PLZU-25-0005 Westpark Minor GPA -CC Staff Report 7-7-26.docx

Case PLZU-25-00005 – Westpark Minor General Plan Amendment 
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MINOR GENERAL PLAN AMENDMENT 
Report to the Mayor and City Council 
 
 
CASE NUMBER: 
PLZU-25-0005 
TITLE: 
Westpark Minor General Plan Amendment 
MEETING DATE: 
July 7, 2027 
 
Applicant: 
Rob Gubser, Colliers Engineering & Design  
Owner(s): 
GDC OZ LLC and KEMF Westwind SH LLC  
Request: 
Minor General Plan Amendment changing the land use designation 
of approximately 125.4 acres, consisting of 76.0 acres located 
north of the northeast corner of Lower Buckeye Road and Wilson 
Avenue and 49.4 acres located south of the southwest corner of 
Lower Buckeye Road and 269th Avenue, from Business Commerce 
to Master Planned Community (MPC) 
District: 
1  
Location: 
Two non-adjacent parcels located north of the northeast corner of 
Lower Buckeye Road and Wilson Avenue and south of the 
southwest corner of Lower Buckeye Road and 269th Avenue 
(Exhibits A, B, and C). 
Site size: 
Approximately 125.4 acres, consisting of a 76.0-acre parcel and a 
49.4-acre parcel. 
 
Public input: 
An advertised neighborhood meeting was held on June 11, 2026; 
not including the applicant team, one nearby property owner 
attended the meeting and indicated support for the various 
Westpark-related requests on this agenda. All required notices of 
this public hearing have been completed. 
 
Recommendation: 
Conduct a public hearing and adopt a Resolution approving the 
proposed Minor General Plan Amendment

Case PLZU-25-00005 – Westpark Minor General Plan Amendment 
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PROJECT DESCRIPTION 
 
1. 
The Imagine Buckeye 2040 General Plan serves as the City’s long-range policy document 
guiding future land use, infrastructure, public services, and economic development. 
2. 
Rob Gubser, Colliers Engineering & Design, on behalf of GDC OZ LLC and KEMF Westwind 
SH LLC, is requesting approval of a Minor General Plan Amendment (Exhibit D) changing 
the land use designation of approximately 125.4 acres from Business Commerce to 
Master Planned Community (MPC). 
3. 
The request consists of two non-adjacent parcels totaling approximately 125.4 acres, 
including: 
 
A 76.0-acre parcel located north of the northeast corner of Lower Buckeye Road 
and Wilson Avenue; and 
 
A 49.4-acre parcel located south of the southwest corner of Lower Buckeye Road 
and 269th Avenue. This parcel is presently located in Maricopa County with final 
consideration of its annexation to be considered immediately preceding this GPA 
request.  
4. 
The purpose of the request is to allow both properties to be incorporated into the 
expanded Westpark Community Master Plan (CMP), which is being considered 
concurrently through a related Community Master Plan Amendment requests on this 
agenda. The proposed MPC designation does not establish specific supported land uses 
for the properties, but instead allows future land uses and development standards to be 
governed through the CMP framework. The applicant anticipates the 76-acre Wilson 
Avenue parcel will accommodate commercial and business park uses, while the 49.4-acre 
269th Avenue parcel is intended for employment-generating industrial development 
consistent with the broader vision for the Westpark area. 
AREA CONTEXT: 
 
LAND USE 
GENERAL PLAN 
ZONING 
Amendment 
Area 
Unimproved desert 
and active and inactive 
agricultural land  
Primarily Master 
Planned Community 
(MPC), with 
approximately 125.4 
acres currently 
designated Business 
Commerce that are 
subject to the Minor 
GPA request 
Primarily Planned Community 
(PC) with segments of Light 
Industrial (I-1), Planned 
Residential (PR) and Maricopa 
County Rural 43 (RU-43) 
zoning; much of the area is 
also governed by the Westpark 
Community Master Plan (CMP)

Case PLZU-25-00005 – Westpark Minor General Plan Amendment 
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Note: Due to the non-adjacent nature of the GPA parcels and the concurrent review of amendments affecting the 
broader Westpark planning area, the preceding table reflects conditions surrounding the Westpark CMP 
Amendment Area. 
 
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION SUMMARY: 
 
5. 
A neighborhood meeting, providing an opportunity for interested parties to learn more 
about the request, was held on June 11, 2026 at 6:00 P.M. at the Watson Road Holiday 
Inn Express. As required by Buckeye Development Code, written notices to property 
owners within 500 feet of the subject site were mailed fifteen (15) days prior to the date 
of the meeting. The Westpark Homeowners Association, which owns common area tracts 
within the notification boundary, was included in the mailed notice area.  Other than the 
project applicant, one adjacent property owner attended the meeting and indicated no 
concerns with the various Westpark-related requests.  
6. 
The Planning and Zoning Commission was scheduled to conduct a public hearing and 
make a recommendation on this request at its June 23, 2026 meeting. Because that 
meeting occurred after the deadline for submittal of this staff report, staff will summarize 
the Commission's discussion, recommendation, and any public comment received during 
the public hearing as part of the July 7, 2026 City Council presentation. 
North  
Unimproved desert 
and scattered low 
density residential and 
cottage industrial in 
Maricopa County 
Primarily Business 
Commerce east of 
Wilson Avenue and 
Airport Activity Center 
west of Wilson Avenue 
Multiple districts including 
General Commerce (GC), 
Commercial Cetner (CC), Rural 
Residential (RR) and Maricopa 
County Rural 43 (RU-43) 
East 
Primarily detached 
single-family 
residences developed 
within portions of 
Westpark unaffected 
by the proposed CMPA 
Primarily Master Planned 
Community 
Primarily Planned Community 
(PC) with Westpark CMP 
overlay 
South 
Active and inactive 
agricultural land 
Employment east of 
Turner Road and 
Neighborhood and 
Master Planned 
Community (MPC) west 
of Turner Road 
Multiple districts including 
General Commerce (GC), Light 
Industrial (I-1), Planned 
Residential (PR), Planned 
Community (PC), and Maricopa 
County Rural 43 (RU-43) 
West  
Buckeye Municipal 
Airport, unimproved 
desert, and active and 
inactive agricultural 
land 
Primarily Airport Activity 
Center with Employment 
south of Broadway Road 
Primarily General Commerce 
(GC) and Maricopa County 
Rural 43 (RU-43)

Case PLZU-25-00005 – Westpark Minor General Plan Amendment 
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7. 
All required notifications of this public hearing were completed at least fifteen (15) days 
in advance of the meeting date, as follows:  
Notification Element 
Date 
Published in the Arizona Business Gazette 
Republic Edition 
June 6, 2026 
Site Posted 
June 5, 2026 
Mailing Notice to Property Owners Within 500 
Feet of Site 
June 3, 2026 
 
 
BACKGROUND: 
 
8. 
The area now known as Westpark was annexed, rezoned to Planned Community (PC), and 
overlaid with the Westpark Community Master Plan (CMP) in 2000 through adoption of 
Ordinances 68-00, 69-00, and 70-00. The Westpark CMP established a master planned 
community 
consisting 
of 
various 
single-family 
and 
multi-family 
residential 
neighborhoods, schools, parks, and supporting commercial and office uses, with 
development planned on both the east and west sides of State Route 85. 
9. 
The Westwind and Silver Rock CMPs were approved in 2005 through adoption of 
Ordinances 75-05 and 13-05, respectively. Both CMPs were predominantly planned for 
single-family residential development, with supporting parks, schools, and neighborhood 
commercial uses. The Westwind CMP provided for up to 3,000 dwelling units, while the 
Silver Rock CMP provided for up to 5,397 dwelling units. 
10. 
In 2005, approximately 76 acres located north of the northeast corner of Lower Buckeye 
Road and Wilson Avenue were rezoned from Rural Residential (RR) to Planned Residential 
(PR) through adoption of Ordinance 10-05. 
11. 
In June 2022, the City Council unanimously approved a Major General Plan Amendment 
redesignating more than 2,600 acres within the State Route 85 corridor to Employment. 
This amendment established a new vision for the corridor as Buckeye’s primary light 
industrial employment center, similar in character to the Loop 303 corridor in Goodyear 
and the Price Road corridor in Chandler. While the amendment did not directly affect the 
Westpark, Westwind, or Silver Rock CMPs, it increased the viability of non-residential 
development within these areas west of SR-85. 
12. 
In December 2022, the City Council adopted Ordinance 35-22 approving a Major 
Amendment to the Westpark CMP. The amendment incorporated approximately 79 acres 
west of SR-85 into the CMP boundary, established permitted uses and development

Case PLZU-25-00005 – Westpark Minor General Plan Amendment 
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standards for the newly added area, and modified land use designations, development 
standards, and design requirements for approximately 530.7 undeveloped acres within 
the western portion of Westpark with a focus on light industrial development. The 
amendment did not modify land uses, development standards, or design requirements 
for the eastern 616.3 acres of Westpark, including previously developed areas. 
13. 
The initial public hearing for the annexation of the approximately 49.4-acre “Power Oz” 
property, located south of the southwest corner of Lower Buckeye Road and 269th 
Avenue, was conducted by the City Council on June 16, 2026. No speakers appeared 
during the public hearing. 
14. 
Through the 2022 General Plan Amendment and subsequent Westpark CMP Amendment 
(along with other actions such as Major CMP Amendments to Cipriani and Desert Creek), 
the City began transitioning portions of the State Route 85 corridor from a primarily 
residential vision to an employment-focused development pattern. While Westwind and 
Silver Rock have remained unchanged since their original approval, the western portions 
of Westpark have already been modified to accommodate light industrial and 
employment uses. The proposed amendment represents the next step in implementing 
the City's long-term vision for the SR-85 corridor by expanding and consolidating 
employment-oriented planning areas west of SR-85 under a single CMP framework. 
15. 
The Planning and Zoning Commission was scheduled to conduct a public hearing and 
make a recommendation on this request at its June 23, 2026 meeting. Because that 
meeting is scheduled to occur after the deadline for submittal of this staff report, staff 
will summarize the Commission's discussion, recommendation, and any public comment 
received during the public hearing as part of the July 7, 2026 City Council presentation. 
 
ANALYSIS: 
 
16. 
The Master Planned Community (MPC) land use category does not establish allowable 
uses or expectations for development within the MPC designation. Instead, the MPC 
designation defers those types of land use decisions to separate development approvals, 
such as a Community Master Plan (CMP). Approval of this GPA will not, by itself, change 
the type of uses that are expected on either of the impacted parcels.   
17. 
The proposed Minor General Plan Amendment is needed to allow the Westpark CMP 
boundary to be expanded to include these additional properties totaling 125.4 acres. The 
proposed Westpark CMP Amendment, being processed concurrently, will establish the 
permitted uses, development standards, and design expectations for the additional land, 
providing for high quality enclosed light industrial, business park, and commercial 
development of these sites in line with the City’s current vision for the State Route 85

Case PLZU-25-00005 – Westpark Minor General Plan Amendment 
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corridor. The existing Business Commerce designation was established when the 
surrounding area was anticipated to develop primarily with residential uses and 
neighborhood-serving commercial development. As the City's vision for the State Route 
85 corridor has evolved toward employment-generating uses, inclusion within the 
Westpark CMP under the MPC designation provides a more appropriate framework for 
coordinated planning and development of the area. 
 
18. 
The General Plan Amendment and separate CMP Amendment are supported, as, in 
concert, they will:  
 Expand the contiguous area for development of employment generating uses in 
furtherance of General Plan (“GP”) Policy G-7.1: “The City of Buckeye should 
identify and protect areas suitable for large scale office park and industrial 
activities, such as distribution, logistics, manufacturing, and other employment 
type uses within the City’s MPA”; 
 Allow for development of employment generating uses that take advantage of the 
site’s location along the major State Route 85 (and future Interstate 11) 
transportation corridor and in proximity to the Buckeye Municipal Airport, 
providing sites for employment generating, tax revenue producing regional 
serving commercial and industrial uses with excellent access to I-10, in 
conformance with GP Policy G-9.3: “The City of Buckeye should protect its primary 
industrial and commercial corridors (areas with access to highways and railroads) 
from conversion to non‐employment uses or encroachment by uses that would 
limit future uses on these sites”; 
 Further the City’s Economic Development related goals of attracting businesses in 
the logistics and advanced manufacturing sectors and meeting desired jobs to 
population ratios outlined in GP Policy G-1.8: “The City of Buckeye will encourage 
commerce and business employment centers that respond to the City’s economic 
needs and that correspond with Buckeye’s targeted economic sectors.” and GP 
Policy G-7.3 “The City of Buckeye will have an average of one to one jobs per 
household”.  
 Provide for high quality landscape design and architecture that enhances 
Buckeye’s aesthetic, with outdoor storage, equipment, or loading screened from 
view where provided.   
RECOMMENDATION:

Case PLZU-25-00005 – Westpark Minor General Plan Amendment 
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19. 
Staff recommends Council adopt a Resolution approving the proposed Minor General 
Plan Amendment for Westpark, Case PLZU-25-0005, for the reasons outlined within the 
analysis section of this staff report.  
ATTACHMENTS: 
 Exhibit A – Aerial Vicinity Map 
 Exhibit B – Zoning Vicinity Map 
 Exhibit C – Existing General Plan Land Use Map 
 Exhibit D - Proposed General Plan Land Use Map 
 Exhibit E – General Plan Amendment Narrative 
 Exhibit F – Citizen Participation Report 
Prepared By: 
Ken Galica, Principal Planner 
 
Reviewed By: 
Adam Copeland, Deputy Planning Director