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Planning staff outline zoning workload, proposed ordinance overhaul and cemetery mapping
Summary
Planning Director Stacy and Planning Coordinator Samantha reported 42 pre‑applications, an update to the zoning ordinance (last overhauled in 2004), and a cemetery survey that shows roughly 90% occupancy and 379 interments.
Stacy, Carefree’s planning director and zoning administrator, told the council that the planning and zoning team handled roughly 42 pre‑application meetings and 18 public meetings in the past year as the town implements its recently adopted general plan and strategic plan priorities.
The update matters because staff said the zoning ordinance has not had a major overhaul since 2004 and that an update is necessary to reflect current planning practice, public participation expectations and enforcement needs in the town center.
Stacy said the department will seek a consultant to lead a comprehensive update to the Carefree zoning ordinance and the citizen participation ordinance; she estimated a consultant‑led process could take about a year to a year and a quarter from start to finish and said the work would include public outreach, stakeholder meetings and potential phased adoption of ordinance sections. She told council the ordinance update would also look at tightening language that would enable more consistent enforcement of permitted uses in town center.
Planning coordinator Samantha (Sam) described technical work the division has completed, including a cemetery survey and digitized mapping. Samantha told the council the Carefree‑Cave Creek cemetery is “about 90%” occupied, with approximately 379 interments and reservations; she said the survey identified some graves that predate town ownership, and that a GIS‑backed map will improve record accuracy and public access.
Staff also summarized planning workload areas: entitlements, site plans (including the Northeast Corner/Carefree Quarter site plan), mountainside ordinance reviews, and zoning clearances tied to building permits. Stacy said staff will coordinate with economic development and engineering on circulation, parking and redevelopment efforts in the town center. The council asked for prioritization of town‑center code and enforcement changes so visible problem properties can be addressed earlier in the ordinance process.
