Goodyear commission recommends PAD changes that reduce medical parking but keep drive‑through limit
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Summary
The Planning and Zoning Commission voted to forward a recommendation to City Council approving a revised Celebration Plaza Planned Area Development that reduces medical‑office parking but retains the existing limit of one stand‑alone drive‑through. The applicant had sought up to three drive‑throughs and a parking reduction.
The Goodyear Planning and Zoning Commission on Dec. 3 voted to forward a recommendation to City Council to approve amendments to the Celebration Plaza Planned Area Development that reduce the medical‑office parking ratio but preserve the pad’s current limit of one stand‑alone drive‑through.
Senior planner Justin Gabrielson told the commission the Celebration Plaza PAD covers 66.6 acres at West Celebrate Life Way and North Litchfield Road and presented three options: staff’s recommendation (approve the ordinance as drafted, which includes stipulation 21 and reduces medical‑office parking while keeping the drive‑through limit at one); an alternative that would remove stipulation 21 (reducing parking and allowing up to three drive‑throughs, including one end cap); and denial to retain current zoning. Gabrielson said the item had previously been considered by the commission and withdrawn at City Council to allow refinements.
The applicant, Mark Reddy of RBI, told commissioners commercial tenants and the nearby City of Hope hospital want more food‑service options within walking distance of the hospital and that developers told him the current restriction on drive‑throughs makes attracting those operators difficult. “What we’re asking for is to modify the condition of 1 drive‑through to 2 stand‑alones and 1 end cap,” Reddy said, adding that the project would keep pedestrian connections to the hospital intact.
Reddy also asked the commission to reduce the medical‑office parking requirement from one space per 150 square feet to one per 200. He cited industry guidance — including the Institute of Transportation Engineers and the Urban Land Institute — and peer cities that use lower ratios.
Several commissioners and audience members questioned whether changing parking requirements inside a PAD would set a precedent that could effectively alter the city’s broader zoning standards. Staff responded that the requested parking change would be limited to the Celebration Plaza PAD and would not automatically change the city’s zoning ordinance.
During public comment, Goodyear resident Jeff Levy urged the commission to approve greater flexibility for drive‑throughs to reflect market demand. After discussion, Vice Chair Maria Sambito moved and Commissioner Wang seconded the staff’s Option 1 motion. The commission approved the staff recommendation by voice vote; the recommendation will go to City Council on Jan. 26 for final action.
What changed and what’s next: The commission’s recommendation would reduce the medical‑office parking ratio as drafted in the ordinance while keeping the current PAD restriction of one stand‑alone drive‑through. The applicant had requested permission for up to three drive‑throughs (two stand‑alones and one end cap) in addition to the parking reduction. City Council will take the final vote at its upcoming meeting.
Sources: Commission presentations by Justin Gabrielson and applicant Mark Reddy; public comment from Jeff Levy; commission vote to forward a recommendation to City Council.
