Peoria staff outlines required code changes to comply with Arizona's House Bill 27 21 on middle housing

Peoria staff told the City Council on Sept. 16 that House Bill 27 21 requires the city to allow “middle housing” types such as duplexes, triplexes and fourplexes as a permitted use in specified circumstances, and that the state leaves local governments little discretion in how they implement the change. “This bill... is largely what I'll call preemptive, meaning the state has mandated a number of things that we have to implement in our zoning code,” Planning Director Chris Hawkes said during the study session.

Why it matters: The statute forces cities above 75,000 population to permit middle housing without requiring rezones or public hearings in certain locations, and sets a Jan. 1, 2026, implementation deadline. Peoria staff said the rules will affect lots zoned single-family within a one-mile radius of the city’s designated Central Business District (P83) and will require allowing middle housing on at least 20% of the land area of any new single-family development larger than 10 contiguous…