After taking input from residents, city staff has opted to remove two general plan proposals officials say will help facilitate a hub of advanced industries in north Peoria.
City workers have been gathering public input about new proposed amendments to the general plan officials they say will help provide the platform to comprehensively master plan two areas in north Peoria, considering utilities, infrastructure, and land uses for these areas.
Some residents have opposed this, particularly those in the northern part of the city where these developments would occur, saying the changes would make it too easy to develop an airpark and other projects near where they live.
After public meetings and taking input from the community on the new proposed amendments to Peoria's general plan, the city has opted to change two items from the package of proposed amendments regarding requirements of minor and major general plan amendments.
Minor and major general plan amendments are needed for some developments to take place in Peoria, and both require a review and notification process, but they differ in the number of requirements needed during the permitting process. For example, a minor general plan amendment does not have a specific time requirement for the project, while a major general plan amendment does. A minor general plan amendment also does not require as many community meetings and requires a simple majority from council to be approved
Under today’s rules, big projects such as an airport might require a major general plan amendment to move forward in the city’s entitlement process. Requirements include the project be presented at a public hearing within 12 months of when a proposal is made and two separate planning commission hearings before going to the council for final approval, where a two-thirds majority vote is required.
Current rules also state anything bigger than 80 acres would require a major general plan amendment.
In the initial proposal, the city wanted to change the criteria of a major general plan amendment and enlarge this threshold from 80 acres to 640 acres. The initial proposal also had a proposed change to the general plan that would add a definition that allows any state trust land, no matter the size in acreage, to be processed as a minor general plan amendment.
However, after holding public meetings on the subject and taking input from the public, the city decided to pull that proposal, as well as the 640-acre proposal, retaining the 80-acre threshold.
Mesquite District Councilmember Brad Shafer, who represents the northernmost area of the city, said this a good step forward.
“I would say those are big wins for the community,” he said.
The general plan amendments are scheduled for public meetings in June, July and August, with final approval expected to go before council in September.
As directed by Mayor Jason Beck and council, the city is looking to position itself as a future hub of advanced industries, with a focal point being a proposed airpark in the northern part of the city. To do this, the city is seeking to master plan about 8,300 acres of Arizona state land in in north Peoria — two areas known as North Peoria Gateway, adjacent to Vistancia’s commercial core, and Peoria Innovation Core, spanning from Pleasant Valley north to State Route 74.
To help facilitate this, the city plans to amend its general plan to create a “more intentional, better suited land-use category for strategic state land.”
However, the city has hit some opposition from north Peoria residents, who Shafer says, are largely opposed to an airpark in their backyard.
Changes to the general plan should not be at the will of a select few, but should go to the voters, Shafer said.
“They approved the general plan and they should have a vote on the changes,” he said.
EDITOR'S NOTE: An initial version of this story did not reflect information and statements made by city staff. The story has since been corrected.
Meet Philip Haldiman is an award-winning journalist who most recently took first place for investigative reporting in 2023 from Arizona Newspapers Association. He joined Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, in 2015, covering Sun City West his first year. Since 2016, he has covered the city of Peoria. Prior to coming to INI, he was a reporter with The Arizona Republic for seven years, covering numerous cities throughout the Valley. Before that, he was a freelance writer.
Community: Haldiman spearheads the Peoria Independent Hometown Heroes Awards program, honoring local individuals and businesses that give back to the community. He has hosted local candidate forums over the years and is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists. Haldiman also served as a member of the Journalism Program Community Advisory Board at Glendale Community College. Outside journalism, Haldiman served as a member of the city of Peoria Complete Count Committee for the Census, 2019-2020. Lastly, he has served as a member of his HOA governing board since 2021.
Education: Arizona State University with a BA in Journalism and Mass Communications and a BA in Theater.
Random Fact: Haldiman is a fourth-generation Arizonan as well as wrote and produced an autobiographical comic book about his time spent in Hollywood and his life as a cult film star.
Hobbies: He enjoys hiking Arizona’s mountainous landscapes and is currently working on a play for the stage.
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