Commission forwards minor zoning code amendments; debates 300‑ to 600‑foot notification, Heritage District process

Staff presented TXT20‑04, a package of minor amendments to the City of Maricopa zoning code, and the Planning and Zoning Commission voted to forward the draft and public comments to City Council for possible adoption.

Staff said the package updates a range of topics after five years of code use: it adds a mixed‑use/heritage section, creates a Southbridge overlay, clarifies general site regulations and standards for specific uses (including daycare), updates use classifications, lighting and parking rules, and proposes alternative design standards. Notable changes discussed included increasing notification radius for zoning notices from 300 feet to 600 feet, referencing a separate Title 5 ordinance for shopping cart definitions and retrieval, changing the waiver authority (fees/waivers only by city council or an approved development agreement), and increasing allowable alternative dimensional waivers from 10% to 20% for certain standards.

Commissioner Sharp led discussion on the notification radius and asked who bears the cost and what the likely impact would be if the radius increases. Nathan Steele, director of economic and community development, said state law sets a 300‑foot minimum for certain zoning cases and that staff can generate mail‑merge lists for any radius. He said the cost burden of mailing and printing would fall on the applicant and that the staff time impact is minimal. "The impact that would be is the additional cost of printing and mailing and that's gonna differ project by project," Steele said, noting some projects on the urban edge may be less affected than infill cases.

Commissioners and staff also discussed the Heritage District Advisory Committee. Staff reported comments indicating some members prefer to remove the formal committee from the zoning code and instead emphasize neighborhood workshop‑style meetings; one committee member, Grace Gomez, told staff she supports removing the formal committee because neighborhood meetings have produced more productive one‑on‑one discussions. Other commissioners urged retaining the committee reference in code so the advisory body remains established even if it does not meet frequently.

On daycare and standards for specific uses, staff said recent public comments recommended additional traffic information and restricting front‑yard playgrounds; staff noted the zoning code already limits front‑yard walls to 3.5 feet and that play structures would thus be sited to the rear. Regarding shopping cart regulation, staff proposed referencing a forthcoming Title 5 code section that will consolidate definitions and retrieval programs rather than attempting to finalize that language in this zoning code amendment.

After discussion, the commission moved, seconded, and voted to forward TXT20‑04 to City Council with staff recommendations and the record of public comments. The chair announced the motion carried. City Council will consider the amendments at its March 2 meeting.