PHOENIX — The state Legislature passed a bill that would clear the way for Axon Enterprise Inc., a Scottsdale company, to build a new headquarters and housing development without voter approval on Tuesday.
SB 1543, which would block a voter referendum that stalled the construction of Axon’s Scottsdale HQ, passed the House last week and cleared the Senate on Tuesday
Now it’s up to Gov. Katie Hobbs to sign or veto the bill, which would make local rezoning an administrative action not subject to referendum petitions.
“I’m still looking at the bill, but what I can tell you that I’m focused on is building and bringing companies to Arizona that are gonna create jobs,” Hobbs told KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Outspoken with Bruce and Gaydos on Tuesday.
How would law help Axon build Scottsdale headquarters, employee housing?
Axon Enterprise Inc., which develops and manufactures Tasers, purchased a 70-acre parcel of land that will be used for 1,900 residential units, a hotel, multiple restaurants and a 250,000-square-foot headquarters in 2020.
Although the Scottsdale City Council approved the company’s plan in 2024, intervention from a California group named Taxpayers Against Awful Apartment Zoning Exemptions (TAAAZE) stalled the project until residents could vote on it in the 2026 election.
Axon CEO Rick Smith previously threatened to move the company out of Arizona to Texas or Florida if the bill didn’t pass the Legislature.
“I want to keep them here if we can,” Hobbs said. “I’m still considering the bill and we’ve been involved on all sides of the conversation as the bill moves through the process.”
Legislature commended for passing bill that would keep Axon in Scottsdale
After the state Senate passed the bill on Tuesday, Axon released a statement saying the bill, if signed into law, would help bring jobs and housing to Arizona. Specifically, Axon pledged to create over 5,500 high-quality jobs and deliver $38 billion in economic impact to the state over the next decade.
Hobbs said she appreciates the way the company is trying to find solutions to Arizona’s housing supply crisis during a time when affordability is often a hurdle for workers.
“I think it’s great that an employer wants to provide a solution to an issue we’re facing in Arizona,” she said. “That’s giving them more incentive to be invested and stay here.”
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