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Maricopa staff begins drafting multifamily residential design guidelines, returns to P&Z before council review
Summary
City staff outlined a first-draft process for Maricopa’s multifamily residential design guidelines, focusing on site design, architectural articulation and sustainable design; the draft will return to the Planning & Zoning Commission before being forwarded to City Council.
City staff told the Maricopa Planning and Zoning Commission on June 6 that it will begin drafting the city’s first multifamily residential design guidelines and expects to return a draft to the commission in the fall for feedback before presenting to City Council.
The staff presentation said the guidelines are intended to give developers and staff a consistent framework for multifamily projects and listed three focus areas for the first draft: site design (neighborhood character, building placement and parking), architectural design (entries, massing, articulation and materials) and sustainable and healthy design (stormwater low-impact development, green-building options, daylighting and solar). The presenter said work would begin in a couple of weeks with internal team meetings and that the commission should expect a return “roughly at this point in October” for comment prior to council consideration.
Commissioners asked technical and design questions during the discussion. Commissioner Yocom asked whether multifamily projects are reviewed under the same stormwater expectations as single-family communities; a staff member replied that the city’s engineering reviews are aligned with state requirements and that staff wants to encourage developers to address stormwater at the design stage rather than only at permitting. Commissioner Jochim urged the guidelines to emphasize articulation and variety in color and materials to avoid “boxy” industrial-looking buildings; staff agreed and noted renderings shown later in the agenda that illustrate articulation and color variation.
Staff did not present a draft document at the June 6 meeting and characterized the agenda item as discussion only. Staff described a near-term internal drafting process (three team meetings anticipated), a commission review in the fall, and a later City Council review for formal adoption.
The commission made no formal motion on the guidelines at this meeting. Staff said it will circulate scheduling and outreach details as the draft is developed.
