'Attainable' apartments coming to Goodyear, but can residents afford it?

By Madeline Ackley Salazar
Mail | Twitter: @Mkayackley

Goodyear's newest apartment complex billed as "attainable" housing, will open in mid-August, a partnership between real estate developer Greenlight Communities and FirstBank.

Cabana Encanto is a 286-unit complex adjacent to the city's newly-unveiled Civic Square development. 

Representatives from FirstBank, which financed the construction, and Greenlight Communities are hailing the development as “a more affordable housing option for essential workers in the community.”

Yet the “attainable” apartments may still be out of reach for many living and working in Goodyear.

The 468-square-foot studio costs $1,374 a month. The 828-square-foot two-bedroom units are $1,804 a month.

Those prices may be slightly cheaper than nearby apartments, but it's still too pricey for many Valley residents, especially those in the service industry, who commute to Goodyear for work.

It's part of a trend of rising rents that's become especially pronounced in Goodyear, which was once much more affordable than places like Phoenix.

And so-called “attainable” housing is not the same as affordable housing, which means the occupant pays no more than 30% of their monthly income on housing and utility payments to be considered affordable, according to HUD.

“We have brought in 8,700 new jobs in three years. They have to live somewhere."

—Councilmember Wally Campbell

Individual Goodyear residents make on average $44,169 a year, according to 2019 census data. So single residents making an average living could be paying more than 37% of their annual income for a studio and nearly 50% for a two-bedroom apartment.

Household incomes in Goodyear are higher — the median household income is around $85,000 a year — but single people in the city are less likely to own a home and more likely to rent.

Unfortunately for lower-income people who work and reside in Goodyear, Cabana Encanto really does offer marginally cheaper apartments than those advertised online in the area.

An online search for apartments in Goodyear on a site like Apartments.com highlights just how expensive the market has become. Units range from $1,470 a month to nearly $3,000 for units with more than one bedroom.

Ten years ago, units at these prices were unheard of in Goodyear. Back then, 90% of apartments for rent in Goodyear were between $500 and $1,000 a month, and by 2015, about 70% of rental units remained at that price point.

But by 2020, those units were scarce, and fell even further in the first quarter of 2021. Today, it is nearly impossible to find a rental unit in Goodyear that is less than $1,000 a month, but the proportion of rental units that cost between $1,000 and $1,500 a month and more have skyrocketed.

The high prices have also combined with Goodyear’s low housing stock, which shrank even more during the pandemic.
Goodyear leaders are aware of the problem.

“Population and household growth projections indicate a need for approximately 1,200 additional housing units annually between 2020 and 2040,” according to a report submitted by the city to the Department of Housing and Urban Development in 2021.

When asked how to confront the problem, city leaders have largely expressed a certain amount of helplessness in the face of market forces.

Longtime Councilmember Wally Campbell, who just won reelection, said at a June forum that addressing the need for more affordable housing and reigning in skyrocketing rents is “beyond [the council’s] control.”

But all elected leaders, Campbell included, have recognized the need for not just “attainable” but affordable housing in the rapidly growing city.

“We have brought in 8,700 new jobs in three years,” Campbell said at the same forum. “They have to live somewhere.”

Madeline Ackley Salazar can be reached at mackley@iniusa.org or found on Twitter @Mkayackley.