Phoenix Facilitates School-to-Affordable Housing Development

Two Phoenix school districts are selling their underused properties to build over 200 units of affordable housing.

1 minute read

February 25, 2025, 8:00 AM PST

By Diana Ionescu @aworkoffiction


Google street view of vacant lot in Phoenix, Arizona.

Site of the future Salamanca Square affordable housing project in Phoenix, Arizona. | Google Maps / Street View

You’ve heard of ‘Yes in My Backyard’ and ‘Yes in God’s Backyard.’ How about ‘Yes in My Schoolyard’?

Two Phoenix school districts are partnering with the city to build affordable housing on unused district-owned land. According to an article in The Copper Courier, “The city will serve as an intermediary in these transactions, ensuring the land will be dedicated to affordable housing development through a Land Use Restrictive Agreement (LURA) that mandates affordable housing use for at least 40 years.”

The effort will create 264 housing units in two developments and adhere to federal affordability standards. “The units will be specifically targeted at households earning 80% or less of the area median income.”

The article notes, “The transaction structure complies with Arizona law, which permits school districts to sell property to government entities for public purposes, provided such sales don’t interfere with normal school operations.”

Monday, February 24, 2025 in The Copper Courier

Young Professional

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban and Environmental Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban and Environmental Planner

Get top-rated, practical training for planners

Overlapping highways

The state-sanctioned urbicide of Austin

People don’t kill cities. Freeways do.

September 8, 2026 - Benjamin Schneider

The Hoover Dam blocking the Colorado River. The river's water level is noticeably low. The cliffs surrounding the blue water are brown and jagged.

US to reduce Colorado River water deliveries to Mexico

A new Colorado Treaty amendment reduces Mexico’s Colorado River water allocation by 250,000 acre feet.

September 11, 2026 - The Arizona Republic

Skyscrapers in Jersey City.

New Jersey’s second-largest city bans standalone data centers

Jersey City will continue to allow co-location facilities, such as those meant for research institutions that store their own data.

September 4, 2026 - The Cool Down

A New Jersey train approaches people waiting at the station.

Amtrak not solely to blame for New Jersey commuter rail's unreliability, report finds

A new study from the Garden State Initiative found that NJ Transit’s budget grew 20% across a 4 year period, but reliability declined significantly over the same period.

September 15 - Mass Transit

A tall, gray power plant billows smoke into a blue sky.

EPA erases limits on planet-warming pollution from power plants

Under Monday’s plan, power plants would still have some limits on how much mercury, arsenic and other contaminants they can emit.

September 15 - New York Times

A white RAPID bus. The lower half is light blue, and says RAPID in purple text. The bus is half visible, appearing from the left side of the image.

Phoenix announces new on-demand transit service, more frequent RAPID buses

Both new services will launch in October, and are part of Phoenix's Project Effective Access Solutions for Easing Congestion.

September 15 - KJZZ

FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?

After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.

Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold

The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.