Tucson planners cancel Wednesday meeting on higher-density neighborhoods

A roundup of upcoming Tucson-area political events: Middle housing planning meeting at City Hall called off; City and school district elections on the horizon; Sentinel reporter in conversation with journalism legend Carl Bernstein at La Rosa; Sentinel team on the airwaves; & more

Send your events for Tucson Sentinel’s political calendar to [email protected].

UPDATED: City officials canceled a Tucson Planning Commission public hearing just hours before its 6 p.m. start on Wednesday, saying there were problems with the public notice for the meeting.

The hearing, which has been rescheduled for Nov. 12, was intended to be the latest step to hear public input on the city’s proposal to allow up to four housing units on lots zoned for single-family homes.

The city’s Planning and Development Services Department is crafting zoning rules to comply with a new
state law that requires cities of more than 75,000 residents to allow
higher density in central areas.

Advocates say it could lead to
more housing and lower rents, but critics warn it could destroy the
character of existing neighborhoods with four-unit, two-story complexes springing up next to single-family homes.

The city has until the end of the year to comply with
House Bill 2721, which was signed into law by Gov. Katie Hobbs earlier
this year. Among its provisions, the bill says that cities cannot
prohibit two-, three-, or four-unit housing on property that’s zoned for
single-family residential homes within a mile of a city’s “central
business district.” 

The new middle-housing rules also must apply to 20 percent of the lots in any large-scale new development of more than 10 acres.

If
cities don’t amend their zoning codes to accommodate that by Dec. 31,
then the loosened middle-housing rules apply to all single-family
residential lots throughout their jurisdiction.

Tucson’s proposal goes further than just one mile around the central
business district, which would include homes in neighborhoods in the Downtown area, such as Armory Park, Iron Horse and
Barrio Viejo.

City planners
have proposed allowing higher density in an area roughly bounded by
Country Club Road on the east, Silverbell Road on the west, 29th Street
to the south and nearly to the city’s northern boundary near the Rillito
River on the north. The precise boundaries zig-zag around the city
limits of South Tucson and other areas.

For
more details on the city’s middle-housing efforts, visit the Planning and Development Department’s website.

Read what the candidates for Tucson City Council say about the proposal here.

Thursday, Oct. 16: Tucson Sentinel reporter Jim Nintzel joins the Frank Show. 9 a.m. on KLPX, 96.1 FM.

Friday, Oct. 17: Nintzel joins a
panel of journalists on AZPM’s Press Room to discuss the major news
stories of the week. Steve Goldstein moderates. Program airs at 8:30
p.m. on PBS 6 and NPR affiliate KUAZ-FM, 89.1 FM, streams on the AZPM YouTube channel and can heard as a podcast here.

Friday, Oct. 24: Last day to request an early ballot for the Tucson City Council and school district elections by mail.

The
election will be conducted by mail. Ballots were mailed
to all eligible voters on Wednesday, Oct. 8, and vote centers will be
open on Election Day for voters to drop off their ballots or get
replacement ballots.

The election is open to voters across the city of Tucson as well as
those living in the Tucson Unified School District, Sunnyside School
District and Flowing Wells School District.

In
North Side Ward 3, incumbent Democrat Kevin Dahl is facing Republican
challenger Janet Wittenbraker, who made her political debut unsuccessfully running
against Tucson Mayor Regina Romero two years ago and followed that up
with a failed bid for the District 3 seat on the Board of
Supervisors in 2024. 

In the race for an open seat in Midtown Ward
6, Democrat Miranda Schubert is facing Republican Jay Tolkoff. The is
an open seat in the ward because current Ward 6 Councilmember Karin
Uhlich is not seeking the seat. Uhlich was appointed to the office after
Democrat Steve Kozachik, first elected in 2009 (as a Republican),
stepped down to take a job with Pima County. Schubert unsuccessfully challenged Kozachik in the primary four years ago.

In
South Side Ward 5, Democrat Selina Barajas is facing no opposition in
her run for the seat previously held by Richard Fimbes, who stepped down
earlier this year because of health struggles. (The City Council appointed Rocque
Perez to the seat, but he is not running to hold the position in the election.)

With
Prop. 417, city voters will also decide whether to ratify Plan Tucson,
an update of the city’s general plan for the next decade. 

The school district propositions include:

Prop. 414: The Tucson Unified School District is asking voters to approve a maintenance and operations override, which would
allow TUSD to spend an estimated $45 million over a state limit next
year. The 15 percent override would be in place for seven years. Find more details here.

Prop. 415: The Flowing Wells Unified School District is asking voters to approve $30 million in bonds. More details here.

Prop 416: The
Sunnyside Unified School District’s Prop. 416 is asking voters to
approve $120 million in bonds. More details here.

Friday, Oct. 24: Sentinel reporter Paul Ingram joins host Bill Buckmaster to interview Tucson City Manager Tim Thomure. The Buckmaster show airs at noon on KVOI, 1030
AM. Episodes stream at buckmastershow.com.

Tuesday, Oct. 28: Recommended deadline to return ballot by mail to ensure the postal service will deliver it to election officials by 7 p.m. on Election Day, Nov. 4.

Sunday, Nov. 2: Journalist Carl Bernstein, who won the 1973 Pulitzer Prize for his work uncovering the Watergate scandal for the Washington Post, will discuss “History as a Warning: Carl Bernstein on Watergate, Politics and the 2025 Election” at 2 p.m. at La Rosa, 800 N. Country Club Rd. Tucson Sentinel reporter Jim Nintzel interviews Bernstein. More details here.

Tuesday, Nov. 4: General Election Day for Tucson City Council races and school district propositions.