Planning & Zoning Commission on 2025-12-08 6:00 PM

Maricopa City Hall City of Maricopa 39700 W. Civic Center Plaza Maricopa, AZ 85138 Meeting Minutes - Final Ph: (520) 568-9098 Fx: (520) 568-9120 Planning & Zoning Commission www.maricopa-az.gov Chair James Singleton Commissioner Robert Klob Commissioner Robert Brems Commissioner William Robertson Commissioner Maurice Thomas Jr. Commissioner Chad Whittle Commissioner Ted Yocum Monday, December 8, 2025 6:00 PM Council Chambers 1. Call To Order Chair Singleton called the meeting to order at 6:00 PM. The invocation was given by Commissioner Yocum, and the Pledge of Allegiance was led by Commissioner Klob. 2. Roll Call Present 6 - Commissioner Robert Klob, Commissioner Maurice Thomas Jr., Commissioner Ted Yocum, Commissioner William Robertson , Chair James Singleton, and Commissioner Chad Whittle 3. Call to the Public No members of the public approached the podium during the call to the public. No speaker cards were provided by the public. 4. Minutes 4.1 MIN 25-73 The Commission shall approve Minutes from the October 27, 2025 meeting. The Commission reviewed the minutes from the October 27, 2025 meeting. No questions or comments were raised. Motion to approve the minutes was made by Commissioner Robertson and seconded by Commissioner Brems. The motion passed unanimously. 5. Public Hearings No members of the public approached the podium for public hearings. 6. Consent Agenda No items were included on the consent agenda. 7. Regular Agenda City of Maricopa Page 1 Planning & Zoning Commission Meeting Minutes - Final December 8, 2025 7.1 ZON25-05 PUBLIC HEARING: A request by Westwood Professional Services, applicant, on behalf of Porter 20, LLC, owner, to rezone ±3.6 acres from General Business (CB-2) zone to the General Commercial (GC) zoning district. The subject site is generally located 0.13 miles (712 feet) east of the southeast corner of N. Porter Road and W. Honeycutt Road. DISCUSSION AND ACTION. LaRee Mason, Associate Planner, presented the request to rezone approximately 3.6 acres from the legacy county zoning district General Business (CB-2) to the municipal zoning district General Commercial (GC). The purpose of the rezoning was to permit the use of a car wash on the property located east of the southeast corner of West Honeycutt Road and North Porter Road. Mrs. Mason noted that the request met the general plan objective B1.4.6 to move all county legacy zoning districts into current municipal zoning districts. Although this was a rezone request only, she shared a preliminary site plan showing a proposed car wash that would occupy approximately 1.25 acres of the 3.6-acre parcel, which would require a lot split before any permits are issued. Mrs. Mason in her staff analysis found that the request conforms with the general plan by promoting commercial development along arterials near neighborhood nodes, encouraging the location of neighborhood commercial uses adjacent to residential communities, and transitioning zoning designations to city municipal zoning codes. Mrs. Mason reported that the public outreach included mailed notifications, publishing on the city website, and placement of signs with QR codes allowing the public to access information. A neighborhood meeting was held where two members of the public attended with general questions about the development and expressed concerns about whether proposals are analyzed on a case-by-case basis or rubber-stamped. Staff recommended approval because the request met the intent of the general plan as well as the appropriate use and location. Chair Singleton opened the public hearing. No one came forward to speak, and the public hearing was closed. Commissioner Yocum commented that while they were only deciding on zoning that evening, there were issues that would need to be addressed at the next level, including sound and noise buffers, hours of operation (reportedly planned to be 7 AM to 8 PM), lighting, landscaping, and ingress/egress. Commissioner Robertson asked about the fire lane shown on the plan and learned that it was an existing access easement created in 2017 from Circle K to this site. Commissioner Klob expressed concern that the site plan would not be returning to the Commission for review, as the proposed building was under 5,000 square feet. He was particularly concerned about the traffic flow pattern shown in the preliminary plan, noting it would be difficult to navigate with a full-size truck. Commissioner Whittle agreed with the concerns about traffic flow and navigation difficulties. Chair Singleton noted that the lack of a second point of ingress and egress was concerning, and that the preliminary trash enclosure placement on the south side bordered up against a church with no current road access. He also requested that the preliminary site plan be added to Legistar since it was presented to the Commission. City of Maricopa Page 2 Planning & Zoning Commission Meeting Minutes - Final December 8, 2025 Commissioner Robertson clarified that the project could not be built under existing zoning, so the rezone was necessary for it to proceed, and urged staff to incorporate commissioners' feedback about traffic flow when working with the developer. A motion was made that this Rezoning be Approved. The motion carried by the following vote: Aye, 6- Brems,Commissioner Thomas,Commissioner Yocum,Commissioner Robertson,Chair Singleton, and Commissioner Whittle Nay, 1- Commissioner Klob 7.2 DRP25-28 PLANNING COMMISSION UPDATE: Major Development Review Permit case # DRP25-28, a request by Tim Rasnake of Archicon Architecture & Interiors, L.C., on behalf of property owner Maricopa 30, LLC, for review of Site, Landscape, Elevation, and Photometric Plans for a proposed convenience store and gas station on approx. 1.6-acres of land within Pinal County Parcel Nos. 510-71-001F and 510-71-001D, within the City of Maricopa, generally located at the southwest corner of W. Honeycutt Rd. and N. White and Parker Rd. DISCUSSION ONLY Derek Scheerer, Senior Planner, presented an informational item regarding a major development review permit for a 7-Eleven convenience store with a fuel canopy and fuel service station. The project would be located at the southwest corner of West Honeycutt Road and North White and Parker Road, on approximately 1.6 acres. The proposal included a 5,400-square-foot convenience store with a 3,200 square foot fuel canopy covering 6 dual-sided pumps (12 pumps total). The plan provided parking for 46 vehicles, including spaces at the fuel pumps. Landscaping would cover approximately 15,000 square feet, constituting 21% of the area, with 33 trees. Mr. Scheerer outlined the site access points: one full access from West Honeycutt Road, a second right-in/right-out entrance on Honeycutt, a three-quarter access on North White and Parker Road (allowing right-in, right-out, left-in, but no left-out), and another access point further south. Commissioner Robertson expressed serious concerns about the intersection, noting it was one of the poorest designed in the city, with school buses and trucks hitting the guardrail due to tight turning constraints. He pointed out discrepancies in the package regarding the existing conditions and questioned whether the technical advisory committee had adequately addressed these concerns. Mr. Scheerer confirmed that discussions between the applicant's team and city engineers were ongoing regarding deficiencies and necessary improvements. He explained that the road development happens piece by piece as property owners are responsible for half-street improvements in front of their property, which sometimes creates bottlenecks or unwanted situations temporarily. Commissioner Klob suggested that three-dimensional renderings would better showcase the building design than the flat elevations provided. He also recommended that the city or applicants coordinate to show where road medians would be placed to help visualize traffic flow restrictions and address public concerns about illegal left turns. Chair Singleton asked about light pollution from the canopies affecting nearby residences and requested information about stormwater runoff containment and oil/gas City of Maricopa Page 3 Planning & Zoning Commission Meeting Minutes - Final December 8, 2025 spill mitigation. Mr. Scheerer explained that regulations exist to keep on-site runoff from mixing with off-site runoff, including subsurface drainage basins with systems similar to grease traps to prevent contaminants from reaching the soil. The presentation was heard. 7.3 PZ 25-03 Miscellaneous Item PZ25-03 - City of Maricopa "Non-residential Design Guidelines: Rick Williams, Planning and Zoning Division Manager, will present the latest draft of the Non-residential Design Guidelines to the Planning and Zoning Commission. Discussion Only. Rick Williams, Planning and Zoning Division Manager, presented the first draft of the non-residential design guidelines. He explained that while the city had established single-family and multi-family design guidelines, they lacked guidelines for commercial development, which was becoming increasingly important as the city grows. Mr. Williams explained that the document was developed by examining guidelines from every city in the Phoenix valley and organizing them into categories covering site design (layout, access, parking, landscaping, lighting, walls, and fences) and architectural form (building mass, walls, roofs, storefront proportions, colors, and materials). It also included sections on industrial buildings and specific developments like gas stations, car washes, drive-through facilities, office complexes, and large commercial buildings. Mr. Williams requested commissioner feedback and outlined the next steps, which included soliciting input from 6-10 developers currently doing business in Maricopa, posting the draft on the city website around February 2nd, bringing it back to the Planning Commission around March 9th, holding a City Council study session in mid-March, and potentially having Council adoption on April 21st. Commissioners provided initial feedback as follows: Commissioner Whittle asked how Maricopa's proposed guidelines compared to other cities, and Mr. Williams emphasized that they didn't create any new standards but incorporated best practices from other municipalities. Commissioner Yocum inquired about guidelines for multi-level parking structures, which Mr. Williams confirmed were included. Commissioner Klob emphasized that the guidelines were long overdue and shared his experience with how design requirements in other cities had positive impacts on property values and neighborhood quality. He requested a digital copy to provide detailed feedback. Commissioner Robertson asked how approvals were currently handled without guidelines, and Mr. Williams acknowledged that it was largely through negotiation with limited leverage. He confirmed that the guidelines would go into effect 30 days after Council approval, and while previously approved projects would generally be grandfathered, expired site plans (after 24 months) might be subject to the new requirements. Chair Singleton requested that the public be able to view and provide input on the guidelines, which Mr. Williams confirmed would happen around February 2nd. Mr. Williams concluded by stating that educational presentations for the Commission would continue in 2026, with the goal of having at least one per quarter, and that they City of Maricopa Page 4 Planning & Zoning Commission Meeting Minutes - Final December 8, 2025 would also be updating the existing residential and multifamily guidelines. The presentation was heard. 8. Reports from Commission and/or Staff Mr. Williams thanked the commissioners for their efforts throughout the year and wished them a Merry Christmas. He mentioned that the January meeting would include the election of chair and vice chair positions, as well as a roles and responsibilities seminar provided by legal counsel. He outlined plans to update and eventually combine all the design guidelines into a comprehensive document. 9. Executive Session No executive session was conducted. 10. Adjournment The meeting was adjourned at 7:26 PM. Motion to adjourn was made by Commission Brems, seconded by Commissioner Thomas. The motion passed unanimously. Certification of Minutes I hereby certify that the foregoing minutes are a true and correct copy of the minutes of the regular meeting of the Planning and Zoning Commission of Maricopa, Arizona, held on the 8th day of December, 2025. I further certify that the meeting was duly called and held and that a quorum was present. Dated this 26th day of January, 2026. __________________________ James Kamstra Assistant Planner City of Maricopa Page 5