Lake Havasu City planning commission approves broad zoning-code amendments, forwards changes to council

The Lake Havasu City Planning and Zoning Commission unanimously approved a package of amendments to the city's zoning code (Title 14) at a public hearing on Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2019, directing staff to forward the draft ordinance and related definition changes to the City Council for final action.

City planning staff presented a consolidated set of changes to Section 14.03.02 (the permitted-use table, Table 3-1), related use-specific standards, and definitions. The package breaks out several uses (for example separating animal grooming from animal boarding), proposes new permitted uses in multiple mixed‑use districts, and adds a definition and standards for accessory caretaker quarters. "The highlighted items are things that staff went through and said, 'Hey, these kind of maybe make sense. Let's bring it to the commission,'" planning staff Luke Morris told the commission.

The changes reflect three years of incremental adjustments to a 2016 development code update and the commission's direction during prior work sessions. Staff said the goal was to align specific use definitions with fire and building code thresholds, clarify where services such as medical offices and clinics are allowed, and to better match current business patterns (for example, separating short-term indoor grooming from longer-term animal boarding).

Key provisions and outcomes

- Permitted‑use table: The commission agreed to multiple edits across Table 3-1 to add, remove, or change the status (permitted, conditional, accessory, temporary) of many uses. Staff will edit Section 14.03.03 and the definitions to reflect table changes.

- Continuing care/long‑term care: Commissioners debated…