Extracted text (via pymupdf)
10529 characters
November 2, 2022
CPA2022004
Page 1 of 1
Report to the Board of Supervisors
Prepared by the Maricopa County Planning and Development Department
Board Hearing Date:
November 2, 2022 (Cont. from July 27, 2022)
Case #/Title:
CPA2022004 – Laveen Area Plan Decommission
Supervisor District:
5
Request:
Decommission the Laveen Area Plan. CPA approval is by
Resolution.
Additional
Comments:
The Laveen Area Plan was originally adopted in 1989, with the
latest version updated and adopted in 1992. It currently
consists of approximately 27 square miles. Research
completed by our GIS team and staff found that
approximately 19 square miles of the plan area or 70% has
been
incorporated
by
the
City
of
Phoenix.
Only
approximately 8 square miles of unincorporated land remains
within the Laveen Planning Area, thus it no longer fits with the
County’s area plan program expectations.
The Board continued this case to the November 2, 2022
hearing to allow for additional outreach efforts. On June 29,
2022, staff sent an e-mail to registered interest groups in the
Laveen area and received one telephone inquiry from the
Laveen Community for Responsible Development. The caller
expressed no concern with the proposed decommissioning.
No additional comments were received.
Commission
Recommendation:
On 6/16/22, the Commission voted 7-0 to recommend
approval of CPA2022004 to decommission the area plan.
Presented by:
Rachel Applegate, Senior Planner
Reviewed by:
Darren Gérard, AICP, Planning Manager
Attachments:
6/16/22 P&Z Packet (4 pages)
PZ Handout – County Area Plan Status Summary (1 page)
6/29/22 Outreach e-mail notice (2 pages)
Resolution (2 pages)
CPA2022004
Page 1 of 3
Report to the Planning and Zoning Commission
Prepared by the Maricopa County Planning and Development Department
Case:
CPA2022004 – Laveen Area Plan Decommission
Meeting Date:
June 16, 2022
Supervisor District:
5
Request:
Decommission the Laveen Area Plan (staff initiated)
Recommendation:
Approve to decommission the Laveen Area Plan
Overview & Staff Analysis
1. The Laveen Area Plan was originally adopted in 1989, with the latest version updated and
adopted in 1992. It currently consists of approximately 27 square miles generally located at
Broadway Rd. (north), Ray Rd. alignment (south), 27th Ave. (east), and 79th Ave. (west), just
south of the Estrella Area Plan.
Map of Laveen Area Plan Boundaries
2. Much has changed in the planning area since the last update in 1992, like several of the
other County Area Plans, which was discussed at the August 19, 2021 ZIPPOR Meeting. Staff
evaluated all of the current area plans based on the following criteria to determine which
ones could be considered for decommissioning:
CPA2022004
Page 2 of 3
• Percentage and total area of land that has been incorporated through annexation since
plan approval;
• The number of Comprehensive Plan Amendments (CPAs) and/or Development Master
Plans (DMP’s) that have occurred in the last 10-years within each area plan;
• The potential for growth/large-scale development, as well as other unique factors related
to each specific area plans such as regional parks and open space, natural barriers, and
types of land uses; and
• The original and most recent update (if applicable) for each plan.
3. Specific to the Laveen Area Plan, research completed by our GIS team and staff found that
approximately 19 square miles of the plan area or 70% has been incorporated by the City of
Phoenix. Only approximately 8 square miles of unincorporated land remains within the
Laveen Planning Area. Of this unincorporated territory most of the large acreage that
remains vacant, undeveloped is along and within the bed of the Salt River.
Map of Incorporated Portions Within Laveen Area Plan
4. Since 2010, only 1 CPA or DMP has been approved in the Laveen Area Plan boundary,
showing the lack of proposed growth with larger scale developments for changing the future
land use designations of the plan.
CPA2022004
Page 3 of 3
5. Current County jurisdiction includes mostly Rural land use designations/densities and zoning
along with some residential. Industrial zoning and land use designations along with open
space are located at the northern boundary of the plan area along Broadway Rd. and
Southern Ave. near the river.
6. The potential benefits of decommissioning this area plan would be that it would remove an
outdated document, where staff can focus on county island specific research and updates
within the future Comprehensive Plan update. The current plan has not been updated for
nearly 30 years and it does not represent the current conditions and goals/policies of the
Laveen area. The most important aspect of decommissioning the plan is that all remaining
County jurisdiction land would automatically be reverted to “Rural Development Area
(RDA)” with a density range of 0 – 1 d.u./ac. It is important for the unincorporated areas to
remain with the lowest intensity land use designation which would require a public hearing
process for requested changes (if zoning is not already established) including zone changes
and land use proposals over 40 acres that does not fit within the RDA land use designation
category.
7. Staff will focus on a county island study and policy portion to evaluate all areas of the County
as part of the next Comprehensive Plan update in 2026, which will be in the process for
updating within the next couple of years. This study would provide goals and policies in
support of the Comprehensive Plan to offer specific direction related to the growth and
development within county island areas. The county island study would be used as follows:
• Provide up to date information on existing conditions including utilities and services within
these areas;
• Analyze future development requests to understand what, if anything, is feasible within
existing county islands and how to encourage annexation when needed;
• Set specific strategies and policies for different types, sizes, and locations of these county
islands. This will help guide proposals to viable development options if available based
on particulars of each area; and
• Promote a comprehensive approach to understanding the current state of county
islands, and to outline possible solutions for the future from a policy and guideline
perspective for these areas of the County.
Recommendation
8. Staff recommends the Commission motion for approval of case CPA2022004 to
decommission the Laveen Area Plan for the reasons outlined in this report.
Presented by:
Ray Banker, Senior Planner
Reviewed by:
Darren Gerard, AICP, Deputy Director
Attachment:
Case Map
301 W. Jefferson St., Ste. 170
Phoenix AZ 85003
Phone: (602) 506-7139
Fax: (602) 506-3711
www.maricopa.gov/planning
Maricopa County
Planning & Development Department
Date: June 16, 2022
To:
Maricopa County Planning & Zoning Commission
From: Darren V. Gerard, AICP, Planning Services Manager
RE: County Area Plans status summary
The following summary was presented to the Commission in August 2021 when staff was
given direction to proceed with decommissioning of five area plans – Laveen, Estrella,
Mobile, East Mesa and Queen Creek.
From:
Darren Gerard (PND)
To:
Matthew Holm (PND)
Subject:
CPA2022004 decommissioning of the Laveen Area Plan
Date:
Wednesday, June 29, 2022 8:00:00 PM
Attachments:
Laveen.docx
image001.png
image002.png
image003.png
To: Registered Area of Interest groups within the Laveen Area Plan
From: Darren V. Gerard, AICP, Planning Manager
Re: CPA2022004 decommissioning of the Laveen Area Plan
Maricopa County is undertaking a comprehensive analysis of all County Area Plans to ensure
that they reflect the current conditions of the local community they serve, and to ensure they
remain compliant with the are plan program as outlined in Vision 2030, The Maricopa County
Comprehensive Plan. Several are plans (see below), including the Laveen Area Plan, no longer
meets these criteria, thus will be decommissioned and a new strategy will be used to oversee
future growth in this area.
The Laveen Area Plan was originally adopted in 1989, with the latest version updated and
adopted in 1992. It covers approximately 27 square miles, but an estimated 70% of the area
has been incorporated by the City of Phoenix through irregular annexation patterns that have
left mostly scattered and discontiguous county islands. The result is that only approximately 8
square miles of unincorporated land remains within the Laveen Area Plan, much of which is
along or adjacent to the bed of the Salt River. Because of these annexation patterns, the
existing Laveen Area Plan no longer represents the conditions and goals/policies of the
Laveen area, and no longer meets the requirements and expectations for inclusion in the
County’s area plan program.
The most important aspect of decommissioning this plan is that all remaining unincorporated
land will now be designated “Rural Development Area (RDA)” which a residential density
range of 0 – 1 d.u./ac. and is appropriate for primarily rural-type land uses. Also, the RDA will
help ensure that the Laveen community is notified of any future requests for zone changes
that do not meet these low-density criteria so that it can participate fully in these decisions.
Decommissioning this area plan will not change or otherwise affect any previously approved
comprehensive plan amendment (CPA) or existing zoning with the planning area. Rather, the
decommissioning and RDA designation will be a new and effective strategy to evaluate future
growth in coordination with the Laveen community.
Please submit any comments online at:
https://www.maricopa.gov/FormCenter/Regulatory-Planning-Development-15/Comment-on-a-
Planning-Case-183,
or you may send them directly to me as noted in my signature block below.
Darren V. Gérard, AICP
Planning Services Manager
Maricopa County Planning & Development Department
301 W. Jefferson Street, Suite 170, Phoenix, AZ 85003
Desk: 602-506-7139 | Cell: 602-723-2241 | Fax: 602-506-3711
Darren.Gerard@maricopa.gov
P&D is now 100% digital for construction permit applications.
Find information on our new permit process here.
As of March 29, P&D’s main office has relocated to 301 W. Jefferson St.