Two substantial bills that bring the promise of new housing in a timely fashion passed the Legislature in bi-partisan fashion and received a signature from Gov. Katie Hobbs.
HB2447 represents a big step forward for the builders of homes and apartments who have long struggled with the extended time it takes to obtain approvals from local governments. Cities and towns are now required to adopt ordinances to give administrative personnel the ability to approve the following development documents:
- Site plans
- Development Plans
- Land Divisions
- Lot Line Adjustments
- Lot Ties
- Preliminary Plats
- Final Plats
- Platt amendments
- Design Review Plans
Cities and towns shall allow for at-risk submittals for certain on-site preliminary grading and drainage work or infrastructure. Finally allow applicants with a history of compliance with codes and regulations to be eligible for expedited permit review.
HB2447 takes effect Jan. 1, 2025.
Governor Hobbs also signed HB2110, which was a “clean-up bill” to the AMA adaptive reside bill from 2024 which mandates that cities with more than 150,000 residents allow for at least 10 percent of their commercial, office or mixed use parcels for redevelopment (adaptive reuse or demolish and rebuild) into multihousing.
The bill contained an emergency clause and is now in effect. Cities have 90 days to create or update their ordinance. The primary focus of HB2110 was to address the ordinance adopted by City of Scottsdale which exempted large portions of the city from adaptive reuse and only allowed up to 1% (not 10%) of the existing commercial parcels available for conversion by right.
“The Arizona Multihousing Association worked tirelessly to advance these two pieces of legislation and gain bipartisan support throughout the process,” said AMA CEO Courtney Gilstrap LeVinus. “The best way to tackle the state’s housing crisis is to make it easier to build more homes and apartments. Both HB2110 and HB2447 will help us achieve that goal.
