Council approves annexation ordinance to add 5.41 acres north of future Beardsley Road

The Surprise City Council on March 4, 2025, voted unanimously to approve Ordinance 2025-01, annexing approximately 5.41 acres of county land generally south of the Central Arizona Project, east of Buckeye, north of the future Beardsley Road alignment and west of the future 250 First Avenue alignment (case FS24-0623).

City planning staff described the site and the procedural history leading to the final decision. A staff presentation said the two subject parcels are currently within Maricopa County and that the city's action would incorporate those parcels into Surprise city limits while surrounding parcels to the north and south would remain in Maricopa County and land to the west is in the City of Buckeye.

Staff reviewed the annexation steps: the city council first considered intent to annex at a meeting on Jan. 7, 2025; a blank petition was filed with the County Assessor and the Department of Revenue on Jan. 13, 2025, beginning the 30-day waiting period; a second public hearing occurred as a discussion-only hearing on Feb. 4, 2025 (day 22 of the waiting period). An outreach meeting on Aug. 8, 2024, at Willow Canyon High School drew nine attendees, and staff reported that questions centered on the Surprise 295 project, site access and the annexation process. The pre-annexation zoning for the site was listed as RU-43 (rural residential).

After staff presentation and no public speakers on the item, Councilman Haney moved to approve the annexation ordinance; the motion was seconded and the council clerk recorded a unanimous yes vote. "That's a unanimous yes vote, Mary," the clerk announced following the roll call.

The annexation ordinance was adopted at the meeting; staff said the action would incorporate the two parcels into Surprise with like-for-like rural residential zoning upon completion of the annexation process.