Published on June 29, 2026

The City of Tucson Planning and Development Services Department (PDSD) has received a 2026 American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) Community Challenge grant to launch a Middle Housing Design Competition, in partnership with the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Southern Arizona. Middle housing refers to smaller-scale residential building types, including duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes, townhomes, and cottage courts, that sit in scale between single-family homes and large apartment complexes. This competition invites architects, engineers, designers, builders, contractors, design-build teams, and students to submit middle housing design plans that can be pre-approved and made available to Tucson homeowners.

Competition Details

• Submission window: July 9 - September 7, 2026, at 11:59 p.m.
• Award: $1,000 per selected design (15 total), funded by AARP
• Building review fees waived for selected designs submitted as model plans
• Designers retain ownership of their plans
• Public information session: Thursday, July 9, 11 a.m., Zoom | Register HERE

Background

Mayor and Council voted 6-1 on December 16, 2025, to allow middle housing on most Tucson residential lots, effective January 1, 2026. Middle housing provides options for Tucsonans at a range of life stages and income levels, and can allow residents to live closer to work, schools, and services. Design costs, however, can be a barrier to building. This competition aims to create a catalog of pre-approved plans that reduces both the cost and complexity of adding housing.

"Building on the success of our Casita Model Plan Library, Tucson continues to explore innovative and creative approaches to expanding attainable housing options for our community through this middle housing design competition," said PDSD Director Koren Manning. "We are grateful to AARP for its continued investment in Tucson and for supporting local solutions that help meet the housing needs of residents of all ages."

Any individual or firm may submit up to three designs. A selection committee and public survey will determine 15 winning designs, each receiving a $1,000 award funded by AARP. Selected plans will be posted in an online library at middlehousing.tucsonaz.gov, where homeowners can browse designs and connect with designers to purchase plans and permit new housing on their site. Designs added to the library will have building review fees waived, and designers retain full ownership of their work.

PDSD will host a public information session on Thursday, July 9, at 11 a.m. on Zoom for those who want to learn more about the competition requirements and submission process.

INFO SESSION REGISTRATION

This project was made possible due to the generous support of AARP. It is part of AARP's nationwide Livable Communities initiative, which supports cities, towns, neighborhoods, and rural areas in becoming livable for people of all ages. This year, 750 grantees were selected from 5,100 applications across all 50 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. To learn more, visit the AARP Community Challenge website.

For more information about middle housing and the design competition, visit middlehousing.tucsonaz.gov.