Stephen W. Anderson

Stephen Anderson is a seasoned zoning and land use attorney and the Practice Group leader of Gammage & Burnham’s Land Use & Zoning group. With a focus on large-scale, industrial developments, Stephen leads complex entitlement and development projects across Arizona, handling intricate zoning and land use challenges with skill and authority.

As the Practice Group leader of Gammage & Burnham’s Land Use & Zoning group, Stephen plays a central role in overseeing the firm’s land use and development work, providing strategic leadership for clients and guiding the practice’s direction. He has represented clients in high-profile zoning matters, particularly within the City of Phoenix and Maricopa County, and has successfully handled a variety of complex entitlement processes for major residential, commercial, and mixed-use developments. Stephen routinely works with and before the Arizona State Land Department. Notably, Stephen led a team that processed the largest abandonment of public right-of-way in Arizona history. He also served as the lead representative for the entitlement process for the JW Marriott Phoenix Desert Ridge Resort and Spa, the largest hotel in the state at the time, and led the annexation and entitlement of Vistancia, a 7,000-acre residential development in Peoria, Arizona.

In addition to his leadership within the firm, Stephen’s practice includes substantial experience in utility and transportation infrastructure, retail centers, residential subdivisions, solid waste facilities, and Arizona’s growing alternative energy sector. Stephen’s diverse portfolio also includes entitlements for landfills, cell phone towers, and churches, showcasing his expertise across a wide range of land uses.

Stephen has earned recognition from Chambers USA, Best Lawyers, Martindale-Hubbell, and Super Lawyers for his longstanding contributions to the practice of land use and zoning law. His commitment to community development is also demonstrated through his involvement with Arizona Forward, where his zoning expertise supports vital community-focused initiatives.

Court Admissions

• State Bar of Arizona
• State Bar of California

Speaking Engagements

• “Zoning and Housing Affordability… Again” (March 2024), Rocky Mountain Land Use Institute
• “Gun Fight at the OK Corral: Statewide Preemption of Local Zoning” (September 2023), Arizona Planning Association
• “How To Use A Lawyer” (January 2020), Local First Arizona Good Business Summit

Publications

• Legislative and Case Law Update 2009, State Bar of Arizona Land Use Update (with Carolyn Williams and Rob Lane) (2009)
• I’ll See You in Court! Maybe Not: Ripeness As A Bar to Judicial Relief in Takings Claims, State Bar of Arizona Land Use Update (2005)
• Open Space Offers Opportunity, Apache Junction/Gold Canyon Independent (2002)
• The Estoppel Bogeyman, Administrative Law Newsletter of Arizona State Bar Administrative Law Section (2001)

Significant Representations

Over the last few years, Stephen marked the following highlights:

Secured approval for the location of a new waste transfer facility in a suburban location over significant community opposition, quarterbacking a large, multi-disciplinary team that included political consultants, a PR team, and a fire safety consultant.

Secured approval for an overhaul of a 600 acre-plus master planned community in the City of Phoenix that will create more than 1.5 million square feet of commercial and employment space and 1,500 new housing units, coordinating the efforts of four separate development companies.

Secured approval for a large scale industrial-flex project with more than 2 million square feet, including an annexation.

Secured approval for a homeless shelter in the City of Phoenix that will provide 100 critically needed, new shelter beds in a suburban location 11 miles outside downtown.

Assisting a $2 billion new alternative energy project with zoning entitlements in Maricopa County and lease processing with the Arizona State Land Department for multiple transmission options.

Secured approval for a 368 unit, four story, multi-building affordable housing community in the City of Glendale with substantial parking reductions.

Stephen has continued to work across a broad array of jurisdictions, including sites in unincorporated Maricopa, Pima, Pinal, Mohave, and Coconino Counties, as well as in the Cities of Phoenix, Tucson, Mesa, Glendale, Tempe, Avondale, Peoria, Buckeye, Flagstaff, Sedona, Coolidge, and Eloy, and the Towns of Carefree and Cave Creek.

In addition, Stephen was honored to be elected to the Arizona Family Health Partnership Board, returning to service in the area of family planning, a field where he has spent decades volunteering.

Professional & Community Involvement

• Arizona Forward, Board of Directors, 2019 – Present
• Affirm Arizona, Board of Directors, 2022 – Present
• American Planning Association, Member
• Arizona Planning Association, Legislative Affairs Committee