Maricopa County's Planning and Zoning Commission will decide on Sept. 24 whether to rezone 5,157 acres near Tonopah for industry. The Belmont 4 plan would replace one-acre rural zoning north of Indian School Road at 355th Avenue with an industrial district that allows warehouses, data centers, energy production and battery storage. County planners recommend approval with conditions, and two letters of support were filed.

In the Mesa area, the commission will also weigh a General Plan change and a rezoning covering 182.45 acres on the west side of Alma School Road along the Loop 202 freeway. The land-use change would shift the designation from Rural Development Area to Heavy Industrial, and the matching rezoning would allow billboards up to 120 feet above grade beside the elevated freeway. One statement of opposition was filed. The commission will also review a fiber-optic utility compound on a 37-acre parcel near US 60 in the Circle City and Morristown area, which county staff recommend approving with conditions.

Six requests to relax zoning rules were on the county Board of Adjustment's Sept. 17 agenda. One was a detached RV garage in Queen Creek just six inches from a street line, which drew a neighbor's complaint that it could worsen flooding and drainage. On a 1.67-acre Surprise parcel where a FEMA flood zone covers the northern and eastern portions, the owner asked to cut the front setback from 40 feet to 16 feet for a detached garage. Another owner sought relief for an undersized lot, on land that shrank when a strip was dedicated to Gilbert. Other requests covered hillside grading left over from horse corrals in New River, extra height and smaller setbacks for a steep two-acre lot in Paradise Valley, and a Laveen lot where staff said no variance is needed at all.

The Industrial Development Authority met Sept. 15 and took up the Home in 5 Advantage Program, tied to Freddie Mac's HFA Advantage Cashflow program, and heard a presentation on the Arizona Housing Acceleration Fund. Neither agenda item came with a published staff report.

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Planning & Zoning Commission — September 24, 2026

  • MMI Wittmann ILA Sept. 24, 2026 Planning and Zoning Commission Agenda Owner: 37 Acres R & G Ranch Properties, LLC WHSC zoning district in the Circle City / Morristown / Surprise area: County planners recommend approving a special use permit for a fiber-optic utility compound on a 2.1-acre lease area of a 37-acre parcel about 0.6 miles southeast of 251st Avenue and US 60 (Grand Avenue) near Circle City. Applicant Sam Davis of Ledcor Group would build one 864-square-foot concrete equipment shelter now, leave a pad for a second, and fence the site with an 8-foot chain-link fence topped with a foot of barbed wire. View item
  • Belmont 4 Owner: Belmont Infraco LLC the Tonopah area.: Belmont Infraco LLC wants to change 5,157 acres north of Indian School Road at 355th Avenue in the Tonopah area from Rural-43 to an industrial district, IND-2 with a unit plan of development. The plan would allow warehouses, data centers, energy production and battery storage, raise the height limit from 60 to 80 feet for industry and up to 150 feet for energy, and keep a no-build buffer of at least 100 feet next to rural homes; county planners recommend approval with conditions and two letters of support were filed. View item
  • Johnson Stewart Material Owners: Johnson Stewart Materials, Johnson Stewart Co, LLC designation from Rural Development Area (RDA) to Heavy Industrial south of the Loop 202 freeway in the Mesa area: Johnson Stewart Materials wants 182.45 acres west of Alma School Road along the Loop 202 Red Mountain Freeway in the Mesa area changed from Rural Development Area to Heavy Industrial, saying the land has been used for industrial work for more than 50 years. County planners recommend approval, one statement of opposition was filed, and a matching zoning change for the same land is on the same agenda. View item
  • Johnson Stewart Material Owners: Johnson Stewart Materials, Johnson Stewart Co, LLC of the Loop 202 freeway in the Mesa area: The companion zoning case would move the same 182.45 acres from Rural-43 and an existing industrial district into IND-3 with a unit plan of development. It would allow four digital billboards up to 120 feet above grade beside the elevated freeway, spaced at least 1,000 feet apart, and would limit allowed uses to those that can use onsite septic systems until sewer service reaches the site. View item

Board of Adjustment — September 17, 2026

  • Zamora Property Variance Applicant/Owner: Daniel Zamora: Daniel Zamora asked for a smaller-than-required lot area to build on a parcel at 4002 W. Carver Road in Laveen, where net lot area is 0.944 acres but gross area is about 1.39 acres. County staff determined no variance is needed because the gross lot still tops one acre, and said Zamora can apply for building permits now. View item
  • King Property Variance: Brad King wants to put a detached garage 16 feet from the front property line of his 1.67-acre lot at 19236 W Audrey Lane in Surprise, where 40 feet is normally required, because a FEMA flood zone covers the northern and eastern portions of the parcel. The staff report says the flood zone limits the buildable area for a detached garage and pushes development toward the street. View item
  • Martinez Residence: A 39,160-square-foot vacant lot next to Gilbert is below the 43,560 square feet required in the Rural-43 district, so the owners want a variance to build a house with an attached garage and an accessory dwelling unit. The lot was created at 45,739 square feet and shrank after 40 feet along its north side was dedicated to the Town of Gilbert, and county staff could not find records of that dedication. View item
  • Kubacki Property: John Kubacki wants a detached RV garage six inches from the Happy Road street line at 26417 S. 189th Way in Queen Creek, where 10 feet is required. A neighbor filed a letter of opposition saying the tight space beside an existing brick wall could make flooding and drainage worse along Happy Road. View item
  • Everett Residence Variance Applicant/Owner Shannon Everett / Shannon Everett Living Trust: Shannon Everett wants to keep 11,128 square feet of hillside grading outside the building envelope on a 54,450-square-foot lot at 46013 N. 38th Lane in New River, where such grading is normally prohibited. The disturbance came from horse corrals and a stable built around 2018, and a 4,024-square-foot house is planned. View item
  • Andrews Property Variance: Amy Andrews wants more encroachment into the required setbacks and extra building height for a home on a steep, roughly two-acre hillside lot at 7310 N Highcliff Drive in Paradise Valley. County staff also sent a corrected case map after the wrong one was attached to the published staff report. View item

Industrial Development Authority — September 15, 2026

  • Discussion and action as determined regarding the Home in 5 Advantage Program – HFA Advantage Cashflow: The county Industrial Development Authority was set to discuss and act on the Home in 5 Advantage Program, which is tied to Freddie Mac's HFA Advantage Cashflow program. No staff report or program terms were published with the agenda. View item
  • Presentation by the Arizona Finance Authority regarding the development of the Arizona: Staff from the Arizona Finance Authority were scheduled to present on the development of the Arizona Housing Acceleration Fund. The agenda lists a presentation only, with no staff report or county action attached. View item