Maricopa County holds public workshop on overhaul of unincorporated zoning code

Tom Ellsworth, director of the Maricopa County Planning and Development Department, opened a June 5 stakeholder meeting in downtown Phoenix saying: "What we're here to discuss is the zoning code update for Maricopa County." He told about a hundred in-person and numerous online attendees that the effort focuses on unincorporated parts of the county, county islands and growth edges, not incorporated municipalities.

The county is aiming to modernize an ordinance first adopted in 1969, Ellsworth said, and to make the document easier to read and apply. "Maricopa County zoning ordinance was first adopted in 1969," he said, adding the code is "very text heavy" and contains inconsistent standards that staff want to clarify and streamline.

Why it matters: the county says the update is intended to increase clarity for landowners, reduce routine variances and introduce tools to support housing availability, including "middle housing" (duplexes, triplexes, townhomes) and revised rules for accessory dwelling units. Ellsworth said the board of supervisors appointed a multi-stakeholder task force of planners, developers and community members to advise the work.

Key timeline and public input: Ellsworth said staff will take the summer to incorporate stakeholder feedback, post a draft by Aug. 28, aim for a Planning and Zoning Commission hearing on Nov. 6 and a Board of Supervisors hearing near the end of December. A public questionnaire tied to the meeting will remain open through July 16; staff asked attendees…