Attachment A - Memo to Council 5.14.20 COVID-19 Development Extending Deadlines.pdf

To: 
Attachment A 
City of Phoenix 
PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT 
Mario Paniagua 
Deputy City Manager 
Date: 
May 14, 2020 
From: 
Alan Stephenson 
Planning and Development Director 
Subject: 
ITEM 34 ON THE MAY 20, 2020 FORMAL AGENDA -EMERGENCY 
DECLARATION- TEMPORARILY EXTENDING DEVELOPMENT DEADLINES­
RESPONSE TO COVID-19 
Item 34, Emergency Declaration-Temporarily Extending Development Deadlines­
Response to COVID-19, is a request to allow the extension of development deadlines due 
to the impacts of COVID-19 on the current state of the national, state and local economy. 
The COVID-19 has resulted in state of emergency declarations by President Trump, 
Governor Ducey and declaration of a Local Emergency by the City Council. 
Development within the City of Phoenix is critical for the economy and health of the city, 
businesses and the community. Action needs to be taken to support the vitality of 
development through the unprecedented challenges triggered by COVID-19. 
Responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Planning and Development Department 
will temporarily allow expanded timeframes from those identified in the City of Phoenix 
City Code, Zoning Ordinance and the adopted 2018 Phoenix Building Construction 
Code. Development projects will have additional time to complete plan reviews, 
purchase permits and complete construction. Projects will also be provided allowances 
for Zoning Adjustment related to the securing of building permits. 
•
Preliminary plats are authorizations for subdivisions (creating individual lots,
tracks, easements and right-of-way) to proceed with preparation of a final plat
and engineering plans and specifications for public improvements. The city will
allow a preliminary plat to have up to three years (36 months) to obtain City
Council approval and be recorded with Maricopa County. Currently preliminary
plats have only two years (24 months).
•
Development projects that obtain preliminary approval between January 1, 2020
and December 31, 2020 will have 3 years (36 months) from approval before they
will expire. Currently the code only allows 2 years (24 months from approval). If a
project is phased, preliminary approval will be valid for up to four years (48
months) from the date of preliminary approval.
•
All active construction plan reviews (building, civil, site, and landscape) from
January 1, 2020 until December 31, 2020 will have up to two years (24 months)