Buckeye planning commission recommends approval of Phase 2 development-code overhaul

The Buckeye Planning and Zoning Commission on a voice vote recommended approval of PLZM-24-0064, the Phase 2 update to the city's development code, sending the package to the mayor and city council after a public hearing and a staff presentation.

The update, presented by Mandy Woods, principal planner with Development Services, rewrites and reorganizes Chapter 7 (Articles 1'10) and Appendices A'C of the Buckeye Code of Ordinances to modernize use tables and definitions, streamline procedures and add new standards for subjects such as accessory dwelling units, backyard fowl, battery energy storage systems and signage.

Woods said the project builds on a 2024'25 multi-phase effort and on Phase 1 changes adopted earlier, and that staff and consultant Logan Simpson focused Phase 2 on uses, signage, development and design standards, land subdivision and process streamlining. "The recommendation is to conduct a public hearing and then recommend approval of PLZM-24-0064 to mayor and city council," Woods told the commission.

Key changes highlighted by staff include:

- Pre-application protection: Applicants who complete a pre-application meeting would be able to lock in the applicable code for up to nine months, to reduce hardship when the code changes during project preparation.

- Zoning district consolidation: The single-family flex district was removed as redundant and the city consolidated the community master plan…