'Fringe' Construction Costing Millions

PHOENIX-Runaway development on the urban edge drains money from Arizona’s taxpayers and could cost hundreds of millions to revamp the region’s infrastructure, according to a new analysis released by proponents of an initiative that would significantly curtail construction.

Homes built on the edge of urban areas require up to $1,500 more in annual services than they pay into local budgets, says Joy Herr-Cardillo, an attorney with the Arizona Center for Law in the Public Interest. Herr-Cardillo and her group wrote the report for supporters of Proposition 202, the Citizens Growth Management Initiative.

“You are subsidizing the development that’s occurring on the fringes,” she says. “The economics of that are real important for people to understand.”