Planning and Zoning Commission to make a motion to recommend approval of the Parks and Recreation Master Plan to Buckeye City Council Staff Liaison: Miranda Gomez, Community Services Director, mgomez@

3.A
CITY OF BUCKEYE
Regular Planning & Zoning Commission
PLANNING ACTION REPORT
MEETING DATE: 06/10/25
AGENDA ITEM: 3.A. Parks and
Recreation Master Plan
Recommendation to City Council for
Approval
DATE PREPARED: 06/04/25
DISTRICT NO.: All
STAFF LIAISON: Miranda Gomez, Community Services Director,
mgomez@buckeyeaz.gov, 623-349-6353; Robert Wisener, Community Services
Deputy Director, rwisener@buckeyeaz.gov, 623-349-6621
DEPARTMENT: Community Services
AGENDA ITEM TYPE: Continued /
Tabled Items
ACTION/MOTION: (This language identifies the formal motion to be made by the Voting Members) 
Planning and Zoning Commission to make a motion to recommend approval of the Parks and Recreation
Master Plan to Buckeye City Council
SUMMARY
PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
In January 2024, the City kicked off the process to update the Parks and Recreation Master Plan, which
was last adopted by Council in 2016.  Since beginning the process, the consultant Kimley-Horn and
Associates conducted a robust public input and engagement process to ensure the plan reflected the
needs of Buckeye residents and stakeholders.  The public input process included a variety of methods,
including attending city special events, issuing both statistically valid and non-statistically valid surveys,
holding focus group and stakeholder meetings, and two rounds of public meetings with the first round in
spring 2024 followed by the second round in fall 2024.  The input received shaped the plan's
recommendations that will provide the vision and framework for how the City grows parks and recreation
facilities and programs over the next ten years and beyond.
The plan's themes and overarching goals were presented to the Planning & Zoning Commission on
September 10, 2024 and to Buckeye City Council on September 17, 2024.  The draft plan and executive
summary were both submitted to Commissioners for their review and feedback in early April 2025.  
The Community Services Department, in coordination with the Development Services Department has
provided several opportunities for the development community to provide input into the Parks and
Recreation Master Plan.  Staff made two presentations to the development partners stakeholder group in
June and October 2024 with the presentation in June providing an overview of the plan and sharing
feedback we received from the online survey results.  We also asked for volunteers to serve on a focus
group to discuss parks, trails and open space-related opportunities with a follow-up email sent by
Development Services with no responses received.  In August, we met with the Teravalis development
team and, based on that conversation, we made updates to the park’s development standards, which
was presented to the development partners stakeholder group in October.  Since March 2025, staff has
been coordinating with the Teravalis development group on their review comments on the Parks and
Recreation Master Plan.
More recently, on Wednesday, May 21st, staff met with representatives of the development community
along the Sun Valley Parkway corridor. The purpose of the meeting was to present changes that were
made to the Parks and Recreation Master Plan based on feedback from the development community
and to receive additional input.  We’ve summarized the feedback from that meeting, which is appended
to this report.  While many modifications to the plan have been made based on input, there are areas

where there is not full alignment between staff’s recommendations and the development community’s
perspectives.  
Staff worked hard to ensure the plan reflects a balanced consideration from what we’ve heard from
residents, other stakeholder groups, and developers.  At the conclusion of the meeting, the development
representatives expressed their appreciation for staff’s efforts to engage the development community in
the planning process.
BENEFITS:
The Parks and Recreation Master Plan provides the blueprint for the growth and expansion of the parks
and recreation system, which includes such parks as Skyline Regional Park, Sundance Park, and Earl
Edgar Park along with three recreation facilities and the aquatic center in downtown Buckeye.  These
parks and facilities enhance the quality of life for Buckeye residents.  The Parks and Recreation Master
Plan forecasts the growth in population and the associated need for additional parks and recreation
facilities and programs.  
FUTURE ACTION:
The Community Services Advisory Board made a motion to recommend approval to Buckeye City
Council on May 7, 2025 and we are seeking a similar motion from the Planning and Zoning Commission
this evening.  The Master Plan will be presented to Council during a workshop on May 20, 2025 with
Council to consider approving the plan on June 17, 2025.  After approval, the Community Services
Department will begin working on the strategic implementation items recommended in the plan.  In
addition, the Development Services Department will use the standards and guidelines included in the
plan when reviewing development proposals.  As part of the Council's Strategic Plan, some elements of
the master plan may be included in the Development Code, which is identified to be complete in 2026.
FINANCIAL IMPACT STATEMENT:
None
CURRENT FISCAL YEAR TOTAL COST:
NA
FISCAL YEAR:
NA
FUND/DEPARTMENT:
NA
Items related to a project or facility location must include an attached vicinity map for Council
Review.
ATTACHMENTS:
Buckeye Parks & Recreation Master Plan Executive Summary Final 5-5-2025 Reduced.pdf
Buckeye Parks & Recreation Master Plan Entire Final 5-5-2025 Reduced.pdf
5-25 Parks and Recreation Master Plan Development Feedback Memo Final.pdf