The approximately 51 acres that is the subject of this rezoning request (the “Property”) is located at the northeast corner of N. Bullard Avenue and W. Van Buren Street. The Property was part of approximately 243 acres of property rezoned to Preliminary Planned Area Development (PAD) for Airport Gateway at Goodyear, by the City Council, on October 8, 2007 by Ordinance No. 07-1091, with an underlying designation of approximately 10 acres designated as ‘Retail’ and approximately 41 acres designated as ‘Business Park’. The remaining acreage within the aforementioned 243 acres of property known as Airport Gateway at Goodyear has since been rezoned or developed or is in the process of being rezoned. Approximately 25 acres was developed as the City of Hope medical facility; approximately 25.3 acres was rezoned with Ordinance No. 2023-2279, for commercial office and multi-family uses within the Celebration Plaza PAD; approximately 43.83 acres was rezoned with Ordinance No. 2023-1569 for business park-like uses within Urban Logistics, approximately 71.47 acres is being considered for a rezoning for commercial and light industrial development with the remnant acreage being developed or devoted to right-of-way. The Goodyear 2025 General Plan Land Use Designation for this property is ‘Business and Commerce’. |
Current Policy: A rezoning request requires public review and vote by the Planning and Zoning Commission and the City Council. The proposed rezoning must be in conformance with the General Plan and should not adversely impact the surrounding area. As set forth below, the proposed zoning is both consistent with the General Plan and will not adversely impact the surrounding area. Details of the Request: The current proposal requests to rezone the approximately 51 acres from Preliminary PAD to a PAD Zoning District with an underlying zoning district of I-1 (Light Industrial) with a PAD Overlay. The rezone would change the currently allowed uses on the property from preliminary Retail and Business Park to Light Industrial with a PAD overlay that would allow for Convenience Storage Mini-Storage on the eastern portion of the property. The use of a PAD Overlay is justified because the current development standards for I-1 (Light Industrial) do not include, as permitted uses, Convenience Storage Mini-Storage and this use is one of the few uses suitable for the portion of the property being rezoned. The portion of the property the applicant is interesting in potentially developing as a Convenience Storage Mini-Storage on is generally located north of the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) property and the city of Goodyear Fire Station 181 site. The site is a long and narrow, 155-foot-deep by 860-foot-long parcel that is not located adjacent to any arterial roadways. The PAD Overlay also calls for design enhancements that will provide for an enhanced light industrial development. The proposed PAD overlay will modify the I-1 (Light Industrial) standards as follows: Development Standards:
- A Convenience Storage Mini-Storage that does not exceed 50,000 square feet in size (a “Mini Storage”) shall be permitted as a Principal Permitted Use subject to the following:
a) Only one (1) Mini-Storage facility is permitted within the Property.
b) All storage shall be within a closed building.
c) Auctions, sales, service or repair activities are prohibited, except for the disposal of abandoned property from renters onsite.
d) There shall be no storage or use of hazardous or dangerous materials on the premises.
e) Storage building(s) shall not be located further east than the 145th Avenue alignment (14500 W).
f) Windows and faux windows shall not be mirrored in a manner that causes glare or reflection.
g) Storage unit doors, signage and stored materials in and on the interior of the building shall not be visible from public roadways. Windows with views into the building which do not indicate storage units or advertising materials are permitted.
h) The sliding gates shall be screened in an architecturally designed manner that shields the interior storage from the public view. PVC, vinyl, or similar slats inserted into a gate does not constitute architecturally designed manner.
i) All exterior doors (excluding doors for the office) including main doors, and loading unloading, and individual storage units’ doors shall be painted to match the buildings in which they are located.
Additionally, enhanced design standards are being placed on the property such as:
- Prohibition of cross-dock warehousing (i.e. warehouses with dock doors on opposing sides of the building for loading and/or unloading of stored goods) and cross-dock transfer facilities (i.e. facilities that provide for the transfer of goods from incoming vehicles on one side of a building to outbound vehicles on the other side of the same building with little or no storage).
- Limitations on the number of roll-up doors and/or service wash bays doors that can directly face W. Van Buren Street and W. Celebrate Life Way without screening so that only four (4) roll-up doors and/or service and wash bay doors shall be visible from W. Van Buren Street, and W. Celebrate Life Way.
- Requirement for the development shall implement the Bullard Avenue Corridor Design Treatments on N. Bullard Avenue (the “Bullard Avenue Landscape Buffer”).
- Allowing retention basins, in excess of 50% of the landscaped frontage to be located on the eastern 25 feet of the N. Bullard Avenue landscape setbacks within the Bullard Avenue Landscape Buffer.
- Prohibiting roll-up doors and/or service and wash bay doors from facing N. Bullard Avenue unless they are screened by other buildings that prevent the roll-up doors and service and wash bay doors from being visible from N. Bullard Avenue.
- Requiring the western most commercial buildings located along/adjacent to N. Bullard Avenue to provide direct pedestrian connections to N. Bullard Avenue.
- Requiring all truck courts and dock doors located within truck courts shall be substantially screened from the public right of way along W. Van Buren Street and N. Bullard Avenue, such that dock doors are not visible from the public right of way of those aforementioned streets.
- Requiring colors of the buildings to include bold colors and not simply be a gray base color with shades of gray, black and white but rather a neutral desert base color with additional bolder accent colors to add vibrancy unless alternative color and design elements that are equal of greater to level of quality are approved by the Development Services Director or designee.
Evaluation Criteria: Per the city of Goodyear Zoning Ordinance, the city’s review and recommendation on a zoning amendment is to be guided by the following criteria: 1. Consistency with the General Plan. The subject property is located within the Business & Commerce land use category of the city’s 2025 General Plan. This category is intended to provide areas for the growth and development of Goodyear’s economic base, including large areas for shopping and entertainment that are regionally significant (typically serving a trade area of 5?10 miles or larger). Business & Commerce does also include uses such as business parks, offices, warehouses, regional hospitals, high density residential that supports the area, and other light industrial uses that are also appropriate, in certain areas. This rezoning to I-1 (Light Industrial) with a PAD Overlay proposes light industrial uses that are consistent with the General Plan Business & Commerce land use category. 2. Suitability of the subject property’s physical and natural features for the uses permitted under the proposed zoning district. The Site is generally flat with no physical or natural features that would hinder the development of the proposed project. 3. Compatibility of all potential uses allowed in the proposed zoning district with surrounding uses and zoning. Current and future uses and development of the properties surrounding the subject property include: North – Vacant Agriculture and Urban Logistics Light Industrial/Business Park; South – Van Buren Street, Vacant Industrial land for data center; East – Arizona State Department of Transportation Property; West – Bullard Avenue, Cabana multi-family and Bullard Commerce Center; 4. Proposed zoning district’s consistency with other land uses within the immediate area and whether uses allowed under the proposed zoning district would be better suited to the subject property than the uses allowed under the current zoning. Luke Air Force Base: The property does not fall within the Luke Air Force Base Accident Potential Zone or the DNL. However, the subject property is located within the vicinity of a military airport. Given the location of the property and the proposed zoning, base operations will not be adversely impacted by this development. Phoenix-Goodyear Airport: The property does not fall within the Phoenix-Goodyear Airport DNL. 5. Demand for the types of uses permitted in the proposed zoning district in relation to the amount of land currently zoned and available to accommodate the demand. The applicant has indicated there is market demand and user demand for light industrial uses. 6. Demands for public services that will be generated by the uses permitted in the proposed zoning district. School Districts: The subject property is located within the Avondale Elementary School District and the Agua Fria Union High School District. Due to the non-residential nature of the land use, the school district should not be impacted from a student enrollment standpoint. Fire Response: Emergency response times and distances are provided below:
Nearest Goodyear Fire Station |
Shortest path |
2nd Nearest Goodyear Fire Station |
Shortest path |
Mins |
Miles |
Mins |
Miles |
Fire Station #181 |
.81 |
.41 |
Fire Station #183 |
5.77 |
2.89 |
Police Response: The proposed development is located within an existing police patrol beat and the current level of service within the beat can accommodate the development of the property. Streets/Transportation: The property will be largely accessed from Bullard Avenue, Celebrate Life Way and Van Buren Street. The Engineering Department has created stipulations to address traffic requirements applicable to this development. Those stipulations include the requirement for improvements along Bullard Avenue, Van Buren Street and Celebrate Life Way as well as contributions towards traffic signals at 145th Avenue and Van Buren Street. Water/Wastewater: The subject property is located within the City of Goodyear water and wastewater service area. 7. Potential adverse fiscal impacts that will result from providing services to areas not in proximity to where existing public services are provided. The developer will be responsible for extending service infrastructure needed to support the property and will pay their proportionate share of impact fees for regional growth. 8. General public concerns. Public Participation: An alternative notification process was used for this rezoning. A formal citizen review meeting was not held, but notice providing information on the rezone was mailed to 21 owners of property within 500 feet of the subject property and other stakeholders on October 4, 2023. There was no objection to the rezone received. A public notice that this rezoning request would be considered and reviewed at a public hearing to be held before the Planning and Zoning Commission on January 17, 2024 appeared in the Arizona Republic Southwest Valley Edition December 29, 2023; postcards were mailed to adjoining owners on December 20, 2023; and a sign was posted on the site on December 28, 2023. 9. Whether the amendment promotes orderly growth and development. The subject property is within a quarter mile of existing development and located within the proximity of City services and infrastructure. 10. Any other factors related to the impact of the amendment on the general health, safety and welfare of the citizens of the City and the general public. The proposed development will rezone one of the final pieces of largely agricultural land surrounding the City of Hope medical facility from agricultural uses into a light industrial development that creates jobs. The site is south of the junction of Interstate-10 (Papago Freeway) and Bullard Avenue along a major transportation corridor between Phoenix and Los Angeles. |