Hi All,
Before the press releases and social media posts start landing, we wanted to be the first to let you know that SB1118 fell short in the AZ House yesterday and will not advance to the Senate.
There will be a more detailed posting later today but suffice it to say the developer and housing lobbies ramped up pressure on legislators when it became increasingly likely the bill might succeed. That, coupled with some last minute petty infighting among some who did not want to hand a member of the opposing party a win, tanked the bill.
Looking past the disappointment, what stands out from everything we’ve worked for this past year is that we’ve helped advance the conversation framing preservation in the public eye as housing policy, sustainability policy, neighborhood stability, and community identity — not just nostalgia or aesthetics.
Even though SB1118 didn’t make it, we now have:
- a statewide coalition of historic neighborhoods that clearly showed legislators on both sides of the aisle historic preservation is an issue the public deeply cares about;
- a clear, documented record showing where our elected officials stand on historic preservation to inform our voting decisions;
- an equally clear record that development and housing lobbies were willing to pull out all the stops to prevent our historic neighborhoods from being protected from demolition;
- a framework for any future legislative efforts with so many lessons learned;
- growing public awareness that Arizona’s historic neighborhoods are not elite enclaves preserved in amber, but thriving, diverse communities.
This was one battle. It is not the end of the issue.
For what it’s worth, most grassroots efforts never get as far as forcing the level of statewide debate that Save Historic Arizona has done.
Arizona’s historic neighborhoods are still standing today because people like us decided they were worth fighting for. Let’s keep fighting.
With gratitude,
Bob Cannon and Opal Wagner
Save Historic AZ 