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Town staff outlines phased overhaul of zoning ordinance; commissioners to review chapters
Summary
Development Services Director John Wesley presented a plan to reorganize Fountain Hills' zoning ordinance—moving to use tables and categories and reviewing chapters with the commission beginning in February—aiming to improve clarity rather than make immediate substantive changes.
Fountain Hills — Town planning staff told the commission on Jan. 12 that a comprehensive reorganization of the zoning ordinance is planned, with chapter-by-chapter review beginning in February.
Development Services Director John Wesley said the existing zoning ordinance dates to 1993 and has been edited piecemeal since. He described a proposal to reorganize chapters, group uses into categories and present use-allowance tables with footnotes to clarify where uses are permitted and what standards apply. Wesley said this approach is intended to make the ordinance more user-friendly for staff, property owners and applicants.
Wesley told commissioners he did not intend to propose substantive changes initially: "So, we're not really, at this point, proposing any substantive changes to the provisions. It's mostly get these things in place," he said. He added that some provisions may be identified for revision as chapters are reviewed but the early focus is on structure and clarity.
Wesley said chapters will be returned to the commission in small batches for review, with the goal of packaging them together for a formal hearing process after initial feedback. He anticipated delivering a chapter for review in February and said staff will seek commissioner input on organization before any formal hearings.
Next steps: Commissioners agreed to avoid getting bogged down in line-item detail at the initial organizational review and to expect a phased presentation of draft chapters starting in February.
Sources: Fountain Hills Planning and Zoning Commission meeting, Jan. 12, 2026; remarks by Director John Wesley.
