Phoenix historic neighborhood fights new housing law to preserve the past

PHOENIX (AZFamily) — It’s a fight to protect the Willo Historic District’s historic fabric.

Hundreds of people from the neighborhood attended a Monday night community meeting hosted by the city of Phoenix at the Burton Barr Central Library . They packed up the meeting room and even spilled out into the hallway.

“We’re mostly concerned about losing that historic character, the things that make the community unique,” said Michelle Kopp, a Willo resident.

“You get these rare gems that are nowhere else in Phoenix, let alone Arizona, because they’re all gone,” said another neighbor, Courtney Sutherland.

Gov. Katie Hobbs signed a bill in 2024 called the Middle Housing Bill that requires cities and towns to allow “middle housing” such as duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes and townhomes to