Aug 27, 2026 · 14 min · 9 segments
Arizona is growing—and the rules for getting that growth built are changing fast. In this episode, Adam Baugh takes a look at six land use trends reshaping Arizona in 2026, from the growing tug-of-war…
Adam BaughHost
Number one, state versus local control and why it's becoming a bigger part of the zoning conversation.
And under the Arizona zoning statutes, cities and towns have broad authority to divide their jurisdictions into zoning districts and regulate the uses that occur therein.
But what we've seen over the last few years down at legislature is that the legislators are becoming increasingly more comfortable and willing to tell cities and towns what they can do and sometimes what they can't do with land use.
We're seeing legislation touching housing, zoning, historic neighborhoods, commercial redevelopment, state land infrastructure, and even autonomous drones.
And so this means that developers need to pay attention to both the local zoning code as well as the Arizona revised statutes.
And so the question that we used to ask ourselves is what's the zoning allow on my property by the local municipality.
It's does a state law override or preempt in this area first before I can ask, what does the local zoning code allow? And so that distinction can fundamentally change an entitlement strategy.
Number one, state versus local control and why it's becoming a bigger part of the zoning conversation.
And under the Arizona zoning statutes, cities and towns have broad authority to divide their jurisdictions into zoning districts and regulate the uses that occur therein.
But what we've seen over the last few years down at legislature is that the legislators are becoming increasingly more comfortable and willing to tell cities and towns what they can do and sometimes what they can't do with land use.
We're seeing legislation touching housing, zoning, historic neighborhoods, commercial redevelopment, state land infrastructure, and even autonomous drones.
And so this means that developers need to pay attention to both the local zoning code as well as the Arizona revised statutes.
And so the question that we used to ask ourselves is what's the zoning allow on my property by the local municipality.
It's does a state law override or preempt in this area first before I can ask, what does the local zoning code allow? And so that distinction can fundamentally change an entitlement strategy.
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