TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — As more families across Southern Arizona struggle to find an affordable place to live, government and industry leaders are calling for action.
The Southern Arizona Government Affairs Breakfast on Thursday brought together city officials, builders and lawmakers to discuss what can be done to boost supply and lower costs.
“Home affordability is key. It’s something essential for every person out there, definitely to achieve the American dream. It’s a big part of that,” said Congressman Juan Ciscomani, who represents much of Southern Arizona.
Ciscomani said it starts with bipartisan cooperation to speed up housing construction.
“Sometimes it’s over burdensome and too expensive to be able to build, especially an affordable side of housing as well, but just also residential and for families starting out their home life as well,” he said. “We have to work together and streamline a lot of these regulations to make sure that they’re affordable for business and also to protect the community.”
He added that federal and local governments must work in sync to address permitting delays and workforce shortages — two factors that drive up the price of new homes.
“One of the biggest barriers for affordable housing is the permitting that sometimes is over-burdensome and too expensive to build,” Ciscomani said. “We’ve got to streamline regulations and make it affordable to build.”
According to the National Association of Home Builders, roughly 24 percent of the cost of a new single-family home comes from government regulation. For multifamily projects, that figure climbs to 41 percent.
“It’s 41 percent for a multifamily room, multifamily house,” said Jim Tobin, president and CEO of the NAHB. “So what we need to talk about here is, how can we lower regulation in order to make housing more affordable?”
Tobin said that the U.S. remains about 1.5 million homes short of what’s needed to meet demand — and that closing that gap starts with “letting builders build.”
“We have to make the trades Plan A right alongside with college education, and give people an option and show them the career arc that you can have as a skilled tradesman or woman,” Tobin said.
He also pointed to a nationwide shortage of construction workers — hundreds of thousands of jobs short — saying that encouraging young people to pursue trade careers is key to tackling the housing deficit.
Both leaders agreed that expanding the workforce, cutting regulatory costs, and supporting vocational programs are crucial steps to keeping homeownership within reach.
“More housing means more opportunity,” Ciscomani said. “And keeping that American dream within reach for the next generation.”
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