Chandler planning commission unanimously recommends 2026 general plan update

The Chandler Planning and Zoning Commission on Jan. 21 voted unanimously to recommend approval of the Chandler 2026 general plan update, sending the draft to the City Council for a Feb. 5 hearing and possible placement on the August primary ballot.

Lauren, planning staff, told commissioners the update is a decennial, citywide policy document that lays out broad goals for land use, transportation, housing, open space and public services. "A general plan is a comprehensive set of broad policies that help guide development," she said, summarizing the draft and the public-outreach process.

Staff said the draft retains four future-land-use categories—neighborhoods, regional commercial, employment and recreational open space—but makes targeted changes: one downtown parcel designated for employment was changed to residential to align with the downtown regional area plan; two growth areas from the 2016 plan were removed because recent area plans provide more detailed guidance; and some single-family areas along the Price corridor were corrected. The draft also raises the minimum urban residential density in the neighborhood category from 18 to 26 dwelling units, and allows urban residential uses in some regional commercial areas where infrastructure and compatibility are demonstrated.

The presentation highlighted outreach and technical work: staff and consultants conducted 54 one-on-one stakeholder interviews, hosted multiple "Chandler talks" and a mobile immersion lab that showed a 2-D, 180-degree model; staff said about 200 people attended the immersion event. The formal 60-day public-review period (Oct. 1–Dec. 1) generated 88 public comments from 19 people and led to roughly 50 revisions to the draft, including about 33 staff edits and six consultant-driven image updates, plus language tweaks addressing bicycle infrastructure and food-waste policy.

The draft adds an implementation action plan requiring departments to identify 10-year goals and track progress, a change staff described as a way to meet state expectations for follow-up. Staff also noted that state statute requires municipalities over 50,000 people to consider 17 elements in a general plan and that the city may be required to revisit this policy framework every 10 years.

Chair Dunn, who led the Resident Advisory Committee, praised public participation and the RAC's work, saying the committee of 21 residents "asked difficult questions" and ultimately recommended approval. "The bottom line, how we felt about the general plan was it works," he said.

Commissioners discussed amendment processes, transportation capacity and affordable housing measures. Staff said rezoning must be consistent with the general plan and that applications that would change plan designations typically follow an annual filing window in November and may be triggered at thresholds such as a five-acre change. On transportation, staff said most arterial streets are built to full capacity and a transportation master plan (reviewed every five to 10 years) would identify locations where widening or major projects are necessary. On housing, staff noted new middle-housing rules near downtown and that the city is preparing preapproved plans (single-family, duplex, triplex, fourplex and ADU) to make adding units easier and expedite production.

A motion to recommend approval of draft PLH 2510 Chandler General Plan Update was made and seconded; the commission carried the motion unanimously. The recommendation will appear on the City Council agenda on Feb. 5; if council approves, staff plans to place the draft on the August primary ballot for voter consideration.

The commission ended the meeting with standard announcements and adjourned.