Goodyear planning commission backs Walmart convenience store with gas station, forwards recommendation to council

The Goodyear Planning and Zoning Commission voted unanimously on Nov. 5 to recommend conditional approval of a use permit that would add a 1,556‑square‑foot convenience store and a 6,248‑square‑foot fuel canopy with up to 10 pumps to the Walmart Supercenter parking lot near Roosevelt and Australia.

Senior Planner Kyle Abbott told the commission staff’s review found the proposal sits on about 1.4 acres, would reduce existing parking from 947 spaces to 819 (the ordinance requires 682), and that a traffic study submitted with the application determined a traffic signal is warranted at the site. Abbott said medians and driveway modifications are proposed to mitigate vehicle stacking and that notices were mailed to 70 property owners within 500 feet. "Therefore, the number of parking spaces proposed does exceed the number of parking spaces required," Abbott said.

The applicant’s representative said the project underwent multiple revisions with the city’s traffic engineering staff and that final signal timing and design must be approved by city staff before construction. The representative described Walmart’s Walmart Plus program and said discounted fuel pricing and quicker convenience purchases for members were part of the business case. "Walmart is consistently the cheapest priced gas in the area," the applicant’s representative said, and estimated state approvals for underground fuel tanks typically take roughly three to four months, though the signal installation could extend the schedule.

Commissioners questioned whether a new signal would materially improve traffic flow at the busy corridor and noted several existing fuel stations within a one‑mile radius. One commissioner said personal experience suggested backups at Roosevelt and Estrella can persist even with signals; the applicant responded that city staff would approve final timing and that the traffic study supported a signal at the location.

No members of the public spoke at the meeting; one speaker card in support from Jeff Levy was filed and he declined to speak. Vice Chair Sambito moved to recommend approval and Commissioner Hegatus seconded. A roll call vote recorded aye votes from Commissioners Roberts, Wang, Booth, Hegatus, Vice Chair Sambito and Chairman Clymer, and the recommendation of conditional approval will be forwarded to the City Council for its Nov. 17 meeting.

Staff also told commissioners that transportation and zoning ordinance presentations are planned for future meetings, including a session with the deputy director of Development Services to address traffic‑study questions.

If the City Council accepts the planning commission’s recommendation on Nov. 17, construction and state permitting for underground storage tanks would follow city approvals and applicable state reviews.