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Tucson council asks staff to draft housing and homelessness emergency declaration, return in 45 days
Summary
Vice Mayor Santa Cruz secured council approval to direct staff to return with a housing and homelessness emergency declaration and UDC amendments to remove zoning barriers for shelter care; council favored a hybrid approach (zoning relief plus case‑by‑case review for R‑1) and emphasized neighborhood notice and measurable metrics.
Vice Mayor (and item sponsor) Santa Cruz framed a proposed housing and homelessness emergency declaration as an urgent, temporary tool to cut zoning red tape and speed delivery of micro‑shelters, tiny‑home clusters, motel conversions and modular shelter care.
City staff summarized examples from other jurisdictions — Los Angeles (2023), Pueblo, Colo., and Portland, Ore. — that used emergency declarations to streamline approvals and relax site and setback requirements for temporary shelter care. Staff said options under consideration ranged from broad categorical relief to a blended model combining code changes with case‑by‑case approvals, and recommended a one‑to‑two year declaration term with monitoring and community notification requirements.
Vice Mayor Santa Cruz moved that council request staff return with a proposed emergency declaration that includes short‑ and long‑term actions to expand temporary shelter capacity, accelerate permanent affordable housing and begin the Unified Development Code amendment process to remove barriers to shelter care; she asked staff to return in 45 days. Council members discussed neighborhood engagement, measuring outcomes and the need for clear timelines.
Councilmember Dahl and others emphasized early and robust neighborhood meetings; Councilmember Lee urged including people currently experiencing homelessness in planning and design. Multiple council members supported a hybrid approach that would allow pilots on a case‑by‑case basis in R‑1 zones while pursuing broader relief elsewhere. The motion passed on voice vote.
What’s next: staff will draft a proposed declaration and options for UDC amendments and return with a report and draft language within the 45‑day direction from council.
