Phoenix Vice Mayor Ann O’Brien is taking a hands-on approach to one of Arizona’s most pressing challenges: the statewide housing crisis.
Motivated by both personal experience and years of public service, O’Brien has become a leading voice for attainable housing solutions that balance smart growth, affordability and community well-being.
“We have two children, who are now 27 and 30. As they were coming out of college, the cost of housing was going up,” O’Brien said. “I was really concerned about their ability to buy houses in the community they grew up in and to be close to family.”
As president of the Deer Valley Unified School District Governing Board, O’Brien also witnessed teachers, bus drivers and cafeteria workers increasingly being priced out of the neighborhoods they served.
“That’s incredibly problematic,” she said.
Teachers, nurses, police officers and grocery store workers — people from all walks of life should be able to live near their jobs, O’Brien said.
“Phoenix used to be a city where most residents could find a home that was affordable and not have to drive an hour to work,” she said. “That’s no longer true.”
Identifying the Problem, Finding Solutions
The vice mayor points to several root causes for the shortage: The collapse of the housing market during the Great Recession that left the region playing catch-up, combined with a growing population and rising interest rates, to name a few.
To address the crisis, O’Brien recently unveiled her “Housing Solutions Plan,” a sweeping framework that span local, regional and state strategies.
The Housing Solutions Plan focuses on four pillars:
- Streamlining local development
- Strengthening regional coordination
- Reforming state policies
- Expanding housing creation and preservation programs
The plan offers more than 30 proposals including: Expedited permitting for small-scale projects, establishing an alternative materials and methods commission to reduce costs, waiving fees for affordable projects, developing a shared set of standard building plans for use across the region and creating standardized development processes across municipalities.
O’Brien also calls for reforming Arizona’s construction defect laws to spur the creation of “missing middle” housing like duplexes and townhomes.
Overall, she said Phoenix needs a more diversified housing portfolio, so single-family homes, rental communities and employers aren’t so concentrated in separate parts of town.
“It’s really about having options,” O’Brien said.
How You Can Help Increase Housing
O’Brien said she looks forward to developers, housing advocates and residents reviewing the plan and joining the effort.
Reading the plan is a great first step, she said. Then, speak up.
“Reach out to me, share it with others and let’s find a way to partner or build coalitions,” she said. “It’s good for us to hear from constituents that they want progress. It’s really about sitting down at the table and doing the work to implement these ideas.”
For O’Brien, the issue is about more than housing policy. It’s about Phoenix’s future.
“Stable housing is the foundation for everything else,” O’Brien said. “It’s where children learn and grow, families build a secure future, and neighborhoods can flourish. When we get housing right, we strengthen our entire community and economy.”
Read the full Housing Solutions Plan at phoenix.gov/district1.
