Goodyear commission recommends approval of drive‑through use permit at Palm Valley site

The Goodyear Planning and Zoning Commission voted Wednesday to recommend that the City Council approve a use permit allowing a convenience‑use drive‑through in the Palm Valley neighborhood.

Planning manager Christian Williams told the commission the 1.86‑acre site sits at the northeast corner of Indian School Road and Bridal Avenue and lies within a planned area development whose underlying zoning is C‑1 (neighborhood commercial). "My name is Christian Williams, planning manager here with City of Goodyear," Williams said while introducing the request, which he said came from Ed Bull and Madison (Lee/Leake) and would be known as Palm Valley 10 Drive Through.

The proposal is for a roughly 10,000‑square‑foot multi‑tenant building with a single drive‑through lane on the west end of the building and an approximate building height of 22 feet. The preliminary site plan shows nine queuing spaces before the first stopping point (the menu board) — above the city's six‑space minimum — and four spaces between the first stopping point and the pickup window, which staff said aligns with city standards. Vehicle entry would use an existing westbound turn lane on Indian School and a driveway off Scribe Avenue.

Why it matters: the parcel sits within walking distance of established single‑family neighborhoods (Palm Valley Phase 5 and Pebble Creek) and near an existing McDonald's drive‑through. Commissioners and staff emphasized conditions intended to limit impacts on nearby residents while allowing commercial activity at a long‑vacant pad.

Staff recommended approval with multiple conditions. Key stipulations include limiting hours of operation to 5 a.m. to 10 p.m., restricting deliveries between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m., capping the drive‑through tenant at a maximum of 50% of the multi‑tenant building, completing landscape buffering between the pad and adjacent residences, and applying lighting restrictions on east‑facing signs near residential areas. Staff also noted an air‑scrubber requirement if the tenant's operations produce food odors: "If this drive through user produces, odors associated with food production, they would be required to install the air scrubber," Williams said, adding that compliance would be checked during tenant improvement review and inspections.

In advance of the hearing, the applicant held a neighborhood meeting at Goodyear City Hall attended by two residents. According to staff, one resident opposed the drive‑through citing the proximity of the speaker box to homes, potential noise from idling cars, worries about trash or rodents, and a desire for sit‑down restaurants rather than drive‑through operations. The other attendee asked general development questions.

Madison Lee, an attorney with the Phoenix firm Birch and Cracchiolo, spoke for the applicant and identified Simon CRE as the developer. Lee said the developer anticipated a coffee tenant and additional service‑type tenants such as a juice bar, nail salon or a Sherwin‑Williams lease, and said the project would bring jobs and services to a long‑vacant pad: "The client we're working on this with is Simon CRE. They're a very experienced, real estate developer," Lee said.

Commission discussion was brief. Commissioners asked staff to confirm access points, buffering to the adjacent residences and that the building and drive‑through would meet the zoning standards (including a future canopy to cover the drive‑through). Christian Williams confirmed the building faces south toward Indian School, that the drive‑through and menu/speaker face west toward the McDonald's, and that landscaping between the pad and the nearby homes would be completed as part of construction.

Votes at a glance - Motion to excuse Vice Chair Sambito from the meeting — mover: Commissioner Booth; second: Commissioner Roberts; outcome: passed (vote recorded as passing during roll call). - Approval of draft minutes for the Sept. 10, 2025 meeting — mover: Commissioner Neffassino; second: Commissioner Roberts; outcome: passed. - Recommendation to City Council to approve the use permit for a convenience‑use drive‑through (Palm Valley 10 Drive Through) — mover: Commissioner Booth; second: Commissioner Wang; outcome: recommendation of approval forwarded to City Council for the Oct. 27 meeting (motion passed).

The commission's recommendation is advisory; the City Council will make the final decision on Oct. 27, 2025.