TO: Mayor Bien-Willner and Town Council Members
FROM: Jill B. Keimach, Town Manager
Jeremy Knapp, Community Development Director
DATE: March 12, 2020
DEPARTMENT: Community Development
Staff Contact Jeremy Knapp, Community Development Director, 480-348-3522
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AGENDA TITLE:
Title
General Plan Update Process - 20 Minutes
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SUMMARY STATEMENT:
A general plan is a publicly adopted long range plan for land use and development, serving as a basis for decision making regarding policies and programs by Town Council, the Planning Commission, Town Staff, developers, and residents. The Town's current General Plan (Attachment A) was adopted in 2012 as an update to the 2003 General Plan.
Arizona state law requires that each city or town adopt a comprehensive, long-range general plan to guide the physical development within their community. State law also requires that a general plan be readopted every 10 years. The Town's General Plan was adopted in 2012, as such we are approaching the requirement to re-adopt the plan in 2022. Additionally, state law requires municipalities with a population over 10,000 residents to include seven specific elements within their General Plan. The required elements include:
1. Land Use
2. Circulation
3. Open Space
4. Growth Area (if any)
5. Environmental Planning
6. Cost of Development
7. Water resourses
In December of 2019 staff and Town Council discussed in a study session generally the purpose of a General Plan and requirements to update. Furthermore, at the Town Council's Planning and Zoning Process Retreat in January of this year, discussion was had about the approach to updating the plan. Generally, the process requires adoption of a Public Participation Plan, 60-day review period for adjacent planning agencies, a public hearing at the Planning Commission, a public hearing at Town Council, and voter ratification in a municipal election. A more detailed schedule of required steps can be found in Attachment...
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