Multifamily housing is running on a parallel track with single-family residences in Gilbert—a shortage of supply and resultant rising costs, according to rental data.
While experts said apartment projects often draw objections from residents when before the planning commission or town council and even have become a campaign issue for some council candidates, data indicates Gilbert is short of needed stock to support job and population growth. That also is true across the Phoenix area.
“What happened in the ’50s and ’60s is people came here with the promise of everybody having a single-family house,” Arizona Housing Department Director Tom Simplot said. “Well, things have changed, and we have become a more urban place that requires different types of housing. People need to see that.”
