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Buckeye council annexes narrow Tuthill Road strips despite sustained resident opposition
Summary
The council unanimously approved Ordinance 31-25 to annex roughly 1.86 acres of right-of-way for future construction of Tuthill Road to Yuma Road. Longtime residents urged limiting access and stronger protections for rural character; staff said annexation gives the city more control over design and mitigation.
The Buckeye City Council on Dec. 16 unanimously approved Ordinance 31-25 to annex approximately 1.86 acres — two narrow strips of land along Tuthill Road at Yuma Road — bringing the right-of-way into city jurisdiction for future street construction.
City planner Ken Galica told the council the annexation would allow the city, rather than Maricopa County, to permit and maintain the roadway and that the parcels are privately owned by Mountain View South LLC. He said the annexation complies with state law and the city’s transportation master plan and noted the strips had likely been omitted previously “probably as an oversight.”
The public hearing drew a series of emotional statements from longstanding residents who said connecting Tuthill to Yuma would convert a quiet rural lane into a higher-speed cut-through. Nicholas Kozad, who identified himself as a long-term resident, said the area has been “encroached on for a long time” and warned that connecting Yuma would “just funnel…traffic” onto private driveways used for horses and farm access.
Several speakers urged gating or limiting Tuthill to emergency access. Christine Dumbert, who said she is directly impacted, called the change “not a minor action” and urged that “Tuthill Road south of Yuma Road should be limited to gated fire and emergency access only.” Deborah Dunford, who said she has opposed expansion since 2017, cited differing technical characterizations of the road (collector vs. arterial) and warned that an arterial could carry thousands of vehicle trips per day.
Council members pressed staff on precise property lines, access points and whether the annexation should have been considered by the planning and zoning commission. Galica replied that annexation of right-of-way is a jurisdictional council matter and that the developer would build the street to city standards, with the city then accepting the right-of-way and maintaining it in the future. He said staff will work with residents to minimize impacts, including shielded street lighting, setbacks and landscaping.
Council members repeatedly framed annexation as a choice between city control and leaving the county to make decisions that could be harder to influence. Council member Berry said annexation “lets us help it grow the right way,” and Vice Mayor Goodman said city jurisdiction would allow Buckeye to “protect those residents that are on the west side.”
After discussion the council voted to approve the annexation. The motion carried unanimously with six yes votes and one member absent.
What happens next: the final plat and road design will be reviewed as part of the subdivision and improvement process. Council members and staff said they will pursue design steps and mitigation measures with the developer to limit light spill, preserve buffers and otherwise reduce direct impacts on adjacent rural properties.
