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Commission backs major amendment to Miller/I‑10 PAD to reshape commercial gateway
Summary
Commission recommended approval of a major amendment to the Miller/I‑10 Planned Area Development overlay to remove multifamily uses and allow commercial, mini‑storage, vehicle sales and other uses; the amendment tightens signage and raises open‑space requirements for the Miller Road development unit.
The Buckeye Planning and Zoning Commission voted to forward a recommendation of approval to the mayor and city council for a major amendment to the Miller/I‑10 Planned Area Development overlay (case PLZZ‑240012). The amendment, proposed by applicant Carolyn Oberholtzer for Americold Real Estate Company, removes multifamily residential as an allowed use in the PAD and replaces it with a tailored suite of commercial and business‑park uses intended to create a higher‑quality commercial gateway at the southeast corner of Miller Road and I‑10.
Mandy Woods, principal planner, explained the amendment modifies the PAD’s use table and development standards across two defined development units: the Miller Road Development Unit (roughly 17–21 acres) for customer‑facing commercial uses and the Yuma Road Development Unit (about 8–12 acres) oriented to mini‑storage, vehicle sales/rental and supporting retail. "The proposed major amendment...furthers goals of the Buckeye General Plan," Woods said, and recommended the commission conduct a public hearing and forward approval subject to conditions A–T.
Key changes described in the draft PAD: exclusion of multifamily uses that were allowed under the earlier overlay, higher landscaping/open‑space requirements (the Miller Road unit increases open‑space from 10% to 20%), and a limited hospital height allowance (up to 120 feet) strictly reserved for a regional hospital use. The amendment carries forward explicit prohibitions from the prior PAD, including adult entertainment, heavy manufacturing, landfills and outdoor salvage/waste operations.
Signage that had been framed in the original PAD as two large freeway pylon signs (one previously conceived as an 80‑foot digital billboard) was scaled back in the amendment to conform to current development‑code standards: two freeway pylon signs are still anticipated (one per development unit) but with reduced height and copy area, no off‑site advertising, and other signage deferred to a comprehensive sign plan.
Woods said the applicant held a neighborhood meeting on March 19, 2025 at the Buckeye Elementary School District administrative office; attendance included the project team, city staff and three council members. Staff reported no other public comments had been received at the time of the hearing.
Commissioners asked about traffic and access. City staff described expected future site‑level reviews and said required transportation, water, sewer and drainage improvements will be finalized during subsequent site‑plan and subdivision approvals.
A motion to approve PLZZ‑240012 with conditions A–T was moved and seconded and passed by voice vote; the commission’s approval will be forwarded to mayor and council for final action. No roll‑call vote tally was recorded in the meeting transcript.
Next steps: the amendment, as recommended by the commission, will be considered by the mayor and city council; future site‑plan reviews must demonstrate conformance to the amended PAD and applicable development‑code standards.
