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Council approves zoning change to allow single-family attached dwellings in Urban Corridor
Summary
El Mirage amended its zoning code to permit single-family attached dwellings (townhomes/condo-style ownership) in the Urban Corridor zoning district; the change was driven by an applicant seeking to develop a site at El Mirage and Thunderbird and follows a 5-0 Planning & Zoning recommendation.
The El Mirage Common Council on June 3 adopted Ordinance O25-06-03 to amend the city's zoning code (Land Use, Volume 2, Chapter 154.052) to permit single-family attached dwellings in the Urban Corridor zoning district. Planning staff said the text amendment would allow townhomes or condominium-style ownership where the zoning previously allowed only multifamily rental products.
Planning staff explained the amendment was prompted by a pre-application for a specific parcel at the corner of El Mirage and Thunderbird (adjacent to the Casa Mirage apartments) and that the Planning & Zoning Commission had recommended approval by a 5-0 vote. The staff presentation compared a multifamily rental configuration (single ownership, rental units) with a single-family attached configuration (individual parcel ownership for each unit) and said the ordinance would add a permitted use designation (a "P" in the Urban Corridor column of the permitted uses table).
The applicant's representative (Ray Law) told council the client is pursuing the zoning change because the proposed product — townhomes — is in demand across the valley and would provide housing choice. He said the project currently under consideration was one specific site but that the zoning text change would also make similar redevelopment parcels in the Urban Corridor potentially available for comparable development.
During public comment, a resident asked whether developers must pay for outside improvements (ingress, egress, sewer, water). Staff said that the zoning amendment only changes permitted uses and that questions on infrastructure obligations are addressed during the site-plan review and that "generally, developers do pay for any outside improvements." Councilmembers asked whether the units would be for sale or rent; the applicant said the development was planned for individual ownership but that the ultimate marketing decision (rent vs. sale) had not been finalized. Councilmembers also noted that individual projects would return to council for site-plan review and that homeowner associations are typical in individually owned townhome developments.
Vice Mayor Parsons moved to adopt the ordinance; the motion passed on an affirmative voice vote.
Why it matters: The change broadens permitted housing types in the Urban Corridor and could make infill and small redevelopment parcels more likely to be built with attached housing; individual projects will still require site plan and infrastructure review.
(Reported from the June 3, 2025 El Mirage Common Council meeting.)
