Council adopts Australia 14 PAD, capping units and increasing open space

Goodyear City Council on Sept. 22 adopted Ordinance No. 2025-1639 to rezone approximately 1,505 acres in the Australia/Estrella North area from the Australia Phase 2 PAD to a new Australia 14 PAD. The adopted PAD caps residential units citywide on the site at 6,034 (down from 8,400 under current zoning), limits multifamily to a maximum of 864 units, and requires a minimum of 18% sitewide open space (roughly 271 acres compared with 94 acres required under prior zoning).

Anne Dalmich, principal planner, told council the layered land-use approach creates six “land use groups” to concentrate higher-intensity uses — core and hub land-use groups — near the intersection of Estrella Parkway and Willis Road while allocating estate and open-space groups for lower-intensity single-family neighborhoods and preserved hillside. The PAD also adds a mixed-use district and custom standards that, among other items, set buffers for drive-throughs and service-station locations.

Andrew Yancey, attorney for the applicant Australia North LLC, described the application as a downzone from the 1988 zoning and said the plan is intended to create a neighborhood-scale commercial core rather than the larger regional mall and unlimited multifamily density originally envisioned. "That 864 units is a maximum. This zoning does not require a single multifamily unit to be built," Yancey said.

The proposal drew both support and opposition during public comment. Jeff Redmond, a resident of Australia, said he opposed the rezone as presented and urged developers to prioritize building Cotton Lane to handle construction traffic and protect existing Australia Parkway residents during buildout. Other speakers urged limits on building heights and expressed concerns about traffic and school capacity; supporters said the plan would bring needed rooftops for neighborhood retail and preserve sightlines compared with the older zoning.

Staff and the applicant noted two neighborhood meetings were held (March 31 and July 1) and that staff received about 19 emails expressing mixed opinions. The Liberty Elementary and Buckeye Union High School districts were notified; Liberty shared guidance on minimum campus sizes. Planning and Zoning Commission forwarded a recommendation of approval (5-1, one absent), and staff recommended approval subject to stipulated conditions and a scrivener correction to a stipulation on proportional signal-cost language.

Council discussion reviewed unit counts, open-space calculations, land-use group locations, height limits (30 feet across most residential areas; up to 40 feet in certain higher-intensity locations, with commercial/mixed-use standards allowing up to 56 feet in a concentrated core), and infrastructure timing. The city emphasized that detailed traffic and site improvements will be reviewed and phased with subsequent plats and development applications; staff said phasing and updated traffic analyses will determine when specific roadway and signal improvements are required.

After public comment and council questions, the council voted 7-0 to adopt the ordinance, rezoning the property to the Australia 14 PAD and amending the city zoning map. The ordinance caps density, increases open space requirements, and establishes the layered land-use framework to guide future development and subsequent discretionary site plans and plats.