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Pinal County staff present draft hillside development standards to limit slope disturbance and require geotechnical review
Summary
County Development Services presented a draft hillside ordinance that would trigger review for lots with slopes over 15%, limit disturbance to 35% of a lot (or 20,000 sq ft), impose a 30‑foot plane height limit above natural slope, require geotechnical reports and detailed submittals, and open a roughly 30‑day public comment period.
Dedrick Denton, interim community development director, presented proposed hillside development standards intended to provide flexible but protective rules for building on slopes greater than 15 percent. The draft ordinance would:
- Trigger hillside review for any disturbance on lots with portions above the 15% slope line. - Limit total disturbance to the lesser of 35% of the gross lot area or 20,000 square feet. - Require grading, drainage and slope‑stabilization plans, and limit fill pads over 10 feet to designs sealed by a geotechnical engineer. - Limit the vertical exposure of buildings measured above the average natural slope to a 30‑foot plane, and limit retaining walls to 8 feet with surface treatments to blend with surroundings. - Require submittals: topographic surveys with 2‑foot contour intervals, sealed engineering plans, cross sections, and a grading and drainage plan showing final treatment methods. - Include a grandfather clause allowing permitted projects pulled prior to the ordinance to continue under prior approvals, and a mechanism to challenge determination of whether a lot meets the 15% threshold (requiring a licensed civil engineer report).
Denton said staff will circulate the draft to an identified stakeholder group (about 15 contractors/experts) and post it online for public comment for an estimated 30 days before proceeding with planning‑and‑zoning work sessions and hearings. Supervisors discussed prioritization of other ordinance items (for example, wedding‑venue rules) but indicated the hillside item addresses frequent complaints about hilltop development.
