Senate committee backs statewide zoning reform bill amid opposition from historic‑district groups

The Senate City, County & Local Affairs Committee voted to give Senate Bill 456 a do‑pass recommendation after hearing more than an hour of testimony for and against a statewide package of zoning changes intended to ease Arkansas’s housing shortage.

Senator Jim Petty, R‑District 29, the bill’s sponsor, told the committee the legislation targets what he called a “crisis” in housing availability and affordability across the state. "The crisis is around housing, all types of housing, rental and ownership, housing affordability, and housing availability," Petty said. He repeatedly said the bill “does not eliminate single family zoning” and that the proposal is meant to reduce regulatory barriers that delay construction and raise costs.

The bill would legalize additional housing types and loosen certain local land‑use restrictions statewide, according to Petty and witnesses who testified for the measure. David Warren, senior research analyst at the Institute for Justice, testified in support and summarized the bill’s intent: "We see Senate Bill 456 as a bill that…