Tempe will increase the construction of multifamily homes mandated under the “Middle Housing Bill,” a state-mandated bill that expands the construction of smaller housing units to increase housing options.
All single-family zoned homes within one mile of the Central Business Development will be able to expand to duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes, and townhomes under the new ordinance.
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The intended purpose of the bill according to the Department of Community Development, is to expand the housing supply.
The Department of Community Development held a meeting at the Tempe Public Library to address any concerns or provide feedback on February 19, 2025. Both city officials and residents of the public attended.
Ryan Levesque, Deputy Community Development Director of Planning said, “ I think some of the benefits for the Middle Housing Bill is the opportunity to see housing that typically does not get built like duplexes or triplexes. Lately, there have been more investments in bigger complexes with a hundred to two hundred units. So this bill will bring back some of those smaller version housing types while increasing the density of the population without increasing it too much. That is kind of what the implementation and goal is.”
The “Middle Housing Bill,” which affects cities with populations over 75,000, was passed on May 8, 2024 and will go into effect by January 1, 2026.
“ I am so thankful to have my own single-family home, to not share walls with anyone else, and have my own backyard and have pets. I don’t want my neighborhood to turn into duplexes and fourplexes,” said Kendra Sollars, a resident of Tempe.
Kendra Sollars is one of the residents directly affected by this bill. She has lived in her house since 2015. Kendra has been receiving calls or mail nearly every day asking about buying her home.
Other residents at the meeting objected to the opposition to the bill, stating that this could benefit Tempe. Even asking to expand the ordinance past one mile, to the entire city.
“ I think that these types of houses, these fourplexes, the townhomes especially, would be very, very popular. And I would like to see the city go beyond just the bare minimum legal requirement for the letter of the law, and try to go after the spirit of building more homes,” said Nolan Williams, a resident of Tempe, “I am not scared of new neighbors.”
Many residents spoke about the need for affordable housing, but the speakers clarified that this bill is not structured for affordable housing, just multifamily housing. Unlike the previous House, Bill 2720 passed which is targeted towards improving affordable housing.
The bill excludes certain areas, including land not zoned for residential use or within sixty-decibel noise levels from the airport. This leaves about half of the zone mapped out available.
The city will wait for the state legislature session to end in August before drafting and publishing the ordinance. There will be time for amendments to be made between now and August.
