NEWS RELEASE
The Queen Creek Town Council recently approved an updated Zoning Ordinance. Initiated in February 2014, the intent of the review was to provide a comprehensive update to the Town’s Zoning Ordinance that was created in 1999. The Town Zoning Ordinance is the primary document that guides growth and development in the community. As investors seek to build a neighborhood, start a business or create a new school, it is the Zoning Ordinance that helps identify how a building is designed and constructed. Engineers, architects, planners and construction professionals depend on the Zoning Ordinance to make their vision of investment a reality in Queen Creek. A strong and relevant Zoning Ordinance supports the Town Council’s Corporate Strategic Plan, specifically the secure future strategic priority.
“The needs of a community change over time, and as a Town Council we have to ensure our guidelines are reflective of those changes,” stated Queen Creek Mayor Gail Barney. “I am grateful to our dedicated staff, our stakeholders, and our residents for their hard work on this project. It is fantastic that as a community we can work together.”
During the review process, all of the standards were re-evaluated and the Zoning Ordinance was reduced by 200 pages, from 424 pages to 224 pages. During the 17-month review process, 12 public meetings were held and more than 600 comments were received, all of which were evaluated, addressed and documented. “As our town recovers from the Great Recession we are seeing a new wave of investment in neighborhoods, businesses, education and our own town facilities,” stated Development Services Director Chris Anaradian. “For us to grow in harmony as a community, an update like this is essential. We greatly appreciate all of our customers, both residents and builders, who provided valuable feedback to help us continue to grow into the community we aspire to be.”
Updates to the Zoning Ordinance include an overall increase in clarity and consistency. More explanations and examples were included while reducing the overall volume of the document.
The major changes that impact the planning and development community include:
Revised procedures for review and approval of certain applications. Applications that meet specific criteria can be approved by the Planning Commission while smaller scale projects can be approved by Town staff instead of all applications needing approval by Town Council. This change will reduce the approval timeline.
The “industry standards” were updated to reflect the current and innovate opportunities.
The Residential Design Review process has been streamlined.
The landscape buffers were revised to be more equitable.
Town staff now has the authority to provide “minor amendments” to customers administratively which will save applicants time and potentially money.
Sign Regulations were revised to allow for comprehensive sign packages that can be approved by Town staff and the Planning Commission rather than Town Council.
The Design Guidelines were updated and streamlined to be more efficient.
A new Agri-Tainment Overlay Zoning District was added to preserve and protect the existing cultural resources and provide new opportunities for projects to respect our past while supporting future growth.
The time limits for Preliminary Plat and Final Plat approvals were extended.
Concerns regarding the storage of recreational vehicles in residential districts were addressed. New standards were developed for both small and larger sized lots.
Resident and industry feedback regarding the updates has been overwhelmingly positive, including a letter of support from the Home Builders Association of Central Arizona.
The updated document will go into effect on August 14 and is available online. To stay updated on events and activities in the community, follow the Town on Facebook.com/QueenCreek or Twitter.com/TOQC_Official. For more information about the Town visit QueenCreek.org.
