To address housing affordability, cities around the country are seeing the development of βmiddle housing,β but Tucson is not yet following the trend.
The term refers to housing thatβs between traditional, single-family homes and large apartment complexes.
Homes that are duplexes, triplexes, quadplexes, condos or townhouses are considered middle housing and could help struggling homebuyers get into a place of their own and start to build equity.
While the average price of single-family homes, new or used, is around $380,000, townhomes in the Tucson area sell below $300,000 and condominiums in the $225,000 range.
But theyβre in short supply.
A man walks by the Miramonte Barrio Viejo townhomes on South Meyer Avenue. Townhomes are in short supply in Tucson, and this cluster of 13 townhomes built by Miramonte Homes sold out quickly.
βOne of the main factors is that the homebuilder market has completely changed in Tucson β¦ it really is dominated by the large, publicly traded homebuilders,β said land broker Will White, who heads the Tucson office of Land Advisors Organization. βI think the market would love to introduce denser product to address affordability, but the larger builders are looking to volume rather than filling a niche.β
White said itβs much more efficient for large homebuilders to create a 200-home subdivision versus building 40 townhomes.
βI donβt see this changing anytime soon.β
David Godlewski, president and CEO of the Southern Arizona Home Builders Association, said the group continues to advocate for higher density in urban areas along transportation corridors.
βThe homebuilders doing the vast majority of the building in Tucson have a middle housing-type product they use in other markets within subdivisions,β he said. βWhether or not they bring something like that to Tucson, Iβm not sure.β
In past years, local homebuilders have created small community clusters with one or two dozen homes, some with shared walls.
Local builder A.F. Sterling has created little pockets of housing with projects such as the one on Country Club Road near Broadway, and another on Tucson Boulevard north of Fort Lowell Road.
Pepper Viner has filled many vacant lots and closed school sites with housing and Miramonte Homes built a cluster of 13 townhomes in Barrrio Viejo that sold out quickly.
The Miramonte Barrio Viejo townhomes on South Meyer Avenue in downtown Tucson. Homes that are duplexes, triplexes, quadplexes, condos or townhouses are considered middle housing and could help struggling homebuyers get into a place of their own and start to build equity, but theyβre in short supply in Tucson.
Miramonte is currently building condos near downtown Flagstaff.
The project, 310 Downtown, is a four-story complex with 24 units for sale, but Tucson is not on the radar.
βAt this time, Miramonte does not have any new home construction projects planned in Tucson,β said John Hays, corporate sales and marketing administrator for Miramonte. βHowever, if an opportunity arises that meets our specific criteria for a new project, we will certainly consider it.β
Tucson homebuilder Miramonte Homes is building a four-story condominium complex near downtown Flagstaff.
Another hurdle for this type of housing in the Tucson market is because of single-family lot size requirements and height restrictions. Proposing four townhomes on a lot zoned for a single residence or a row of 3-story townhomes near an existing neighborhood is often met with swift opposition from neighbors.
βSolutions to bridge the gap must address the barriers to building new middle housing as well as incentivizing the construction and rehabilitation of middle housing,β according to the National League of Cities, which is advocating for more of these types of homes to address affordability.
The Miramonte Barrio Viejo townhomes on South Meyer Avenue in downtown Tucson. Townhomes are considered middle housing, a term that refers to housing thatβs between traditional, single-family homes and large apartment complexes.
In 2020, Minneapolis became the first large city in the country to eliminate single-family zoning and its comprehensive plan allows two- and three-unit developments in residential zones and increased the allowable height of projects near downtown.
This year, the city of Tucson is reviewing its zoning policies to encourage more housing.
Proposals in the cityβs βCommunity Corridors Toolβ include flexibility for developers regarding setbacks, height, density and parking requirements, as well as offering βheight bonusesβ for mixed-use and affordable housing projects, along with establishing split-zone properties.
The primary focus will be on properties that front major streets and routes.
The plan will be presented to the Planning Commission in January and then reviewed by the mayor and council in February.
Visit corridors.tucsonaz.gov to view the draft.
