neighborhoods

Phoenix is growing. That growth brings opportunity, but it also brings responsibility.

Our city is facing a real housing crisis. Rents are rising, home prices are out of reach for too many families, and longtime residents are being priced out of the neighborhoods they helped build. We cannot ignore that reality. Phoenix needs more housing, more choices, and more flexibility in how we use our land, especially in a city as large and rapidly changing as ours.

That is why I support thoughtful middle-housing policies that allow duplexes, triplexes, and fourplexes in appropriate places. These types of homes can create more attainable options for teachers, nurses, small business owners, young families, and seniors who want to stay in our community. Done right, middle housing can reduce sprawl, shorten commutes, and help Phoenix grow in a more sustainable way.

But addressing a housing crisis does not mean erasing our history.

Without provisions in the middle-housing state mandate to guide how these policies apply to historic districts, cities and towns are left without the tools they need to protect their historic neighborhoods and manage resident’s concerns and infrastructure. In my Phoenix Housing Platform, I outline why communities need a full range of tools to ensure that the future growth of our city is planned responsibly.

Preserving historic neighborhoods is about responsible stewardship and thoughtful planning. Local government is entrusted with managing resources, delivering services, and preparing for growth in a way that strengthens communities and reflects our shared values. Phoenix, like every great city in this country, has a right to protect its history while building for the future. 

That is why I support the historic district exemption in HB2375 and why I believe preservation and local control must be central to any middle-housing policy. Even when there are disagreements on state proposals, local leadership, the Legislature, and the building community ultimately share a common goal: creating more housing for Phoenix families. And it’s on all of us to come together and get this right. 

I would also like to recognize the essential role that homebuilders and the construction trades play in meeting the housing needs of Phoenix. In my plan, I commit to ending the permitting backlog because developers frequently report that the biggest barrier to building homes is not zoning, but permitting delays. Our city must make it easier to build the housing we need.

Growth should be smart, not reckless. Change should be intentional, not careless. And progress should include — not bulldoze — our past.

We can do both.

We can expand housing opportunities in Phoenix while protecting the character of our historic neighborhoods. We can welcome new families while honoring the ones who came before. We can build more homes without losing what makes our neighborhoods special. We can do both.

We can and should embrace middle housing, while also protecting our historic districts. Phoenix isn’t asking to avoid middle housing; we’re asking to do it right by using zoning that respects the character, scale, and significance of our remaining historic neighborhoods. This moment in how we meet our housing crisis matters, and we have to get it right.

My position is simple:

We need Phoenix and other cities in Arizona to embrace and expand middle housing.

We need Phoenix and other cities to be allowed to preserve their history.

We need cities that grow with purpose, not panic. 

I know many of my detractors will say that an exemption of historic neighborhoods is NIMBYism, but I disagree. Housing and preservation are not in conflict, and we must come together to solve this problem. This moment is about responsible stewardship. This moment is about planning for our future. This moment is about uniting to claim the tools we need in order to do so.

Phoenix deserves leadership that understands how to do both, that listens to residents, and believes we can meet today’s challenges without sacrificing our identity.

If you’d like to hear more of my thoughts on the matter, please read my Phoenix Housing Plan.