Experts at Chandler general plan kickoff urge diverse housing types, partnerships to ease affordability

Chandler — At a public kickoff for the city’s general plan update, housing and planning experts urged the city to prepare for more multifamily and redevelopment, and to use partnerships and incentives to preserve affordability and serve the full range of workers the region will need.

Gabriel Harmio, the panel moderator, framed the session as the start of a public conversation as Chandler rethinks land use. Panelists agreed that Chandler’s limited remaining developable land, demographic shifts and regional job growth make single‑family expansion an insufficient strategy.

Mark Stapp, Freddie Taylor professor of real estate at Arizona State University, said Chandler is a mature city and will see redevelopment of older commercial and residential areas. “We have no choice but to densify,” Stapp said, calling for a wider variety of housing types to serve different incomes and household sizes.

Amy St. Peter of the Maricopa Association of Governments urged the city to increase multifamily and “missing‑middle” housing (duplexes, triplexes, quadplexes, accessory dwelling units) because those forms use less water per unit and expand options for renters and first‑time buyers. “Close to half of renters in Chandler, are what are called housing burden people,” St. Peter said, noting many households earning under $50,000 are housing‑burdened.

Panelists also emphasized the role of partnerships and incentives. The panel described ongoing local efforts, including the city’s partnership with developer Gorman to redevelop public housing into higher‑quality units. Mark Stapp recommended engaging homebuilders to identify incentives that enable delivery of attainable for‑sale housing without increasing costs.

Beyond housing types and financing, panelists urged planning for social infrastructure. Deirdre Pfeiffer, associate professor at Arizona State University, recommended planning around “third places” — coffee shops, libraries, parks and other spaces that create social connections — and sizing housing and amenities so people can live near jobs, services and community spaces.

Public outreach and next steps: Lauren Schuman, the city’s principal planner and project lead, said the city will hold workshops in May and June, post a draft Oct. 1 for public comment with comments closing Dec. 1, and — if schedule holds — move through hearings in January and council in February before a proposed August 2026 ballot placement for voter approval.

The panel invited residents to the Chandler Listens workshops and the project website to comment and to participate in interactive mapping exercises.