This is our second candidate questionnaire since early 2020. Needless to say, a lot has happened since. As rents skyrocketed, we’ve finally seen more serious discussions about housing policy in Tempe and across the country.
We received responses from every candidate. We will summarize the broad points below, but we encourage you to read the responses in full.
We endorse Randy Keating, Doreen Garlid, and Nikki Amberg. We also encourage you to vote YES on Prop 478. Read on to see why.
A few things we wanted to see from candidates:
- Acknowledgment that there is a serious housing crisis in Tempe caused by a shortage of housing.
- Support for allowing more housing options in Tempe and making it easier to build housing.
- Pushback against attitudes that favor excluding others from Tempe, especially renters, young people, and new residents. Whether you can afford to own a home or not, Tempe should be for you.
- Minimal “passing the buck” on to other levels of government. We want to know what you can do in the position you are running for.
- Support for Accessory Dwelling Units and Prop 478 (Tempe General Plan 2050). We want to see support for pro-housing measures that are actionable and immediately before the city.
The Litmus Test
ADUs and support for the General Plan are key issues for us in this election. They both provide modest but important reforms and signal whether a candidate will generally support pro-housing reforms in the future.
Affordable housing (housing that is subsidized or otherwise set aside for lower-income individuals) is extremely important. We need to put more money behind it, and make blocking its construction very difficult.
The city and nonprofits can build lots more affordable housing by themselves, but they can never build enough to completely meet our housing shortfall. Every respondent to this survey lives in market-rate housing, and support for the creation of new market-rate housing is a key differentiator for gaining our support.
The impact of market-rate supply on housing prices of cheaper homes isn’t theoretical: cities that built more housing in the US have seen slower rent growth. Cities that have enacted ambitious reforms to allow for more housing have even seen rent increases flatten and fall relative to inflation, thanks in large part to transit-oriented development. Some cities, like Oakland, CA, have seen a direct decrease in rent due to a rapid increase in supply.
Our support for denser infill housing isn’t just about housing affordability. It’s key to curbing emissions by reducing car dependency and increasing walkability. It creates a stronger customer base for local businesses. It bolsters the viability of public transit.
In short, building more housing where people want to live helps us build a stronger and more livable Tempe. We have spent so much time asking about potential downfalls of new housing that we have failed to consider the consequences of not building enough.
What the Candidates Said
Every candidate agreed that there is a housing crisis and that the city needs to do more. All candidates seem to acknowledge that there is a shortage of housing, although approaches to solving this differ. Keating, Garlid, and Amberg all emphasized the need to increase the housing stock of both affordable and market-rate housing. David Lucier primarily focused on affordable housing.
Candidates generally took a welcoming attitude to new Tempe residents, attributing our population growth to being a desirable place to live. Keating and Garlid emphasized Tempe’s growth as an opportunity. Amberg stressed the need to have a plan for future growth to avoid potential pitfalls. Lucier mentioned the need to “increase the number of units dramatically” to serve students and first responders, but rejects market-rate housing and suggests that new homes are a burden on public resources.
On the topic of Accessory Dwelling Units in Tempe, all candidates but one were generally in favor of some form of ADU ordinance. David Lucier wobbles, saying he only supports the idea in theory and not in practice. His website does not equivocate, saying directly that he does not support the expansion of ADUs as currently outlined.
Candidates were in favor of a bond to fund more affordable housing and remove procedural barriers to building new affordable housing. All candidates believed that bringing neighbors to the table was key to neighborhood hostility to new affordable housing projects, most ignoring that the biggest barrier to affordable housing projects is usually small collections of angry neighbors.
On Prop 478 we were glad to see that almost all candidates supported its passage. David Lucier said he was previously a “lukewarm” supporter but changed his mind after talking to a resident.
Finally, candidates seemed broadly supportive of allowing missing middle and reducing minimum lot sizes. Keating said he would approach this on a case-by-case basis. Lucier advocated for form-based codes.
Examining Candidate Responses
We were very impressed with Nikki Amberg’s responses and clear-eyed view of Tempe’s housing shortage. She rightfully points out that vacancy rates are the lowest they’ve been in years and that Tempe can’t afford to leave new housing options on the table. We particularly like her insight that housing is a regional issue, which will require regional solutions. We hope that this would include a statewide effort on permitting and zoning reform, rather than passing the buck.
Randy Keating’s decisive answers get right to the point. He’s in favor of streamlining the process of building affordable housing and increasing housing supply at all levels. He understands that we need to create the conditions for broad-based affordability throughout the city. In the past, Keating has been a reliable voice for more housing and investment in jobs programs like Tempe Works and the Smith Innovation Hub.
Doreen Garlid presents an optimistic and welcoming attitude towards a growing Tempe. We do worry that some of her responses are overly cautious, but we like the direction of her responses favoring increasing the supply of housing and making it easier to build affordable housing.
David Lucier presents several concerns. He is endorsed by Tempe 1st, an organization that consistently opposes even the smallest pro-housing reforms in Tempe. Our worry is Lucier’s answers reflect this mentality.
His answer on ADUs is more equivocal than the one on his website, which says ADUs should not be expanded. This would deny Tempe renters a more affordable housing option. The same goes for his objection to Prop 478. This is unfortunate as he provided good responses on issues like parking, bike infrastructure, and supporting what would effectively amount to social housing. But his flip-flopping on other issues leaves us concerned as to whether he would stick with these policies when they face inevitable backlash.
Hugo Tapia—who did not respond to our questionnaire in time for inclusion—is also endorsed by Tempe 1st.
The Pro-Housing Ticket
So who is best positioned to deliver housing affordability to Tempe?
First, the Mayor. Mayor Woods has made affordable housing his brand. He has made Hometown for All his signature program and received significant media attention for it. He is also running uncontested in this election. Notably—like most Tempe residents—he is a renter. He doesn’t need it, but he has our endorsement.
We think Hometown for All is a good program, but we want to see further ambition from the Mayor in his next term. Council considering expansion of ADUs is a promising step forward but Tempe has fallen behind reforms made by cities across the country. We think he is capable of delivering a bolder agenda on housing, and we intend to push him further to make Tempe a national leader in pro-housing reforms. To that end, he’ll need a council that is at least open to said reforms.
Our view is that Randy Keating, Doreen Garlid, and Nikki Amberg present the best and most forward-looking vision on housing. Amberg in particular gave solid answers and Keating has long shown he is interested in advancing pro-housing policy. Councilmember Garlid also showed an understanding of the root cause of the housing crisis and an openness to policies that would address it.
Our hope is that they will be even more ambitious in pushing forward beyond accessory dwelling units and piecemeal affordable housing projects and towards a Tempe with affordable and abundant housing for all.
Regardless of who wins, we hope to continue a robust conversation about housing with the next council.
Tempe’s election will be held on March 12th. Mail your ballot in by March 5th or vote in person by March 12th.
For more information click here.
Tempe YIMBY 
Leave a comment