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Sierra Vista staff recommend zoning change to allow longer‑term mobile medical units
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Summary
Planning staff told council a public‑initiated code amendment would create a conditional zoning pathway for mobile medical units to operate longer than the current 90‑day temporary‑use cap, citing three prior short‑term approvals and potential benefits such as local CT/PET cardiac imaging; staff recommended a 30‑day public‑record period before ordinance consideration.
Sierra Vista planning staff asked the City Council during a work session to advance a public‑initiated text amendment that would create a discretionary zoning pathway for longer‑term mobile medical units adjacent to existing hospitals and licensed health care facilities.
Staff said the amendment responds to a gap in the city’s temporary‑use rules, which currently allow short‑term uses for up to 90 days per year. Since 2020, staff said planning has processed three mobile medical unit applications—two approved for 90 days for the current applicant and one 60‑day approval for Canyon Vista Medical Center—each serving CT/PET imaging needs. “The applicant establishes a legitimate public‑health benefit including improved access to advanced cardiac imaging and reduced out‑of‑area travel,” staff told the council and recommended moving the text amendment forward to a 30‑day public‑record period pending ordinance adoption.
Under the proposed edits, the code would add a formal definition of “mobile medical unit,” list the units as an authorized temporary use in the matrix of use permissions, and create a conditional‑use or discretionary review path for recurring or multiyear operations when the unit functions as an accessory to an established hospital, animal hospital or licensed health care institution. Staff flagged aesthetic and site‑compatibility concerns—mobile units can exceed 30 feet and are not subject to the same architectural review applied to permanent clinic structures—and said a zoning‑based discretionary review would allow appropriate design and operational conditions to be set.
Staff and the planning and zoning commission recommended the change on the grounds it aligns with the city’s Vista 2030 plan and the 2025 plan for prosperity by increasing local access to specialized medical services. The staff presentation noted the amendment is not a site‑specific approval; individual multiyear placements would still require conditional‑use findings and any required site conditions.
The council did not take final action during the work session; staff said they will present the applicant at the scheduled Thursday hearing and proceed with a 30‑day public‑record period as recommended. The resolution item was introduced by staff at the work session (staff report beginning SEG 082) and discussed in detail through SEG 172.
