Goodyear council candidates discuss rising rents and housing costs

By Madeline Ackley Salazar
Mail | Twitter: @Mkayackley

Editor's note: The following story is from a forum organized by the Goodyear Independent and its parent company, Independent Newsmedia. One candidate, Vicki Gillis, was unable to attend the June 21 forum due to a scheduling conflict. 

Candidates running for Goodyear City Council met Tuesday, June 21 at Skyway Church to answer questions on various topics facing the future of the ninth-fastest growing city in Goodyear. 

One issue candidates were asked to discuss, is the rising cost of rent and home ownership, which has skyrocketed  Goodyear as it has across the nation. 

Currently, the average rent in Goodyear is over $1,800 a month, and the average home cost is over $500,000--enough to price many people out of the market from the outset. 

Candidates were asked how they would handle the rise in housing costs. 

Question: Data presented to the city council last year showed that housing costs have climbed faster in Goodyear than the Valley average. In 2012, 90% of apartments for rent in Goodyear were between $500 and $1,000 a month. Today, it is nearly impossible to find a unit less than $1,000 a month. Home prices have greatly increased as well. What can the city do to ensure working families and seniors on a fixed income can afford to live in Goodyear? 

Beckles responded that while she hopes housing costs will soon go down, she said she does not believe the city can have much of an impact on costs. 

“It’s going to be a tough road for all of us to try to address that issue,” Beckles said. “There’s not much we, as a city can do in terms of housing and housing prices at this point in time.”

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

-Wally Campbell

Campbell acknowledged the problem of high rents and housing costs, and that with the influx of workers, the need for housing was critical. 

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

But Campbell, like Beckles, concluded that even if more housing was built, prices would remain high, “because the demand is there,” she said, adding that reigning in housing costs is “beyond [the council’s] control.” 

Floyd suggested implementing rent controls, acknowledging that the city may not have the authority on its own to do so, but should begin seriously pursuing the issue. 

“There’s a lot of people that work in Goodyear that don’t live here. A lot."

-Tamara Floyd

“It has to start somewhere,” Floyd said. “Someone has to step up and say, let’s start writing those letters, let’s start talking to the right people.”

She also indicated her support for subsidized housing within Goodyear. 

“There’s a lot of people that work in Goodyear that don’t live here. A lot,” she said. “We want to bring them here, we want them to spend their money here.”

Hampton acknowledged that Goodyear is about five years behind in terms of housing supply and that the average rent in Goodyear is out of reach for many people. 

Hampton added that he is supportive of working to create more housing options for people at all income levels “from someone just starting out, to a senior who’s retired…I think we need housing for everybody in every stage of life.”

Hampton referenced a recently approved workforce housing project but said it remains to be seen if more developers come to the city with similar projects in mind. 

With three open seats, Goodyear residents will have the opportunity to cast their ballot for three candidates for city council in the primary elections held on Aug. 2, 2022.  

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