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D R A F T Planning & Zoning Commission Goodyear City Hall - Council Chambers 1900 N. Civic Square Goodyear, AZ 85395 Wednesday, March 11, 2026 6:00 p.m. Meeting Minutes CALL TO ORDER Chairman Clymer called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE ROLL CALL Present: Chairman Gregg Clymer; Commissioner Kent Hegedus; Commissioner Marlon Booth; Commissioner Anthony Wang; Commissioner Teri Roberts; Commissioner Justin McLendon PUBLIC COMMENTS No comments were received from the public. CONSENT 1. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Approve the draft minutes of the Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting on February 11, 2025. MOTION BY Commissioner Marlon Booth, SECONDED BY Commissioner Kent Hegedus to APPROVE the Consent Agenda. The motion carried by the following vote: AYE: Chairman Gregg Clymer, Commissioner Kent Hegedus, Commissioner Marlon Booth, Commissioner Anthony Wang, Commissioner Teri Roberts, Commissioner Justin McLendon Passed - Unanimously DISCLOSURE OF EX-PARTE COMMUNICATIONS No disclosures were needed. BUSINESS 2. ZONING ORDINANCE COMPREHENSIVE UPDATE Planning Manager Christian Williams and Principal Planner Guadalupe Ortiz-Cortez presented information on the comprehensive Zoning Ordinance update, and sought Commission direction on proposed Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS), data center, drive-through and parking standards, and the inclusion of an arts district overlay. They were joined by consultant Matthew Klyszeiko of Michael Baker International. Staff discussed potential inclusion of Battery Energy Storage Systems being permitted with a Special Use Permit in Light Industrial Park (I-1) and General Industrial Park (1-2) zoning districts with minimum separation standards from other uses. The draft ordinance proposes to codify standards for noise, hazard mitigation, emergency response and decommissioning. Consultant Matthew Klyszeiko of Michael Baker International stated that the current zoning ordinance does not specifically regulate Battery Energy Storage Systems and with their increasing prevalence, it is a good time to codify specific standards for this use. Mr. Klyszeiko presented draft language to identify where these uses would be allowed, the special use process and staff's ability to apply conditions as appropriate for each site and the separation of land uses with particular attention to residential buffers relating to safety aspects of BESS facilities. Mr. Klyszeiko also discussed proposed standards for screening, noise mitigation, and hazard response plan requirements. Commission asked whether City Council had heard this information already. Mr. Klyszeiko clarified that the same presentation had been made to Council on the previous Monday. Commission also asked about existing applications for battery storage systems, and Mr. Klyszeiko responded that inquiries had been made but there were currently no active applications. Staff discussed proposed zoning standards for data centers as a permitted use within the I-1 and I-2 districts, including minimum separation standards from other uses, considerations for water, screening, noise mitigation and landscape buffers. Mr. Klyszeiko presented the draft proposal for regulating data centers in Goodyear and more specifics of data centers as a permitted principal use. He also discussed setback requirements, conditions for noise testing and mitigation, noticing requirements and water use. The Commission asked about the number of existing facilities in Goodyear. Mr. Klyszeiko responded that there were currently six campuses in the city. He identified that Goodyear does have a concentration of these facilities compared to other cities. The Commission asked whether there would be limits on the overall number of such facilities in the city. Mr. Klyszeiko responded that the proposed ordinance would not impose a limitation on how many could be applied for but that conditions might make it more challenging. He also clarified that staff would have more flexibility to impose conditions on battery energy storage facilities than they would for data centers. The Commission asked about whether noise mitigation testing processes would be similar for both Battery Energy Storage Systems and Data Centers. Mr. Klyszeiko responded that the proposed processes were the same for both uses, and ultimately the standards would incorporate feedback received from the Commission and the City Council. Staff presented a plan to conduct public outreach for a proposed arts overlay district area south of east Santa Cruz Drive, within Historic Goodyear, to allow small, low-impact, neighborhood serving businesses such as art-focused shops and studios. Staff also provided a timeline of future activity relating to the Zoning Ordinance update and relayed information to the public about how to provide comments online. Next steps include conducting community workshops in April and May with the draft ordinance then coming back before the Commission and Council for their recommendation and final vote in June. Two speaker cards were received from non-Goodyear residents regarding Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS). Cepand Alizadeh spoke in support of BESS on behalf of the Arizona Technology Council and thanked staff for their work on the comprehensive update. He encouraged the Commission to consider a smaller separation requirement from residential uses, such as 100 to 150 feet, which is aligned to National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standards. Mike Johnson spoke in support of battery storage centers and encouraged the inclusion of the 100-150 foot buffer, citing NFPA standards and recommendations. No action was taken on this item. 3. BYLAWS AND EX-PARTE COMMUNICATION DISCUSSION Administrative Services Manager Alissa Magley and Planning Manager Christian Williams facilitated a discussion regarding the Planning and Zoning Commission bylaws and Ex Parte Communication. Staff sought direction from the Commission on whether there is interest in changing the Planning and Zoning Commission bylaws with regard to requirements for disclosure of Ex Parte communications. Staff discussed the definition of Ex Parte communications, their intended purpose of preserving the impartiality of the Commission's decision-making process and how this regulation functions within the context of open meeting law. Under the current Planning and Zoning Commission rules of procedure, Ex Parte communications can occur regardless of whether a quorum is present, but these communications must be disclosed. Staff discussed rules of procedure and why disclosure of Ex Parte communications is necessary. Staff clarified that the city's zoning ordinance and city code do not impose this requirement, but that this was recommended by the Planning and Zoning Commission and adopted into the bylaws in 2007. The City Council has not placed this requirement on their body. Staff presented the Commission with the option of either 1) keeping existing rules related to disclosure of outside communications with developers or the public, or 2) directing staff to propose an amendment to the bylaws to remove such requirements. The revised bylaws would then come back to the Commission for a vote. The Commission discussed the existing rules of procedure and their preferences regarding whether they wished to receive Ex Parte communications. Staff clarified that individual Commissioners could elect to receive these under the existing bylaws, with the disclosure requirement remaining in place, and that these communications would have to occur individually to avoid forming a quorum. The Commission chose to keep the existing requirement for disclosure of Ex Parte communications and directed staff to bring back information on how individual Commissioners could individually receive communications if they so choose. Staff will research the suggested option and bring back the information at a future meeting. INFORMATION ITEMS Planning Manager Christian Williams informed the Commission that City Manager Wynette Reed retired effective March 6, 2026. Kini Knudson is now the Interim City Manager, and there will be additional information on the recruitment process at a future meeting. Mr. Williams also informed the Commission that the City Council will review the appointment of a new Commissioner on March 23, 2026. FUTURE MEETINGS The next Planning and Zoning Commission meeting will be held on April 15, 2026 at 6:00 pm at the Goodyear City Hall Council Chambers. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business to discuss, Chairman Clymer adjourned the meeting at 6:52 p.m. Respectfully Submitted by: __________________________ Alissa Magley, Commission Secretary Date:___________________ Approved at Planning & Zoning Commission Meeting held on __________, 2026.