PHOENIX – A Mesa council member said last week she supports a Phoenix lawmaker’s proposal to overhaul city zoning rules he contends will spur construction of more affordable housing.

 "This deal is a positive step towards addressing our housing crisis by making it easier to develop different types of housing options such as accessible dwelling units, zoning for triplexes and duplexes, and manufactured homes with advanced design,'' Mesa Councilmember Jenn Duff said of Republican Sen. Steve Kaiser’s proposal.

Kaiser has reached a deal on a slimmed-down plan with the League of Arizona Cities and Towns, whose opposition had halted the effort for the past six months.

And it could be voted on as early as Monday.

Kaiser told Capitol Media Services that the most contentious parts of his initial proposal are now gone.

They included provisions giving developers the absolute right to build apartment complexes on any property near a light rail or street car line regardless of current zoning, major restrictions on parking requirements for new construction, strict timelines for rezoning request approvals and limiting public opposition to proposed developments.

And he’s raised the population threshold for cities and towns to be subject to the state preemption of some of their existing zoning restrictions from 25,000 to 50,000. That change means 20 of the state’s 91 cities and towns will be covered.

The revamped proposal, which League lobbyist Nick Ponder says the group has agreed to support, will require cities to approve detached backyard casitas known as auxiliary dwelling units, create areas where people 55 and older can rent single rooms in homes with a shared kitchen and bathroom and give developers with approved proposals the right to grade properties without waiting for extra inspections.

And affected cities and towns would be required to adopt two of three other major changes, all designed to help builders target vacant lots or redevelop in the urban core of municipalities.

Those include designating areas where duplex, tri-plex or four-plex units can be built, approving the use of manufactured housing, or letting homes be built on lots as small as 5,000 square feet. In addition, each city and town will have two years to do a housing needs assessment.

"This is really turning into a great solution for infill, filling in our metro areas to the most efficient use possible,'' Kaiser said.

"And I think in light of the water announcement that came out last week, this is exactly what we should be focusing on, because we're not talking about massive subdivisions here,'' he said. "We're talking about filling in our existing metro areas, cities and towns, using our lands efficiently.''

Duff, who serves on the League's Neighborhoods, Sustainability and Quality of Life Committee, said she supports the legislation and “appreciate(s) the state working with the cities to find sensible housing solutions.''

Cities were briefed Thursday and Friday on the final language of the bill, and Ponder said he had their OK to negotiate directly with Kaiser. Whether they all agree or there is pushback will have to wait until Monday, when Kaiser said the House plans to amend existing bills with the deal's language.

We’d like to invite our readers to submit their civil comments, pro or con, on this issue. Email AZOpinions@iniusa.org.