AFP-AZ Urges Montenegro to Bring Bolick's Housing Bill to Floor for Vote

Americans for Prosperity Arizona Chapter Director Stephen Shadegg urged State House Speaker Steve Montenegro (R-29) to bring State Senator Shawnna Bolick's (R-2) Senate Bill 1229 to the House floor for a vote in a recent letter, saying, "The American Dream of owning a home should be within reach for every hard-working Arizonan, not just a select few."

As discussed with Shadegg last week, Sen. Bolick's Arizona Starter Home Act (SB 1229) gives cities greater leeway on building codes through zoning preemption.

"The general code allows the city to set the vision for what they want their city to look like," Shadegg described to us, adding, "and in that vision, they can determine what scale or what size of homes they want without defining it, like say, 'We want our community to thrive with single family homes that allow for growth in the future,' and they can define that when they go to zoning as no small homes."

As a result, SB 1229 authorizes the construction of 1,200 to 1,500-square-foot homes on 3,000-square-foot lots, which are $100,000 cheaper than the current housing price average of $450,000.

To demonstrate how out of reach that price tag is for many Arizona families, the recent letter from Shadegg to Speaker Montenegro came with a boxed LEGO house set featuring the average price, average homebuyer age of 38, and the bill number, saying, "Thanks to your leadership, this LEGO Home is the only home future generations can afford."

Talk about a "brick" through the window.

"Senate Bill 1229, the Arizona Starter Home Act sponsored by Sen. Shawnna Bolick, seeks to turn the tide on homeownership through foundational principles," which the letter said are "property ownership, property rights, and citizens—not government—determining what is best for themselves."

Moreover, Shadegg continued, "This bill tackles the cost of housing in Arizona by removing unnecessary government-imposed barriers on homebuilding," and "not only cuts red tape, which will lower the cost of building a home, it also provides more flexibility for homebuilders to meet the individual needs of buyers."

"The American Dream of owning a home should be within reach for every hard-working Arizonan, not just a select few," the letter closed out. "Buying into the American Dream is buying into conservative principles, something Arizona Republican legislators should be encouraging."