Exhibit D - PLZZ-24-0012 - Miller & I-10 PAD - Narrative - CC20250520.pdf

City of Buckeye — Regular Council Meeting (2025-05-20)

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 Miller and I-10 
 
 
 
Planned Area Development Major Amendment 
 
Project Narrative 
 
 
CASE No.  PLZZ-24-0012 
 
 
First Submittal: November 8, 2024 
Second Submittal: February 7, 2025 
Third Submittal: March 7, 2025 
 
 
DEVELOPER 
Amerco Real Estate Company 
2727 N. Central Avenue 
Phoenix, AZ 85004 
Contact: Parul Butala 
Tel: 480-467-9779 
 
CONSULTANT 
Bergin, Frakes, Smalley & Oberholtzer 
4343 E Camelback Rd Suite 210 
Phoenix, AZ 85018 
Contact: Carolyn Oberholzer 
Phone: (602) 888-7860 
Email: coberholtzer@bfsolaw.com 
 
3R PLZZ-24-0012 RECEIVED MAR 20 2025 MW

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Table of Contents 
1. 
Introduction and Purpose of Request .................................................................................................. 3 
2. 
Existing Conditions ................................................................................................................................ 3 
3. 
Current General Plan Designation and Zoning ..................................................................................... 4 
4. 
Relationship to Surrounding Properties ............................................................................................... 4 
5. 
Land Uses .............................................................................................................................................. 5 
6. 
Development Standards & Design Guidelines ...................................................................................... 6 
7. 
Roadway Circulation ............................................................................................................................. 7 
8. 
Grading and Drainage ........................................................................................................................... 7 
9. 
Landscape Standards ............................................................................................................................ 7 
10. Comprehensive Signage Plan ................................................................................................................ 8 
11. Public Utilities and Services .................................................................................................................. 8 
12. Conclusion ............................................................................................................................................. 8 
13. Exhibits .................................................................................................................................................. 8 
Exhibit A – Context Map ...................................................................................................................... 9 
Exhibit B – Site Aerial Map................................................................................................................. 10 
Exhibit C – Assessor’s Parcel Map ...................................................................................................... 11 
Exhibit D – Conceptual Land Use Plan ............................................................................................... 12 
Exhibit E – Conceptual Land Use Plan (Aerial) .................................................................................. 13 
Exhibits F1-F3 – Design Standard Examples Exhibit .......................................................................... 14

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1. Introduction and Purpose of Request 
Amerco Real Estate Company acquired the property located on the southeast corner of Miller Road 
and Interstate 10 in the City of Buckeye in January of 2017, and proposes a major amendment to the 
approved Miller & I-10 Planned Area Development (PAD) to clarify and update the permitted land uses 
within the General Commerce PAD and modernize the development standards within the existing Miller 
& I-10 PAD.    The site is Maricopa County Assessor Parcel Numbers (APN) 504-63-007Z, -549A, -550, and 
-551A, and is approximately 32.5 gross acres in size.  This proposal will adjust the land uses to provide for 
flexibility in land uses, with guardrails, and will remove the permitted multi-family use that had been 
permitted for this location at a density of 15 DU/AC, which does not align with the established character 
of the area as a commerce-oriented major freeway corridor.   
Amerco intends to develop a U-Haul Moving and Storage on the northeast portion of the property 
along Yuma Road, reserving the Miller Road arterial frontage for major medical and commercial uses.  
There is consistent and strong job-growth in Buckeye, which is translating to positive net migration trends 
that have had a sustained impact over the last decade in Buckeye that has triggered a very strong growth 
trend for both new single-family and multi-family residential construction.  In 2024, the Homebuilders’ 
Association of Central Arizona (HBACA) reported that Buckeye issued 2,197 single-family residential 
building permits.  Amerco acquired the Property in 2017; since then, more than 19,000 single-family 
residential permits have been issued, averaging over 2,400 permits per year. U-Haul tracks one-way 
transactions and for 2024, Phoenix was in 3rd among all US Cities for arriving U-Haul customers behind 
Dallas and Charlotte (www.myuhaulstory.com).  With master-planned communities dominating the 
Buckeye market, the respective homeowners’ associations are stewards of neighborhoods without 
external clutter and heavily restrict areas for storage on individual properties.  This has created the need 
for more local storage opportunities and thus, the time is ripe to develop this site.   
In tandem with its own plans, Amerco has been working with major commercial and medical 
developers to provide for a coordinated development of both properties into a cohesively planned center 
that capitalizes on freeway adjacency and emergency services. The development of this property will 
facilitate infrastructure and other improvements as well as expand commercial and medical opportunities 
for residents in an established and mature area of the City where resources and infrastructure are in place 
to facilitate orderly and efficient growth.   
2. Existing Conditions 
The subject property has access to both Miller and Yuma Roads, and is currently vacant, fronting on 
the I-10 freeway, and is natural desert which has been disturbed around the perimeter and with dirt roads 
Project Data 
A.P.N. 
504-63-007Z, -549A, -550, -551A 
Related Case No.’s 
PLZ-13-00071 
Current Land Use 
Vacant / Natural Desert 
Existing General Plan 
Business Commerce 
Existing Zoning District 
General Commerce PAD 
Proposed Zoning District 
General Commerce PAD 
Gross Area 
32.5 acres 
Net Area 
29.20 acres

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through the site.  ADOT has placed infrastructure directly north of the property as part of their I-10 ramp 
improvements, and there is a controlled drainage discharge location via detention basin at the northeast 
corner of the site. These controlled flows will be channelized along the eastern boundary of the site as 
development occurs within the PAD property boundaries. There will be no impact to the existing ADOT 
retention basin. Native vegetation is prevalent along existing wash courses from flows generated on the 
site.  An overhead electric power line easement runs along the property’s north border, which will remain 
in place. 
3. Current General Plan Designation and Zoning 
This proposal is consistent with the subject property’s General Plan designation of Business 
Commerce.  The existing zoning of the property is General Commerce (GC) with a PAD overlay which was 
approved by City of Buckeye City Council on February 3, 2015, as PLZ-13-00071.  GC is an obsolete zoning 
district in the current City of Buckeye Development Code, but by code permits a variety of land uses which 
were not specified within original PAD.  This amendment request is to clarify the permitted land uses and 
modernize the development standards to respond to market demand for major medical, commercial and 
storage uses. 
4. Relationship to Surrounding Properties 
The surrounding land uses are convenience retail and automotive/trucking service to the west, a self-
storage facility and natural desert to the east, natural desert to the south, and Interstate 10 and a Mueller 
Supply Company facility to the north.  
 
North: Interstate 10 / Mueller Supply Company, 
Inc. (C-2 Maricopa County) 
South: Natural Desert (GC) 
East: Self-Storage / Natural Desert (GC) 
West: Love’s Travel Stop / Burger King (GC) 
 
 
The proposed development has been designed to be compatible with the existing surrounding 
developments.

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5. Land Uses 
The original Miller & I-10 PAD (PLZ-13-00071) has four approved land uses which are associated with 
specific parcels on the development plan: Commercial/Retail/Food Service, Hotel/Lodging, 
Automotive/Transportation, and Multi-Family/Mixed-Use.  This proposal will replace these four land use 
categories with two development units (Yuma Road Development Unit and Miller Road Commercial 
Development Unit) and a list of permitted uses taken from the current City of Buckeye Development Code 
(‘Development Code’). The PAD will establish limits to the location of the permitted uses within each 
development unit. The location and configuration of the two development units are represented in the 
‘Conceptual Land Use Plan’ enclosed with this PAD. The Yuma Road Development Unit is located on the 
northeast portion of the site with frontage along Yuma Road and is bounded to the north by Interstate 
10. This Development Unit will be limited to a minimum of 8 net acres and maximum of 12 net acres. The 
Miller Road Commercial Development Unit will occupy the remainder of the site.  The final Development 
Units acreage will be established at the time of plat and site plan applications, at which time the Zoning 
Administrator or designee will verify that the proposed Development Unit boundaries are in substantial 
conformance with this PAD.  
The following is a table of the permitted uses within the Miller & I-10 PAD to be principally permitted 
in the Yuma Road Development Unit and Miller Road Commercial Development Unit. Uses not specifically 
permitted are prohibited except for analogous uses to those permitted, as determined by the Zoning 
Administrator.  Accessory uses will be permitted as provided for in the Development Code specific to each 
permitted use.  
Miller & I-10 PAD Land Uses 
Yuma Road Development Unit  
Warehouse 
Vehicle Sales and Rental 
Retail Sales 
Mini-Storage, Indoor 
Mini-Storage, Outdoor 
 
Miller Road Commercial Development Unit 
Office, business or 
professional 
Hospital 
Retail, General 
Animal hospital 
Shopping center/plaza 
mall 
Clinic/health care facility 
Art gallery or museum, 
private 
Hotel or motel 
Veterinary clinic 
Religious assembly 
 
This PAD amendment will continue to specifically prohibit the following uses in all Development Units: 
• 
Adult entertainment (Sexually oriented businesses) 
• 
Assembly Yards 
• 
Automotive Junkyards 
• 
Heavy Industrial 
• 
Heavy Manufacturing 
• 
Landfills 
• 
Large Dairy Operations 
• 
Large Distribution Centers 
• 
Outdoor Recycling Centers 
• 
Waste/Salvage Yards

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6. Development Standards & Design Guidelines 
The proposed amendment request shall modernize the development plan to work more efficiently 
with the proposed land uses and surrounding properties and to facilitate the potential location of a major 
hospital and medical center on the Property.  The Yuma Road Development Unit provides for storage-
oriented uses in a location that does not rely on freeways access and reserves the balance of the site for 
the Miller Road Commercial Development Unit to maximize accessibility for the higher traffic uses. To 
ensure an appropriate built environment in each development unit, except where otherwise provided in 
this PAD, development within the Miller Road Commercial Development Unit will comply with the 
applicable portions of Article 5.8 Commercial Building Standards and Guidelines of the Development Code 
and development within the Yuma Road Development Unit will adhere to the applicable portions of Article 
5.9 Industrial Building Standards and Guidelines in the Development Code. Building and site design shall 
be reviewed and approved through the City of Buckeye site plan approval process. Conceptual and non-
binding examples for the project theming for the Development Units are provided in the ‘Design Examples 
Exhibit’ to indicate the quality and character of the proposed development. These examples shall not be 
used as a basis in any future entitlement approval and are provided to show representative examples of 
design intent that will still be subject to Article 5 requirements.  The Miller & I-10 PAD will be developed 
when and how market conditions dictate.  Therefore, no specific site plan has been generated for the 
project at this time, only a conceptual land use plan to illustrate vehicular access points and potential 
development options.  The PAD overlay zoning designation shall allow for the needed flexibility to meet 
the unknown future market demands.   
The proposed development plan for Miller & I-10 PAD shall be developed in conformance with the 
following development standards which will allow for an urban-form commercial development 
intentionally developed with use-adjacencies that benefit from reduced setbacks: 
 
Miller & I-10 PAD Development Standards Table 
Regulation 
General Commerce per 
Development Code 
Yuma Road 
Development Unit   
Miller Road 
Commercial 
Development Unit 
Minimum Lot Area 
One (1) acre unless part 
of an approved 
subdivision, in which 
case there shall be no 
minimum lot size. 
No change 
No change 
Minimum Lot Width 
100 feet 
No change 
No change 
Maximum Lot Coverage 
50% 
No change 
No change 
Minimum Front Setback 
20 feet 
No change 
No change 
Minimum Interior Side 
Setback 
50 feet 
20 feet1 
20 feet1 
Minimum Street Side 
Setback 
50 feet 
20 feet1 
20 feet1 
Minimum Rear Setback 
50 feet 
20 feet1 
20 feet 1 
Maximum Building 
Height 
Sites less than 20 acres:  
45 feet 
Sites greater than 20 
acres:  55 feet at setback 
line and an increase of 
one foot in height for 
60 feet 
not including 
mechanical screening 1 
60 feet* 
not including 
mechanical 
screening

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every three feet in 
additional setback to a 
maximum of 120 feet in 
height 
Minimum Building 
Separation 
25 feet 
No change 
No change 
Minimum Building & 
Parking Setback from 
Internal Drives 
Not Specified 
10 feet 1 
10 feet 1 
Minimum Site 
Enhancement 
Landscaping Area 
Not Specified 
10% of net area  
 
20% of net area  
 
*Hospital uses shall have a maximum allowable height of 120’, not including mechanical screening 
 
Bold indicates a change from the Development Code 
1 - Indicates a standard unmodified from the existing PAD (PLZ-13-00071) 
7. Roadway Circulation 
The property is bounded by Miller Road to the west, Interstate 10 to the north, and Yuma Road to the 
east.  To provide adequate access throughout both the Miller Road Commercial Development Unit and 
Yuma Road Development Unit, the site will have five separate vehicular access openings. Further, along 
Yuma Road, access will be aligned with the adjacent existing roadways/driveways to the east of the site, 
when possible. Also, access will be extended to connect to Pima Road to the west, which will provide 
circulation between the site and the existing development around it. Access points and potential ingress 
and egress are conceptually shown in the ‘Conceptual Land Use Plan’ for reference and will ultimately be 
determined at the site plan phase of the development in conjunction with an approved Traffic Impact 
Study.  
8. Grading and Drainage 
As each development unit is developed, they will be required to adequately address their specific 
grading and drainage needs, in conjunction with all other  PAD development.  The grading and drainage 
of each development unit shall adhere to the applicable design standards of the City of Buckeye. 
9. Landscape Standards 
The original PAD required a minimum of 10% of the overall PAD’s net area to be site enhancement 
landscaping.  This proposed amendment shall change previous references in the PAD from “open space” 
to “site enhancement landscaping” to match the current Development Code. The Yuma Road 
Development Unit will maintain the PAD’s original requirement of 10% of net area for site enhancement 
landscaping, while the Miller Road Commercial Development Unit will have a minimum of 20%. These 
landscaped areas will be used to enhance the overall aesthetic character of the PAD project area and 
promote pedestrian circulation and connectivity between the various land uses and physical 
developments within the PAD area as it is built out.  Pedestrian “parkways” will be utilized to connect the 
major land uses within the PAD area, incorporating seating nodes, landscape theming, and crosswalks, 
where appropriate on Miller Road Commercial Development Unit. Right-of-Way landscaping and the 
landscaping of each development unit will adhere to the applicable standards and plant palette, per the 
Development Code at the time of site plan approval.  Each individual development will be required to 
provide ‘open space amenities’ within its development plan.  These may be in the form of outdoor shaded

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seating areas, ramadas, water features, garden places, etc.  A ‘Native Plant Inventory’ plan will also be 
required with each individual development, at the time of site plan submittal to the City. 
10. Signage  
The original PAD approved two 85’ freeway pylon signs, with one pylon having a 672 SF digital display 
for offsite advertising, as well as five (5) Tenant Monument Signs (one located at each primary vehicular 
access point into the PAD project area) and one Entry Feature/Center Identification located at the 
northeast corner of Miller Road and Pima Street.  In lieu of the deviations in the prior PAD, this PAD 
amendment is scaling back the freeway pylons to be as permitted in the Buckeye Development Code by 
eliminating the off-site advertising digital display allowance and instead, will provide for two freeway 
pylon signs at the Code-permitted 65’ with 250 sq. ft of sign area, each.  One freeway pylon will be located 
in the Yuma Road Development Unit and the other in the Miller Road Commercial Development Unit.  In 
addition to the two (2) freeway pylons, there will be four (4) 25’ Multi-Tenant Monument Signs (one each 
located at primary vehicular access points into the PAD project area), and one (1) eight (8) foot Entry 
Feature / Center Identification located at the northeast corner of Miller Road and Pima Street. Both the 
Multi-Tenant Monument Sign and Entry Feature / Center Identification shall have a max sign area of 72’. 
These changes will bring the signage in the PAD more in line with the current City of Buckeye signage 
design guidelines and will be illustrated in a future Comprehensive Sign Plan submittal with the first site 
plan for the Property.   
11. Public Utilities and Services 
This application request will not adversely affect municipal and private facilities and services.  The 
request will not have an adverse effect on existing or future public and private open space, recreation, 
schools (no residential uses are permitted) or library facilities.  The following list identifies public and 
private services for the Miller & I-10 PAD development: 
Water:  
City of Buckeye 
Wastewater: 
City of Buckeye 
Power:  
Arizona Public Service (APS) 
Gas: 
 
Southwest Gas 
Solid Waste:  
 
City of Buckeye 
Police:  
 
City of Buckeye 
Fire/Medical: 
 City of Buckeye
 
12. Conclusion 
Approval of the proposed Miller & I-10 PAD amendment shall facilitate the development of a new, 
vibrant commercial project in the City of Buckeye, offering a variety of commercial services and 
employment opportunities for families and individuals, and remove land uses that are in conflict with the 
intensity of uses and location.  We look forward to working with City of Buckeye and progressing forward 
with this exciting project.  The development team respectfully requests your favorable consideration and 
approval of this PAD amendment application and associated documents.  
13. Exhibits 
Exhibit A – Context Map 
Exhibit B – Site Aerial Map 
Exhibit C – Assessor’s Parcel Map 
Exhibit D – Conceptual Land Use Plan 
Exhibit E – Conceptual Land Use Plan (Aerial)  
Exhibits F1-F3 – Design Standard Examples Exhibit

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Exhibit A – Context Map

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Exhibit B – Site Aerial Map

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Exhibit C – Assessor’s Parcel Map

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Exhibit D – Conceptual Land Use Plan

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Exhibit E – Conceptual Land Use Plan (Aerial)

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Exhibit F1 – Design Standard Examples Exhibit 
 
CONCEPTUAL  
CONCEPTUAL  
CONCEPTUAL

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Exhibit F2 – Design Standard Examples Exhibit 
  
 
CONCEPTUAL  
CONCEPTUAL  
CONCEPTUAL

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Exhibit F3 – Design Standard Examples Exhibit 
 
 
 
 
CONCEPTUAL  
CONCEPTUAL