Selling Arizona trust land won’t guarantee more housing, land chief tells lawmakers
Arizona's Land Department commissioner Robyn Sahid told legislators Tuesday that selling more state trust land wouldn't guarantee more housing gets built, since much of it lacks water, electrical access, or residential zoning. Republicans pushing to sell more trust land pointed to a 2025 estimate that 270,000 acres near urban areas could yield 200,000 housing units, while the state's housing deficit stood at over 110,000 units in 2025.
Lawmakers grilled Sahid over the department leasing 6,704 acres for solar power last fiscal year versus selling just 307 acres for housing, a roughly 22-to-1 gap that Rep. Gail Griffin highlighted in a post-hearing release. Sahid said solar leases are an interim use of land not yet ready for full development, and that the state earns both rental fees and energy royalties from those leases.
An August poll found 82% of Arizonans, across party lines, oppose selling trust land to private housing developers, with even a majority of Republicans against it. Most respondents instead favored housing grants or zoning reform over land sales.
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