CPA2022005 BOS REPORT.PDF

Maricopa County — Formal (2022-11-02)

View PDF Item 8 Meeting page

Extracted text (via pymupdf) 15444 characters
November 2, 2022 
CPA2022005 
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:   
 
 
CPA2022005 – Estrella Area Plan Decommission       
 
Supervisor District: 
5 
 
Request: 
Decommission the Estrella Area Plan. CPA approval is by 
Resolution.  
 
Additional 
Comments: 
The Estrella Area Plan was originally adopted in 1989, with the 
latest version updated and adopted in 1992. It currently 
consists of approximately 25 square miles. Research 
completed by our GIS team and staff found that 
approximately 15 square miles of the plan area or 60% has 
been incorporated by the City of Phoenix, City of Avondale, 
and City of Tolleson. Only approximately 10 square miles of 
unincorporated land remains within the Estrella 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, 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 
Estrella area and received one inquiry from the City of 
Avondale regarding the area plan boundaries. No additional 
comments were received. There is no known opposition to the 
proposed decommissioning. 
 
  
Commission  
 
Recommendation: 
On 6/16/22, the Commission voted 7-0 to recommend 
approval of CPA2022005 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)   
 
 
E-mail from City of Avondale for project boundaries map (2 pages)  
 
 
Resolution (2 pages)

CPA2022005 
Page 1 of 3 
Report to the Planning and Zoning Commission 
Prepared by the Maricopa County Planning and Development Department 
 
 
 
Case: 
CPA2022005 – Estrella Area Plan Decommission  
 
 
Meeting Date: 
June 16, 2022 
 
 
Supervisor District: 
5 
 
 
  
 
Request: 
Decommission the Estrella Area Plan (staff initiated) 
 
  
 
  
Recommendation: 
Approve to decommission the Estrella Area Plan 
 
Overview & Staff Analysis 
 
1. The Estrella Area Plan was originally adopted in 1989, with the latest version updated and 
adopted in 1992. It currently consists of approximately 25 square miles generally located at 
Roosevelt St. (north), Baseline Rd. (south), 49th Ave. (east), and Litchfield Rd. (west)), just 
north/northwest of the Laveen Area Plan and east of the White Tank/Grand Ave. Area Plan.  
 
Map of Estrella 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:

CPA2022005 
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 Estrella Area Plan, research completed by our GIS team and staff found that 
approximately 15 square miles of the plan area or 60% has been incorporated by the City of 
Phoenix, City of Avondale, and City of Tolleson. Only approximately 10 square miles of 
unincorporated land remains within the Estrella 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 Estrella Area Plan

CPA2022005 
Page 3 of 3 
4. Since 2010, only 1 CPA or DMP has been approved in the Estrella Area Plan boundary, 
showing the lack of proposed growth with larger scale developments for changing the future 
land use designations of the plan.  
 
5. Current County jurisdiction includes mostly Open Space land use designations and Rural 
zoning along the southern portions of the plan boundary adjacent to the Salt 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 
Estrella 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 CPA2022005 to 
decommission the Estrella 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:
CPA2022005 decommissioning of the Estrella Area Plan
Date:
Wednesday, June 29, 2022 8:18:00 PM
Attachments:
image001.png
image002.png
Estrella.docx
image004.png
To:     Registered Area of Interest groups within the Estrella Area Plan
From: Darren V. Gerard, AICP, Planning Manager
Re:     CPA2022005 decommissioning of the Estrella 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 area plans (see below), including the Estrella 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 Estrella Area Plan was originally adopted in 1989, with the latest version updated and
adopted in 1992. It covers approximately 25 square miles, but an estimated 60% of the area
has been incorporated by the cities of Phoenix, Avondale and Tolleson that have left mostly
scattered and discontiguous county islands. The result is that only approximately 10 square
miles of unincorporated land remains within the Estrella Area Plan, much of which is along or
adjacent to the beds of the Salt and Gila rivers. Because of these annexation patterns, the
existing Estrella Area Plan no longer represents the conditions and goals/policies of the 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 local 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 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.

From:
Darren Gerard (PND)
To:
Jodie Novak; Matthew Holm (PND)
Subject:
RE: map? CPA2022005 decommissioning of the Estrella Area Plan
Date:
Thursday, June 30, 2022 6:06:00 PM
Attachments:
image004.png
image007.png
image008.png
image010.png
Jodie: the Estrella Area Plan is online at: https://www.maricopa.gov/DocumentCenter/View/6622/Estrella-Area-Plan-PDF.  The Land Use Plan is Figure 2 on Page 14.  It shows
the irregular boundary, and is captured below:
 
 
 
Darren V. Gérard, AICP
Planning Services Manager
Planning & Development
602-506-7139
Darren.Gerard@maricopa.gov
 
From: Jodie Novak <jnovak@avondaleaz.gov> 
Sent: Thursday, June 30, 2022 5:52 PM
To: Darren V. Gérard (PND) <Darren.Gerard@Maricopa.Gov>; Matthew Holm (PND) <Matthew.Holm@Maricopa.Gov>
Subject: map? CPA2022005 decommissioning of the Estrella Area Plan
 
Hi Darren and Matt. Do you have a map of this Area Plan that shows the boundaries I can look at? Thank you! Have a great holiday weekend!
 
Jodie Novak MEP, CPM | Acting Director, Development Services Department
City of Avondale
11465 W. Civic Center Dr., #110|Avondale, AZ|85323
Direct phone: 623-333-4015|Email: jnovak@avondaleaz.gov
Avondale Office Hours: M-TH 7am-6pm; Office closed Fridays 
Click on Discover Avondale below to learn more!
  
 
 
From: Darren V. Gérard (PND) <Darren.Gerard@Maricopa.Gov>

Sent: Wednesday, June 29, 2022 8:19 PM
To: Matthew Holm (PND) <Matthew.Holm@Maricopa.Gov>
Subject: CPA2022005 decommissioning of the Estrella Area Plan
 
To: Registered Area of Interest groups within the Estrella Area Plan From: Darren V. Gerard, AICP, Planning Manager Re: CPA2022005 decommissioning of the Estrella Area Plan ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍
 
To:     Registered Area of Interest groups within the Estrella Area Plan
From: Darren V. Gerard, AICP, Planning Manager
Re:     CPA2022005 decommissioning of the Estrella 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 area plans (see below), including the Estrella 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 Estrella Area Plan was originally adopted in 1989, with the latest version updated and adopted in 1992. It covers approximately 25 square
miles, but an estimated 60% of the area has been incorporated by the cities of Phoenix, Avondale and Tolleson that have left mostly scattered and
discontiguous county islands. The result is that only approximately 10 square miles of unincorporated land remains within the Estrella Area Plan,
much of which is along or adjacent to the beds of the Salt and Gila rivers. Because of these annexation patterns, the existing Estrella Area Plan no
longer represents the conditions and goals/policies of the 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 local 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 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.