County to use zoning, code updates and partnerships to address housing shortfall

PRESCOTT — Yavapai County supervisors directed staff to pursue a multi‑pronged approach to the county’s housing shortage, combining zoning and subdivision code updates, an ongoing housing study and partnership/advocacy work to reduce barriers to producing more homes.

Development Services Director Jeremy Dye told the board the county is updating subdivision rules and a larger zoning ordinance rewrite that together will be used to reduce approval delays and enable more housing types, including ‘missing‑middle’ housing, modular and site‑built tiny homes. Dye said a housing study tied to the zoning project is due this fall and will identify specific locations and measures.

Supervisors asked that code updates be leveraged alongside advocacy (for state tools or funding) and active partnerships with municipal, tribal and nonprofit partners. Vice Chair Compton and others suggested practical short‑term steps — for example, expanding owner‑builder or opt‑out paths in narrow, controlled ways; reviewing site‑built vs. manufactured definitions; and selectively enabling by‑right density in targeted unincorporated areas adjacent to municipalities.

Consultants and staff cautioned that code updates are necessary but not sufficient — housing depends on infrastructure and financing, and the county will need to coordinate zoning changes with capital planning and targeted incentives. Board members said they want interim deliverables and practical actions before the full code rewrite is complete.

What’s next: staff will return in the implementation phase with specific code recommendations, an inventory of potential ‘by‑right’ sites or policy changes that can be implemented in the short term, and measurable targets tied to the housing study.