Chairman Clymer called the meeting to order at 6 pm.

MOTION BY Commissioner Marlon Booth, SECONDED BY Commissioner Anthony Wang to APPROVE the draft minutes of the Planning and Zoning Commission meeting on October 16, 2024. The motion carried by the following vote:

AYE:

Chairman Gregg Clymer, Vice Chair Maria Sambito, Commissioner Kent Hegedus, Commissioner Marlon Booth, Commissioner Anthony Wang, Commissioner Jeremiah Smith, Commissioner Ernie Nepomuceno

Passed - Unanimously

None.

None.

Senior Planner Guadalupe Ortiz Cortez presented an overview of the Design Guidelines Manual update. Staff and Michael Baker International, the city’s consultant, began working on the Design Guidelines Manual update in May 2023. The process began with City Council interviews, followed by creating a memorandum on the existing conditions and providing for best practices. The process of updating the Design Guidelines Manual included two rounds of community outreach and each round encompassed a community workshop and an online survey. A draft of the Design Guidelines Manual was available for public comment on the city’s website. Additional outreach efforts included three virtual developer forums with each forum focused on a specific topic that covered the manual’s design philosophy and proposed updates. The current draft of the Design Guidelines Manual took into consideration resident, developer, and City Council feedback. The proposed Design Guidelines Manual was presented to City Council on October 21, 2024. After the staff presentation, the City Council requested stronger language on water conservation and water features, additional guidelines on public art for all development types, provisions for access and circulation and ingress/egress in shopping centers, consistent guidelines for landscape throughout the document including stronger language on shade and heat mitigation as well consideration for future city areas that can benefit from enhanced landscape.  Additionally, City Council requested language on building embellishments, including the incorporation of stone in multi-family developments. The City Council also expressed the significance for the Design Guidelines Manual to maintain flexibility to address changing times.To address City Council’s feedback, staff and the consultant amended the Design Objectives to add that site and building design strategies utilize “water stewardship”, clarified when water features are appropriate and used consistent language throughout the document when referring to water conservation, landscaping, and public art. To provide flexibility for innovative development and product design, a process was created to provide developers the ability to propose alternative designs to design guidelines while meeting the intent of Design Guidelines Manual’s Design Objectives and Principles.

Commission asked for clarification on the exemptions for low income housing. Ms. Ortiz Cortez explained that the applicant can propose an alternative design that still upholds the design guidelines but may propose different materials. 

Commission asked if there was a separate landscaping guidline in the manual. Ms. Ortiz Cortez explained that there is not a separate landscape guidelines, however the zoning ordinance does have guidance on landscaping.

MOTION BY Commissioner Kent Hegedus, SECONDED BY Commissioner Jeremiah Smith to RECOMMEND approval for the DESIGN GUIDELINES MANUAL UPDATE. The motion carried by the following vote:

AYE:

Chairman Gregg Clymer, Vice Chair Maria Sambito, Commissioner Kent Hegedus, Commissioner Marlon Booth, Commissioner Anthony Wang, Commissioner Jeremiah Smith, Commissioner Ernie Nepomuceno

Passed - Unanimously

Assistant Planner Jimmy Carreon presented the request to amend the GSQ Comprehensive Sign Plan. The amendment will include provisions for adjustments to sign types, height allowances, and area allowances for various uses within the property. There are primary and secondary multi-tenant monument signs for GSQ. The original GSQ Comprehensive Sign Plan called for eighteen-foot primary identify tenant monument sign to be placed at the main drive entries off perimeter roadways. Whereas a twelve-foot secondary tenant monument sign would be placed at the main drives internal to the project site. The proposed amendment to the GSQ Comprehensive Sign Plan requests canopy signs have a maximum area of fifty percent of the wall signage allowance versus the twenty-five percent maximum allowance initially approved, and that canopy sign letters be restricted to two feet in height, except for logos and the first letter of each word, which can be up to four feet in height. For commercial, retail and mixed-uses, the proposed amendment to the GSQ Comprehensive Sign Plan proposes 1.5 square feet of copy area per linear foot of building frontage on all elevations regardless of whether the elevation is parallel to Public or Private Streets or an internal circulation drive of a Lot. This varies with the currently approved allowance of 1.5 square feet of sign copy area per linear foot of building frontage for building elevations parallel to Public or Private Streets and 0.5 square feet of sign copy area per linear foot of building frontage for building elevations facing internal circulation drives of a Lot. The proposed amendment to the GSQ Comprehensive Sign Plan requires drive-through directional signage to adhere to the same standards within Article 7 of the Goodyear Zoning Ordinance.

Commission asked whether this would set a precedent for other developments. Mr. Carreon explained the process that would be required for another comprehensive sign package similar to this application, including approval from Commission and City Council. Planning Manager Christian Williams explained that the site, zoning constraints, density of buildings, height of buildings, and pedestrian connectivity would all factor in a future development sign package in comparison to this application. Mr. Williams explained that when the entitlement process was done for GSQ, it was indicated that additional sign information would be submitted in the future.

Commission stated that they would like to have staff point out the differences in any future sign packages in similarity with this application, specifying the differences from standards.

Commission asked for clarification on the signage amendment. Mr. Carreon reviewed the current signage and sizes, explaining the additional signage allowances for canopy signs and wall signage.

Commission expressed they would appreciate more visual examples for signage applications in the future.

Andy Gibson, representing the applicant, reviewed the application and was available for questions.

MOTION BY Commissioner Kent Hegedus, SECONDED BY Commissioner Marlon Booth to RECOMMEND approval for case P24-00291 AMENDMENT TO THE COMPREHENSIVE SIGN PACKAGE FOR GSQ. The motion carried by the following vote:

AYE:

Chairman Gregg Clymer, Vice Chair Maria Sambito, Commissioner Kent Hegedus, Commissioner Marlon Booth, Commissioner Anthony Wang, Commissioner Jeremiah Smith, Commissioner Ernie Nepomuceno

Passed - Unanimously

Commission Secretary Alissa Magley reviewed the 2025 Planning and Zoning Commission calendar. 

MOTION BY Commissioner Ernie Nepomuceno, SECONDED BY Commissioner Anthony Wang to APPROVE the 2025 Planning and Zoning Commission Calendar. The motion carried by the following vote:

AYE:

Chairman Gregg Clymer, Vice Chair Maria Sambito, Commissioner Kent Hegedus, Commissioner Marlon Booth, Commissioner Anthony Wang, Commissioner Jeremiah Smith, Commissioner Ernie Nepomuceno

Passed - Unanimously

Commission Secretary Alissa Magley introduced the new Development Services Administrator, Caroline Ruiz.

The next Planning and Zoning Commission meeting will be held on December 4, 2024 at 6 pm in the Goodyear City Hall Council Chambers.