Buckeye holds workshop on draft housing action plan; no formal action taken

Andrea Marquez, senior planner in Development Services for the city of Buckeye, presented a draft housing action plan at a Planning Commission workshop and described the document as a policy guide rather than a binding regulation. "The plan isn't supposed to, you know, be policy. It's just it's more of a guide for us right now," Marquez said, adding the plan was produced with consultant Matrix and reported housing-needs data to the Arizona Department of Housing.

The workshop reviewed findings from Buckeye's housing needs assessment and invited Commission feedback for council. Marquez said the assessment shows Buckeye faces an immediate shortage of 2,840 housing units and a projected shortage of about 11,000 units by 2029. The assessment noted Buckeye's housing stock in 2022 was dominated by larger single-family homes — 83% of units had three or more bedrooms — with smaller units (zero to one bedrooms) comprising about 2% and two-bedrooms about 15% of the stock.

Why this matters: Marquez told commissioners the housing action plan is required by state law for jurisdictions that have reached a population threshold and supports the City Council's strategic housing goals. She said the plan compiles data, proposes policy options, and identifies potential…