Maricopa County supervisors review sweeping zoning ordinance overhaul, set vote for Dec. 10

Tom Ellsworth, director of the Maricopa County Planning and Development Department, told the Board of Supervisors on Monday that a proposed text amendment (TA 25001) represents the most significant modernization of the county zoning ordinance in decades and aims to make the code clearer and easier to use. “This update began as a 2025 initiative from the chairman,” Ellsworth said, adding the rewrite replaces dense paragraphs with tables and charts and streamlines permitting to support housing availability and attainability.

The draft, which staff said was developed with a 16‑member task force and broad public outreach, reflects dozens of specific changes. Ellsworth said the county received input from more than 300 questionnaire participants and over 150 public comments on the draft posted for review, and that the task force identified 85 action items of which 39 are ready to incorporate in the current version.

Among the substantive changes: battery energy storage systems (BESS) are now defined as a discrete land use. The draft initially proposed a 500‑foot separation between large battery installations and residential uses and a 100‑foot property‑line setback. After consultation with fire authorities and the Planning and Zoning Commission, staff said the update removes the 500‑foot separation and retains a 100‑foot setback, which Ellsworth said is “consistent with national fire standards, specifically NFPA 855.” He and staff emphasized that rezoning remains available to impose additional, site‑specific compatibility…