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Casa Grande pauses zoning code text amendments after new state law changes public‑hearing rules
Summary
Planning staff said a recently enacted state bill (HB 2447) changes ‘may’ to ‘shall’ for administrative review of many site plans, prompting the city to pause planned zoning‑code changes, expand internal public‑notice proposals and seek legal guidance on appeal rights.
Paul Theis, the city’s planning director, told the Casa Grande City Council the city will pause a package of zoning code text amendments after a state law change appears to require administrative approval of many site plans without a public hearing.
The modifications Theis had drafted included a new Chapter 17.66 to formalize early neighborhood engagement, rewrites to Chapter 17.68 to streamline administrative procedures, and proposed thresholds to allow smaller commercial buildings and certain residential products to be reviewed administratively. Theis said the city had aimed to increase efficiency while preserving public input.
Why it matters: House Bill 2447 (HB 2447), Theis said, replaces permissive language with mandatory language in state law, and that change appears to compel cities to authorize administrative personnel to review and approve site plans, plats and other development‑review items without public hearings, effective Dec. 31. That change could remove a public‑hearing step…
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