Arizona bill to end HOA and lot size requirements for houses goes to Hobbs

Controversial legislation to stop Arizona cities from requiring HOAs, minimum home sizes and community amenities has passed in both the House and Senate and is headed to the governor.

House Bill 2570 garnered bipartisan support in the Legislature to address Arizona’s housing crisis, but powerful groups are against it.

“We have watched as out-of-control zoning regulations have caused Arizona to now be one of the most expensive places in the country,” said Senate President Warren Petersen, R-Gilbert, during a rally for the Arizona Starter Homes Act at the Capitol on Tuesday.

He said it’s taking too long to get much-needed housing built and that’s pushing up prices.

The Neighborhood Coalition of Greater Phoenix sent a letter to the governor asking her to veto the bill.

“Sponsors and supporters of HB2570 did not engage a full array of stakeholders before the bill was put on a fast track at the legislature," the letter said. "From the start, HB2570 was one-sided legislation to give developers their long-sought goal of undermining municipal zoning without requiring that they actually build affordable housing.”

Senate Majority Leader Sonny Borrelli, R-Lake Havasu City, said the legislation is to “cut the red tape” of building homes and get people in homes they can afford.

The legislation also calls for stopping municipalities of more than 70,000 residents from having building codes for single-family homes that require minimum or maximum lot sizes, minimum building setbacks and design or aesthetic elements.

As of Tuesday, Gov. Katie Hobbs hadn’t decided whether she’s going to sign the bill.

Hobbs said last week she wants a housing package with bipartisan support that is also a compromise with local jurisdictions.

When the bill was introduced in January, the lobbying organization for local governments issued a statement criticizing the proposal.

"The bill is titled Arizona Starter Homes Act but provides zero obligation for developers to make housing units available at starter home price levels," a statement from the League of Arizona Cities and Towns said.

The legislation also "circumvents standard public processes and general plans that residents develop, and places all the power in developers’ hands to decide the quality and density of housing developments," the League statement said.

The Republican and Democratic legislators said at the Capitol event that they worked hard to collaborate with many groups that will be impacted by the bill and have received support from many stakeholders.

“We made all kinds of compromises, and this bill is more than two years in the making,” said Rep. Analise Ortiz, D-Phoenix. “I don’t have enough money for a down payment on a home in my community. People like me are tired of renting.”

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Republic reporter Stacey Barchenger contributed to this article.

Reach the reporter at [email protected] or 602-444-8040. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter: @CatherineReagor.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: AZ bill to end HOA, lot size requirements for houses goes to Hobbs