diff --git a/src/SymArrayDmap.chpl b/src/SymArrayDmap.chpl
index a28389fcf5..3e69984b1d 100644
--- a/src/SymArrayDmap.chpl
+++ b/src/SymArrayDmap.chpl
@@ -142,10 +142,7 @@ module SymArrayDmap {
                 grid = {0..<locsPerDim, 0..<locsPerDim},
                 localeGrid = reshape(Locales[0..<grid.size], grid);
 
-          type layoutType = getSparseDomType(matLayout);
-          const DenseBlkDom = dom dmapped new blockDist(boundingBox=dom,
-                                                        targetLocales=localeGrid,
-                                                        sparseLayoutType=layoutType);
+          const DenseBlkDom = getDenseDom(dom, localeGrid, matLayout);
 
           var SD: sparse subdomain(DenseBlkDom);
           return (SD, DenseBlkDom);
diff --git a/src/compat/eq-20/ArkoudaSparseMatrixCompat.chpl b/src/compat/eq-20/ArkoudaSparseMatrixCompat.chpl
index 41c49b72b6..19ce3dc6fa 100644
--- a/src/compat/eq-20/ArkoudaSparseMatrixCompat.chpl
+++ b/src/compat/eq-20/ArkoudaSparseMatrixCompat.chpl
@@ -2,13 +2,17 @@ module ArkoudaSparseMatrixCompat {
   use SparseBlockDist;
   use LayoutCS;
   import SparseMatrix.SpsMatUtil.Layout;
+  use BlockDist;
 
   proc getSparseDom(param layout: Layout) {
     return new dmap(new CS(compressRows=(layout==Layout.CSR)));
   }
 
-  proc getSparseDomType(param layout: Layout) type {
-    return CS(compressRows=(layout==Layout.CSR));
+  proc getDenseDom(dom, localeGrid, param layout: Layout) {
+    type layoutType = CS(compressRows=(layout==Layout.CSR));
+    return dom dmapped new blockDist(boundingBox=dom,
+                                     targetLocales=localeGrid,
+                                     sparseLayoutType=layoutType);
   }
 
   proc SparseBlockDom.setLocalSubdomain(locIndices, loc: locale = here) {
diff --git a/src/compat/eq-21/ArkoudaSparseMatrixCompat.chpl b/src/compat/eq-21/ArkoudaSparseMatrixCompat.chpl
index 50c88c156a..7c655e330f 100644
--- a/src/compat/eq-21/ArkoudaSparseMatrixCompat.chpl
+++ b/src/compat/eq-21/ArkoudaSparseMatrixCompat.chpl
@@ -1,12 +1,16 @@
 module ArkoudaSparseMatrixCompat {
     use LayoutCS;
     import SparseMatrix.SpsMatUtil.Layout;
+    use BlockDist;
 
     proc getSparseDom(param layout: Layout) {
         return new dmap(new CS(compressRows=(layout==Layout.CSR)));
     }
 
-    proc getSparseDomType(param layout: Layout) type {
-        return CS(compressRows=(layout==Layout.CSR));
+    proc getDenseDom(dom, localeGrid, param layout: Layout) {
+        type layoutType = CS(compressRows=(layout==Layout.CSR));
+        return dom dmapped new blockDist(boundingBox=dom,
+                                         targetLocales=localeGrid,
+                                         sparseLayoutType=layoutType);
     }
 }
diff --git a/src/compat/eq-22/ArkoudaSparseMatrixCompat.chpl b/src/compat/eq-22/ArkoudaSparseMatrixCompat.chpl
index 50c88c156a..7c655e330f 100644
--- a/src/compat/eq-22/ArkoudaSparseMatrixCompat.chpl
+++ b/src/compat/eq-22/ArkoudaSparseMatrixCompat.chpl
@@ -1,12 +1,16 @@
 module ArkoudaSparseMatrixCompat {
     use LayoutCS;
     import SparseMatrix.SpsMatUtil.Layout;
+    use BlockDist;
 
     proc getSparseDom(param layout: Layout) {
         return new dmap(new CS(compressRows=(layout==Layout.CSR)));
     }
 
-    proc getSparseDomType(param layout: Layout) type {
-        return CS(compressRows=(layout==Layout.CSR));
+    proc getDenseDom(dom, localeGrid, param layout: Layout) {
+        type layoutType = CS(compressRows=(layout==Layout.CSR));
+        return dom dmapped new blockDist(boundingBox=dom,
+                                         targetLocales=localeGrid,
+                                         sparseLayoutType=layoutType);
     }
 }
diff --git a/src/compat/ge-23/ArkoudaSparseMatrixCompat.chpl b/src/compat/ge-23/ArkoudaSparseMatrixCompat.chpl
index 13e8615afe..e94f38f421 100644
--- a/src/compat/ge-23/ArkoudaSparseMatrixCompat.chpl
+++ b/src/compat/ge-23/ArkoudaSparseMatrixCompat.chpl
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 module ArkoudaSparseMatrixCompat {
     use CompressedSparseLayout;
     import SparseMatrix.SpsMatUtil.Layout;
+    use BlockDist;
 
     proc getSparseDom(param layout: Layout) {
         select layout {
@@ -9,7 +10,16 @@ module ArkoudaSparseMatrixCompat {
         }
     }
 
-    proc getSparseDomType(param layout: Layout) type {
-        if layout == Layout.CSR then return csrLayout; else return cscLayout;
+   // see: https://github.com/chapel-lang/chapel/issues/26209
+    proc getDenseDom(dom, localeGrid, param layout: Layout) {
+        if layout == Layout.CSR {
+            return dom dmapped new blockDist(boundingBox=dom,
+                                             targetLocales=localeGrid,
+                                             sparseLayoutType=csrLayout);
+        } else {
+            return dom dmapped new blockDist(boundingBox=dom,
+                                             targetLocales=localeGrid,
+                                             sparseLayoutType=cscLayout);
+        }
     }
 }