Tyler Cobb on Arizona’s SAID Legislation

In Episode 109 of the Land to Lots™ Podcast, Carter Froelich talks with Tyler Cobb, Partner at Taft Law in Phoenix, Arizona, and the principal architect of Arizona House Bill 2999, on the state’s new State Affordability Infrastructure District, or SAID, framework signed into law by Governor Hobbs on June 5, 2026.

Tyler shares his path into public finance, from starting as a summer associate at Ballard Spahr in Phoenix to representing developers on Arizona Community Facilities District transactions at a time when few public finance attorneys wanted that role, through his move to Taft a year ago. He then explains how House Bill 2999 came together, including the role of the Home Builders Association of Central Arizona, the year-long stakeholder engagement process, Governor Hobbs’s focus on housing affordability, and the connection between cost of capital for horizontal infrastructure and the price of a finished home.

Lastly, Carter and Tyler discuss the state of district financing in Arizona, including the 1988 Community Facilities District Act, the local approval bottleneck that has made district formation unpredictable, Arizona’s $347 million of new money district financing from 2019 through mid-2025 compared with Colorado, Texas, Florida, and Utah, rising horizontal construction costs, the taxpayer protection and disclosure requirements built into the SAID Act, and why the new framework governs how infrastructure gets financed rather than what gets built.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

How Arizona’s Community Facilities District Act has worked since 1988, and why the extent of local involvement required to form a district became the primary bottleneck rather than any deficiency in the statute itself.
Why Arizona financed $347 million of new money district infrastructure from 2019 through mid-2025 while Colorado financed $11.6 billion, Texas MUDs $8.9 billion, Florida CDDs $8.4 billion, and Utah PIDs $4.5 billion.
How Governor Hobbs’s focus on housing affordability, and Arizona’s fall from 33rd to 45th in the nation on affordability, shaped the framing and the legislative path of the bill.
Which features Tyler drew from Colorado metropolitan districts, Utah districts, Texas MUDs, and Florida CDDs while using the Arizona CFD Act as his drafting template.
How the legislation builds in taxpayer protection through 100 percent landowner consent to form, a detailed formation petition, Arizona Finance Authority oversight, annual district reporting, and a homeowner disclosure form at resale.
Why the SAID Act operates strictly as a special purpose financing act and does not touch zoning, entitlements, design standards, plans and specifications, or the conveyance and acceptance of completed infrastructure.
Why the 6.5 percent annual rise in horizontal construction costs over the past six years, compared with roughly 3 percent per year in the twenty years before that, makes every year of financing delay more expensive for developers and homebuyers.
How municipal concerns around staff capacity, administrative burden, and political exposure were addressed so that cities and counties keep their entitlement authority without having to administer additional districts.

Show Notes:

Tyler Cobb

W – https://www.taftlaw.com/

O – (602) 240-3035

E – TCobb@taftlaw.com

Plus: Whenever you’re ready, here are 4 ways Launch Development Financing Advisors™ (Launch) can help you with your project:

Prepare a Special Tax District Bond Analysis for your Project – If you have a projects in AZ, CA, CO, ID, NC, NM, SC, TX, UT, WA contact Carter Froelich and have Launch prepare an initial complimentary high-level bond analysis for your project.
Add Favorable Financing Language to Annexation and/or Development Agreements – Create certainty and flexibility related to your project’s infrastructure financing by having Launch professionals prepare handcrafted favorable financing language for inclusion in your Annexation and/or Development Agreement. Contact Carter Froelich for more information.
Perform The RED Analysis™ on your Project – We have developed a unique process at Launch called The RED Analysis™ in which we perform a diagnostic review of your project to determine possible ways to Reduce, Eliminate and Defer infrastructure construction costs in order to enhance project returns. Contact Carter Froelich for more information.
Track Your Reimbursable Costs Utilizing The Launch Reimbursement System™ (“LRS”) – Never lose track of your district eligible reimbursable costs and have Launch manage your district’s costs reimbursement tracking, preparation of electronic reimbursement submittal packages and processing of your reimbursement requests with the district, jurisdiction and/or agency. Contact Curry Froelich for more information.

Complimentary Offers for Land to Lots™ Listeners

Carter Froelich – 480-828-9555 / carter@launch-dfa.com

Carter Froelich hosts the Land to Lots™ podcast powered by Launch Development Finance Advisors. Carter shares how he and his team help their clients finance infrastructure, reduce costs, and mitigate risks all with the goal of enhancing project profitability.

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