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Surprise planners review ‘Desert Rural’ zoning to preserve long-established rural neighborhoods
Summary
City staff outlined a zoning text amendment to create a new Desert Rural residential district that would mirror existing rural standards (1-acre minimum lots, one unit per acre) while restricting standalone commercial development and adding classified home-occupation rules, buffers of 50–150 feet, and trip limits to preserve neighborhood character.
City staff presented a zoning text amendment on April 23 proposing a new Desert Rural residential zoning district intended to preserve Surprise’s long-established rural neighborhoods and limit encroaching commercial development. The commission received details on permissible uses, development standards, land-use buffers and a proposed home-occupation classification aimed at balancing residents’ rural lifestyle with limited accessory economic activity.
The presentation, led by a staff member and Trevor, the city’s citizens director, said the proposal implements the Surprise 2040 General Plan’s rural residential overlay and reflects roughly two years of outreach, including 12 community meetings. “We received significant feedback from the rural residential communities centered around preserving the character of their communities,” Trevor said, summarizing the public input that informed the draft amendment.
Staff proposed adding Desert Rural to the Land Development Ordinance with development standards that largely mirror existing rural residential (RR) rules: minimum 1-acre lots, a maximum of one dwelling unit per acre and a maximum of two stories. The proposal would prohibit standalone commercial uses inside the Desert Rural district while allowing certain commercial activities as accessory home occupations tied to a residence. Staff said community-desired home-occupation allowances under a Class 3 designation would include animal clinics and veterinary offices, cottage food operations and ranch/residential farm activities; some uses would require a Conditional Use Permit renewed on a periodic basis (staff noted CUP approval renewal every 24 months for some home-occupation uses).
Addressing parking and traffic concerns, staff said the city has seen numerous code complaints related to home-occupation traffic and proposed limiting nonresident employees and requiring on-site parking where lots can accommodate it. A transportation estimate cited by staff put an average single-family home at about 16 trips (one-way counts), and staff proposed capping appointment-based customer interactions for certain home-occupation activities at eight appointments per day to prevent exceeding that threshold.
Commissioners pressed staff on enforcement and implementation. One commissioner asked how the city would enforce trip limits; staff said enforcement would be tied to the business-license process and complaint-driven code enforcement, with applicants required to describe operations and sign a form acknowledging requirements. Commissioners also asked how annexed properties would be treated; staff said annexation assigns a like-for-like zoning at the time of annexation but property owners could pursue a rezone request, which staff would evaluate against the general plan.
Several commissioners raised concerns about a wholesale ban on standalone commercial uses. Commissioner Holland suggested that some standalone uses — for example, a properly sized veterinary clinic or an established farm stand — could be consistent with rural character if their size and signage were limited. "Perhaps limiting the size ... is probably the better bet than simply saying this use is permitted," Commissioner Holland said, urging staff to consider size limits and signage standards rather than an absolute prohibition.
Staff said signage and related standards will be addressed in the full text amendment that will be presented at public hearings; Part 2 of the staff presentation (design standards, animals, transportation and streets) is scheduled for the May 7 work session, and the city council will discuss related items on May 5. Staff emphasized the proposal remains in a discussion stage with no public hearing dates set yet.
In public comment, Alex Crist (who gave an address in Waddell) thanked staff and voiced support for protections that preserve rural living and local farm stands. Separately, Matthew Ragsdale of KeyCapture Energy introduced his company and offered to provide expertise on battery energy storage system workshops (the BESS ordinance item will be brought forward in a future meeting).
No vote was taken on the Desert Rural text amendment during the April 23 meeting; the commission provided feedback and asked staff for additional work on signage, size limits and other clarifications ahead of formal hearings.
