
Goodyear Updates Zoning Code for First Time in 27 Years; Convenience Store Fuel Project Approved Despite Truck-Stop Concerns
Goodyear City Council approved a modernized comprehensive zoning ordinance (first update in 27 years) with flexible provisions for battery storage and data centers, and approved a convenience store with gas station use permit with safeguards against overnight truck parking.
Goodyear Updates Zoning Code for First Time in 27 Years; Convenience Store Fuel Project Approved Despite Truck-Stop Concerns
On July 7, 2026, Goodyear City Council approved the city's first comprehensive zoning ordinance overhaul since 1999, a sweeping modernization designed to accommodate data centers, battery energy storage, and housing diversity while maintaining neighborhood safeguards. The same evening, the council narrowly approved a convenience store with dual-fuel capabilities (vehicles and semi-trucks) at MC85 and Cotton Lane, though one council member's dissent signaled unease about overnight truck parking despite staff assurances that the facility is not a traditional truck stop.
The two major land-use votes bookended a meeting that also included community grant allocations and a government-affairs briefing on the 2026 Arizona legislative session. The zoning ordinance vote was unanimous; the gas-station vote was 6–1, with Council Member Laura Kaino as the sole dissenter.
Key Speeches
On the Zoning Ordinance:
"This is a give-and-take process. This is a diplomacy process. Moving forward, all that the Arizona Technology Council asks for is that when projects come before you, whether they are a battery energy storage system or a tech campus or a data center, please take them into account one by one, which means sometimes there may be flexibility that may be needed to be granted by planning and zoning as well as city council." — Sepand Alazada, Arizona Technology Council
"I really feel we have a safe forward-thinking project for power and we have to keep up with the times because if we get behind, you know, it's not good. So, and everybody else is doing it. We're not the only state that's doing it." — Council Member Vicki Gillis
"I'm all for all of this. I understand all of this. But I just want us to be very much aware that we may have homes around there somewhere. And in fact, I think one of the locations now is close to a subdivision anyway. And I just don't want those folks to be irritated by noise." — Council Member Wally Campbell, on battery storage noise testing
On the Convenience Store:
"This really isn't a truck stop. This is really a convenience for diesel trucks that are coming in and out of the warehouse district. There's not going to be any overnight parking. It's not going to be allowed. Our owner is going to keep this open 24/7 and there is no overnight parking. All you can basically do with a semi is pull in, fill up, and you got to leave just like everybody else." — Frank Gadun, Asencia Architecture, representing Karaoka Project Companies
Timeline
Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance (Ordinance 2026-1652)
-
Staff presentation: Christian Williams (Planning Manager) and Guadalupe Ortiz Cortez (Principal Planner) outlined an 18-month process beginning January 2025, including community workshops (April 2025, May 2026), a survey of 200+ respondents, roundtables with the development community, and three work sessions with the planning-and-zoning commission and city council. Michael Baker International served as consultant.
-
Public comment: Five speakers, approximately 15–20 minutes combined. Sepand Alazada (Arizona Technology Council) praised staff engagement and emphasized the need for project-by-project flexibility. Samantha Damas (Rose Law Group, PC, on behalf of Microsoft) thanked staff and flagged ongoing development-agreement discussions. Autumn Johnson (Arizona Solar Energy Industries Association) highlighted national battery standards (NFPA 855, APA guidance at 50–150 feet) and urged continued flexibility through special-use permits. Cristiana Fedul Pepper, a Buckeye resident and clean-energy advocate, urged a 150-foot setback when plume studies support it and praised staff for balancing safety and growth. One additional speaker (Sean Pepper) submitted a card in support of responsible energy storage but did not speak.
-
Council discussion: Council Member Laura Kaino commended staff for stakeholder engagement and noted Kenny Kudson's leadership. Council Member Wally Campbell sought clarification on setback mechanics (battery modules measured at the source, not property lines; 100 feet from industrial, 150 feet from commercial, 330 feet from residential or sensitive uses, with special-use permits allowing reduction to 150 feet if plume study approves). Wally Campbell also raised concerns about battery-storage noise during testing and urged project-by-project evaluation. Council Member Trey Terry noted the ordinance had grown to approximately 350 pages and suggested future streamlining; he emphasized that the update is an improvement but a "living document" requiring ongoing refinement. Vice Mayor Brannon Hampton stressed the importance of flexibility and coordination with Microsoft and utility partners (APS, SRP). Council Member Vicki Gillis expressed enthusiasm, noting setbacks had evolved from 500 feet to 300 feet to 150 feet and praising forward-thinking regulation.
-
Vote: 7–0, passed.
Convenience Store with Gas Station (MC85 and Cotton Lane)
-
Staff presentation: Staff introduced the project as a 5.2-acre commercial development in the C2 (general commercial) zone within the CP Lake and Park planned area development. Originally approved in September 2023 with access via a common driveway on a neighboring industrial property, the applicant (Karaoka Project Companies) was unable to obtain legal access after an 18-month negotiation with the neighboring property owner. A redesign relocated access to a direct driveway from MC85 (right-in/right-out only) and a secondary Cotton Lane access (also right-in/right-out, with deceleration lane). The project features 16 vehicle fuel pumps and 3 semi-truck fuel pumps, a 24-hour convenience store, desert-color palette, and a bus stop. No neighborhood meeting was held due to residential separation (El Cidro, Arabal Villas, Lake and Park Bungalows all at least a half-mile away); alternative citizen review (postcards) was conducted. ADOT and county DOT reviewed and approved the traffic study. The planning-and-zoning commission voted 4–0 to recommend approval on July 1, 2026.
-
Applicant presentation: Frank Gadun (Asencia Architecture) explained the access issue and the collaboration with city staff and MCDOT to redesign the project. He clarified that the neighboring property owner's refusal to sell a sliver of land that blocked the common-driveway access prompted the redesign.
-
Public comment: No speakers addressed the use permit directly.
-
Council discussion: Brannon Hampton asked about the future fire station location and the Karaoka brand. Council Member Trey Terry raised concerns about State Route 30 (planned to the south, less than a mile away) and the likely direction of truck traffic in five to ten years, given that SR 30 would connect to Interstate 303 southbound and Interstate 10 northbound. He expressed concern about traffic flow, left-turn maneuvers at Cotton Lane and MC85, and enforcement of no-overnight-parking provisions, which would be private (not city) enforcement. Staff and the applicant noted that trucks could maneuver through the site to fuel and exit; MCDOT had approved the design and requires a right-in/right-out configuration. The applicant explained that trucks seeking freeway access could proceed north a half-mile to Lwood, where they would have ramps to SR 303 or SR 30. The distance from the center line of South Cotton Lane to the exit turn was stated as 275 feet. Council Member Laura Kaino reiterated her previous no vote, citing truck-stop concerns, despite the staff assurance that there is no overnight parking and the facility will be staffed 24/7 with quick enforcement. She did not contest the architectural or traffic elements.
-
Vote: 6–1. Council Members voting yes: Brannon Hampton, Trey Terry, Laura Kaino (abstentions or absences not stated). Council Member voting no: Laura Kaino. Individual votes were not named for the other four council members in the transcript.
Opposition
Convenience Store Gas Station:
- Number of speakers against: 0 (no public speakers on this item; opposition came only from Laura Kaino).
Main concerns raised by Laura Kaino:
- Introduction of a truck-stop element to the area.
- Absence of explicit restrictions on truck idle time (though no overnight parking was stipulated).
- Private enforcement of no-overnight-parking rules, placing compliance outside city control.
- Uncertainty about whether the facility's design would prevent overnight parking in practice.
Organized groups: None registered opposition on the record.
Support
Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance:
- Number of speakers in support: 4 (Sepand Alazada, Samantha Damas, Autumn Johnson, Cristiana Fedul Pepper); plus 1 additional card in support with no speech.
Main themes:
- Stakeholder engagement and collaboration: Alazada and Damas highlighted the quality of staff engagement and the willingness to listen to industry feedback.
- Project-by-project flexibility: Both industry representatives (Arizona Technology Council, Microsoft through Rose Law Group, PC) emphasized that the ordinance should enable flexibility through special-use permits rather than rigid standards, allowing evaluation of each project on its merits.
- Alignment with national standards: Johnson cited NFPA 855, APA guidance, and peer-city setbacks (Maricopa County 100 feet, Buckeye 150 feet) to validate the proposed framework and encourage future alignment with best practice.
- Clean energy and grid reliability: Fedul Pepper argued that battery storage is essential to grid reliability during peak summer demand and that Goodyear can balance safety with preparedness for growth without sacrificing either.
- Economic and fiscal benefits: Fedul Pepper highlighted that responsible energy-storage permitting attracts investment, creates construction jobs, and generates tax revenue.
Organized groups: Arizona Technology Council, Arizona Solar Energy Industries Association.
Most compelling arguments:
- Sepand Alazada's framing of the ordinance as a "living, breathing document" that requires periodic refresh, and his emphasis on project-specific flexibility rather than one-size-fits-all standards.
- Autumn Johnson's citation of national fire and planning standards, validating the council's 150-foot setback as reasonable and evidence-based.
- Cristiana Fedul Pepper's personal testimony as a neighboring-community resident who has come to value Goodyear and sees energy storage as compatible with community well-being.
Convenience Store Gas Station:
- Number of speakers in support: 0 (no public speakers; all council members except Laura Kaino voted yes without elaborating on rationale in public comment, though their discussion touched on design and enforcement).
Project Details
Convenience Store with Gas Station
- Case number / application type: Use permit (not explicitly numbered in transcript).
- Applicant / developer: Karaoka Project Companies (owner); Asencia Architecture (design consultant).
- Attorney / representative: Frank Gadun, Asencia Architecture.
- Location / address: Southwest corner of MC85 and Cotton Lane, Goodyear, Arizona.
- APN: Not stated in transcript.
- Current zoning → Proposed zoning: C2 (general commercial) within CP Lake and Park planned area development; no zoning change requested (use permit only).
- Density / units / square footage: 5.2 acres; 24-hour convenience store with 16 vehicle fuel pumps, 3 semi-truck fuel pumps.
- Key design features:
- Direct access driveway from MC85 (right-in/right-out only).
- Secondary access from Cotton Lane (right-in/right-out with deceleration lane).
- Desert color theme with decorative corner feature at MC85 and Cotton Lane intersection.
- Bus stop on Cotton Lane.
- No overnight truck parking allowed (stipulation).
- Not a travel center (no showers, no lodging).
- 24-hour staffing and operation.
- Changes from previous version: Original design (September 2023 approval) provided access via common driveway on neighboring industrial property; redesigned access is now direct from MC85 after applicant was unable to acquire legal right-of-way through neighboring property's sliver of land.
Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance
- Ordinance number: 2026-1652.
- Ordinance replacing: Ordinance 99-655 (adopted 1999), in effect for 27 years.
- Scope: Comprehensive update affecting approximately 350 pages of municipal code.
- Major topics addressed:
- Battery energy storage systems: Setbacks revised from proposed 500 feet to 300 feet to final 150 feet (with plume and toxic-fume study via special-use permit); 100 feet from industrial uses, 150 feet from commercial, 330 feet from residential or sensitive uses (schools, churches, etc.).
- Data centers: Regulatory framework updated in response to state law changes and industry interest.
- Temporary signage: Standards revised.
- Noticing requirements: Updated.
- Housing diversity: New provisions to enable varied housing types.
- Development standards: Refined for clarity and compliance with state and federal law.
- Public engagement process: 18 months (January 2025–July 2026), including community workshops (April 2025, May 2026), survey (200+ responses), roundtables with development community, three work sessions with planning-zoning commission and city council, developer forums (quarterly).
- Consultant: Michael Baker International.
- Implementation: City plans an annual review cycle to identify unintended consequences, clarify ambiguities, and adjust standards in response to emerging trends or new state law.
Vote Breakdown
Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance (Ordinance 2026-1652)
- Final: 7–0 (passed).
- Yes: All seven council members (specific names not called individually in record; Mayor Joe Pizzillo, Vice Mayor Brannon Hampton, Council Members Wally Campbell, Laura Kaino, Vicki Gillis, Benita Beckles, Trey Terry).
- No: None.
- Abstentions / absences: None.
Convenience Store with Gas Station Use Permit
- Final: 6–1 (approved).
- Yes: 6 council members (specific names not called individually in record).
- No: Council Member Laura Kaino.
- Abstentions / absences: None (all seven council members present or online).
Outcome & Next Steps
Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance: Ordinance 2026-1652 was adopted unanimously. The city will implement an annual review cycle to monitor for unintended consequences and respond to clarifying questions from the development community. Staff will maintain a log of issues and will coordinate with the city manager and development services director to bring forward any amendments or refinements for council consideration. Brannon Hampton emphasized continued coordination with Microsoft on development agreements and with utility partners (APS, SRP) on energy-related provisions.
Convenience Store with Gas Station: The use permit was approved with stipulations, including no overnight parking, 24/7 staffing and operation, right-in/right-out driveway configurations, and private enforcement of parking restrictions. The applicant is authorized to proceed with detailed design and permitting.
Controversies & Context
Battery Energy Storage Setbacks: The ordinance underwent significant revision during its 18-month development, with setback distances shrinking from an initial 500 feet to 300 feet to a final 150 feet (conditioned on plume and toxic-fume studies via special-use permit). Council Member Wally Campbell expressed concern that battery storage facilities near residential subdivisions could generate noise during testing, citing a recent incident in which a battery facility's alarm disturbed nearby neighbors. He urged project-by-project evaluation and early engagement with affected residents. Industry representatives (Arizona Solar Energy Industries Association, Arizona Technology Council) highlighted that national standards (NFPA 855, APA guidance) support setbacks of 50–150 feet and that Maricopa County requires 100 feet, positioning Goodyear's 150-foot final setback as reasonable and aligned with peer practice.
Truck Traffic and Overnight Parking: Council Member Trey Terry raised concerns about the convenience store's design in light of planned State Route 30 construction (expected within five years, less than a mile south of the site) and the likelihood that trucks would access the facility via SR 30 and Interstate 303 southbound. He questioned whether the right-in/right-out design would create bottlenecks or force drivers into unintended routes, and whether private enforcement of no-overnight-parking rules would be effective. Council Member Laura Kaino voted no, citing opposition to the truck-stop element and uncertainty about whether the absence of dedicated truck-parking lanes would actually prevent overnight parking. The applicant and staff clarified that the facility is a convenience fuel stop, not a truck stop with showers or lodging, and that 24/7 staffing will enable quick ejection of any vehicle attempting to park overnight. However, because enforcement is private (not city code enforcement), Laura Kaino remained concerned.
State Route 30 and Future Traffic: The planned SR 30 corridor, which will provide freeway-speed access to Interstate 303 and Interstate 10 within a half-mile south and west of the project, will likely reshape traffic patterns in the area within five to ten years. Trey Terry expressed concern that the current site design might not accommodate the truck traffic volumes and routing that will emerge once SR 30 opens; staff noted that MCDOT had reviewed and approved the design and that trucks can exit at Lwood (a half-mile north) to reach the new freeways, reducing the need to maneuver through the convenience store site.
Development Agreement for Microsoft: Samantha Damas (Rose Law Group, PC, representing Microsoft) noted that the company is working with city staff on a development agreement to address remaining concerns not resolved by the zoning ordinance. Brannon Hampton reiterated the council's commitment to completing that agreement.
Ordinance Scope and Complexity: Council Member Trey Terry observed that the ordinance now spans approximately 350 pages and suggested that future amendments should seek to streamline and simplify portions to improve readability and usability for residents, developers, and staff.
Duration
- Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance item: Approximately 60–90 minutes (staff presentation, five public comments, council discussion, vote).
- Convenience Store with Gas Station item: Approximately 45–60 minutes (staff presentation, applicant response, council discussion, vote).
- Total meeting: Approximately 3.5–4 hours (including appointments, consent agenda, other business items, executive session call, and council updates).
Other Notable Items
Community Grant Funding (FY2026–27): The council unanimously approved $214,400 in funding to 32 nonprofits from $1.9 million in requests, emphasizing that grantees must actively serve Goodyear residents (not merely promise to) and that food banks are experiencing increased demand due to rising food costs.
2026 Post-Legislative Session Overview: Chief Government Affairs Officer Edwin Hernandez and Government Affairs Officer Anthony Castleman briefed the council on the 2026 Arizona legislative session (record 2,190 bills introduced; city tracked 500+), highlighting successes in preserving local authority, protecting state shared revenues, and securing a $4 million appropriation for the statewide 911 system shortfall. They also reported on federal affairs (Colorado River water negotiations, surface transportation program reauthorization ending September 30, Safe Streets and Roads for All program, congressionally directed spending requests including $750,000 for soil aquifer treatment site in the House appropriations bill). Joe Pizzillo requested a written report on all 10 ballot measures and their impact on the city. Brannon Hampton reported on attending the Women in Municipal Government Conference in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, and will chair the "First-Year Suburbs" (rebranding to "Suburban Communities Council") and lead a tour of the Jamestown Police Department in Louisville, Kentucky to discuss public-private partnerships. Joe Pizzillo praised the seamless opening of the BIES entertainment venue and reported that traffic is flowing well on Bullard Avenue. City Manager reported that the Fourth of July event drew nearly 13,000 attendees and featured a 400-drone show; mayor requested a demographic breakdown of attendees (Goodyear residents vs. outside).
View source transcript ▼
Source: City Council Regular Meeting - 07/06/2026 — July 7, 2026. Auto-generated YouTube transcript; may contain transcription errors.
Heat. Heat. Heat. Hey, Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Welcome to the Goodyear City Council meeting. We're excited to have you be a part of this important public process. Tonight, you will have the opportunity to address city council on both non-aggenda and agenda items. You must fill out a speaker request card in order to address the city council. The agendas and speaker request cards are located in the back of the council chambers.
Please drop your completed card in the tray next to the blank speaker cards. If the meeting has already begun, please hand it to the city employee at the back of the room. You may check the I do not wish to speak option on the card. This allows you to let council know your opinion without having to speak. In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, please contact a staff member if you need any assistance.
Public comment on a non-aggenda item will take place during the citizen comment portion of the evening. These are items that don't appear on tonight's formal agenda. The city clerk will call your name when it's time for you to speak. At that time, please approach the podium and tell us your name for the record. You'll have a maximum of 3 minutes. The timer is on the screens visible from the podium.
Note that you may also choose not to speak if other speakers before you have said what you wanted to say. Shouting, cheering, and loud noises will not be tolerated and violators may be removed for disrupting the meeting. Goodyear city council meetings stream live on Facebook, YouTube, X, and online at goodyearaz.gov. Follow the city's social media pages so you don't miss out on all that's happening in Goodyear. Thank you for coming to this meeting and being an active part of your city.
And remember, it's a great time to be in Goodyear. Like to call the regular meeting to order for July 6, 2026. Everybody marked present. Uh, everybody's here except uh, council member Beckles, but she's online. And Bonita, I'll probably call you first for any discussion. Okay. Thank you. Yes. Okay. With that, uh, please join council member Terry in the pledge of allegiance and invocation. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands.
One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Almighty God, two days ago, this nation marked 250 years of independence. And that's kind of a strange thing to sit with. A handful of people once bet everything on the idea that ordinary folks could run their own affairs, argue about their own problems, and still call each other's neighbors afterwards.
Most of what we do on this council is small by comparison, zoning, budgets, ordinances, but it's the same inheritance handed down and still ours to carry for a little while. We're forever thankful for that. And tonight, we're also always thankful for the police officers and firefighters of this city who do the hard work of keeping the rest of us safe, usually without anyone knowing the exact details of what they put up with or what they accomplish on a day-to-day basis.
And Lord, there may be some folks in Belgium sending up some extra prayers tonight. I'd ask you to ignore their prayers and help the US national team send those self-proclaimed red devils home instead. In your name we pray. Amen. Amen. Council member Cherry, I expected nothing less. I kept it clean. Uh, now is the time for members of the public who wish to address the city council on any non-aggenda items jurisdiction. We have any cards? No, mayor. Okay. Thank you.
Next on the agenda is approved the appointment to boards, commissions, and committees. Do we have any speaker cards on this one? No mayor. Okay. Uh, will the council please enter a motion and a second to approve the appointments of the arts and culture commission as recommended by the council subcommittee on boards commissions? Got a motion in a second. Go ahead and open it up. Council member Beckles, please state your vote for the record. I passes 70. Thank you.
Now you're going to bring down and swearing in our We have one member here for the Will Jeremy Hart, please join me in the whale to take your oath of office. Is this good? Raise your right hand. Repeat after me.
I, Jeremiah Landon Hartsmore, do solemnly swear that I will support the Constitution of the United States that I will support the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution and laws of the State of Arizona and the Constitution and laws of the State of Arizona that I will bear true faith and allegiance that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same and defend them against all enemies foreign and domestic. foreign and domestic.
and that I will faithfully and that I will faithfully and impartially discharge the duties of commissioner according to the best of my ability according to the best of my ability. So I do affirm so I do affirm. Congratulations. Any comments from anybody? All right. Welcome aboard. Thank you. Uh, will the city clerk please read the consent agenda items 2 through 11 by title only? Thank you, mayor. Item two, approval of minutes.
Item three, approval of series 12 restaurant s and series 7 transfer liquor license for Postino. Item four, approval of series 12 restaurant liquor license for Feder Rico's Mexican food. Item five, approval of budget amendments and related expenditure authority. Item six, approval of letter of agreement with KB Home for reimbursement of certain development fees related to the construction of a single family home.
Item seven, approval of intergovernmental agreement with the city of Buckeye for emergency communications and dispatching backup services. Item eight, approve Arizona 911 funding assistance program agreement. Item nine, approve H.IE IE participation agreement with contexture, a web-based search engine for patient demographics. Item 10, adopt resolution number 2026-2531, approving the development agreement for reimbursement of traffic signal improvements.
Item 11, adopt resolution number 2026-2532 supporting the submission of 2026 grant applications by Lespus Academy Parent Teacher Organization and Southwestern Institute for the Education of Native Americans to the Achin Indian Community and authorizing the city manager or their designate to execute all documents relating to set applications and to accept and administer subsequent awarded funds and any amendments there as a pass through grant. Thank you. Any speaker cards? No, mayor.
Anybody in the audience like to speak on an item? Uh, does anybody on the council wish to remove an item? You do? I don't. I just have a comment for number six. I want the city to go on record to be sure to request from KB Homes who the veteran was when the home is completed, that it was in good year and who the veteran was. That's part of the agreement. Yes. Okay. Thank you. Anything else? Okay, with that, let's open it up. Council member Beckles, please state your vote for the record.
I passes 70. Thank you. Uh, our first public hearing is to consider a use permit for convenience store with gas station at Cotton Lane in MC85. Let me open the public hearing. Please introduce yourself to the public. Yes. Good evening, Mayor Pazillo and council members. Uh, this is a use permit request for a convenience store with gas station at the southwest corner of MC85 and Cotton Lane. So, the project site is shown here in the yellow boundary and it's about 5.2 acres in size.
It's located in the CP Lake and Park planned area development. Uh, most of this P A is zoned for industrial use. You can see that's the purple area on the map on the slide. There is a flex zone along both sides of Cotton Lane that allows either industrial or commercial as well as a public facility which would be a fire station to be constructed in the future. So the project we're talking about today is commercial and it will be implementing the C2 or general commercial development standards.
So again, the project is a 24-hour convenience store with retail gasoline sales for both vehicles and semi-truckss, and it does qualify as a convenience use per the zoning ordinance and therefore requires a use permit. So, this project does have use permit approval already. Uh that was approved by city council in September of 2023. So on this slide, I'm going to give you a quick rundown of um the project design that was approved at that time.
So per the original design, access from MC85 would have been from a common driveway uh located on the neighboring industrial property. There would have been secondary access from Cotton Lane. And there's the convenience store. Uh the fuel pumps would have been located between the store and MC85. Uh there would have been three pumps for semi-truckss and 12 pumps for vehicles.
So after this was approved, uh the applicant was not able to obtain legal access to the common drive on the neighboring property. So they did have to come up with an alternative design, which is why we're back for use permit approval again. So under the current proposal that access from the common drive on the neighboring property has been removed and replaced with direct access from MC85. There is still a secondary access point on Cotton Lane.
Both of these driveways will be right in right out only and the Cotton Lane driveway will have a deceleration lane. The convenience store has been shifted slightly since the driveways have also been shifted. The the fuel pumps are still located between the convenience store and the street. Uh there will be 16 vehicle fuel pumps now instead of 12, but there will still be three semi-truck fuel pumps. And there will also be a bus stop on Cotton Lane, which was also part of the original use permit.
Conceptual elevations have been provided by the applicant for both the building and the fuel pump canopies and they do comply with the city's uh design guidelines and we'll they'll use a desert color theme palette. Additionally, there'll be a corner feature at the corner of MC85 and Cotton Lane with decorative walls and enhanced landscaping. And this will be compatible with other entry features within Lake and Park.
So there is substantial residential separation between this project and residential neighborhoods. Uh El Cidro, the single family residential development is located to the northwest. Arabal Villas is located to the north. That's a multif family development. And Lake and Park Bungalows is currently under construction and that's to the west or southwest. So all three of these are located at least a half mile away from the project site.
So because there is no residential within the immediate vicinity of the project, we did not do a neighborhood meeting. Instead, we did alternative citizen review and postcards were sent to all neighbors within 500 ft of the project site. For the public hearings, we sent a second round of postcards, uh, posted signs on the site, um, did a website posting on the city's website, and published a legal ad in the paper.
Additionally, both the Arizona Department of Transportation and the county department of transportation were notified and had a chance to review the traffic study and approve it. And we held a planning and zoning commission hearing on July 1st. Uh, no members of the public spoke at that meeting. And the commission did vote 40 to recommend approval of the use permit.
So our recommendation tonight is to approve this use permit for a convenience use, which is a convenience store with gas station subject to the proposed staff stipulations. And we do have the applicant here tonight and he did have a presentation too that he might want to give. And we're both available for questions. Okay. I just ask the applicant to just hold off on the presentation. We'll see if we got any questions from up here on the dis. Okay.
Is that all right with the applicant right behind you? Go ahead. Sure. Yeah. You don't mind? You want to puss anyway? The architectural. There we go. Okay. All right. Uh, good evening, mayor and council. My name is Frank Gadun. I work with Asencia Architecture. We're here on behalf of the owner, Karaoka Project uh companies and uh if anything uh she pretty much presented everything that we would have presented. Uh you may have a question about the issue that was on the common drive.
Uh that happened before Karaoka bought the property. Uh the issue was if you look uh on this west property line here, there's a little sliver of land between what was outlined as the common drive and the Karaoka property. Okay? And that sliver of land belongs to the west owner. And so uh Karaoka tried for over a year and a half to solve the issue with them, buy the property. Uh several other offers and things were presented and to no avail the owner said no.
So uh we started the process all over again with city staff support and went through MCDOT and ADOT all over again and here we are asking for your blessing to keep this project moving. Okay. Thank you. I'll let you know if there's any other further questions up here. Okay. Uh would any speaker cards? No, mayor. Uh anybody in the audience like to speak? All right. All right, I'm going to go ahead and close the public hearing.
Council, enter a motion and a second to approve the use permit uh started with gas station at Cotton Lane and MC85. I see a motion and a second going to be open for council discussion, but first uh council member Bonita, do you have any questions? I do not. You do not. Okay. So, the next up is uh council member Kano. Uh thank you, mayor. The last time this came up uh for to council, I believe I was the sole no vote and it has to do with the introduction of truck stops into our neighborhood.
Now, I I did read the material and I understand it does not offer the same amenities that you might experience at a traditional stop uh truck stop, say in our neighboring cities. But however, as far as my understanding, there's no restriction to how long a truck can sit and idle there and stay. And for that reason, and um I think that it it's a great location for this uh convenience store, I'm all in support for that, but I I do not support the trucks stop element to it. And we'll be voting no.
Okay. Uh vice mayor. Yeah. So, is the slide two Did you say the fire station, future fire station is that blue um star? Uh yes, Mayor Pasilo and Council Member Hampton. That's true. I'll open my presentation again. Okay. And do we know what type of user? Do you know who it's going to be yet? Of I'm sorry, for the fire station or No, for the uh this use. Oh, for this use. It's Karaoka is the brand name. Okay. I think I've heard of that. Okay. And then um Okay. Yeah, I see the stipulations.
You're saying to Councilwoman uh Kino's point. So I see the stipulations. There is no overnight parking though. Yes. So how do they do how do they tell I guess to her point? Can anybody decide there all night long or is there a way that they won't be doing that? He'll come up come on up and answer that question. Yeah. Hi. This really isn't a truck stop. This is really a convenience for diesel trucks that are coming in and out of the warehouse district. Okay, that's in there.
Uh there's not going to be any overnight parking. It's not going to be allowed. Uh our owner is going to keep this open 24/7 and there is no period. There is no overnight parking. All you can basically do with a semi is pull in, fill up, and you got to leave just like everybody else. There's no actual extra lanes where they can go into, is there? Uh no. It's the way we have it configured. the trucks can pretty much figure out. If we need to put striping in, we can. Okay, that's not a problem.
So, it's hard to tell in the black and white where if there is There we go. So, uh this is just a typical uh graphic representation of a truck turn that can come in. Okay. And it's more for the fuel. And your truck will probably come in off of this side, fuel in here, and uh come through here and make a right turn and get right out. Okay. And that'll be for uh this lane and this lane and that lane right there. Okay. Okay. No, that makes sense. I had another question.
This is not a travel center or anything like that where uh the truckers get showers and can spend the night and and all that. Yeah, I saw that in a stipulation which I I like. I I wouldn't want it that to be there either, but um yeah, I don't see where there is lanes like there was one with QT years back where there was like four or five lanes where you just they just park there. This one looks like it doesn't have that as an option. No, that's not going to happen here.
And like we said, it's going to be operated 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. So the employee if somebody was to try to park there, they would be quickly escorted off. Okay. Okay. I think I think that's what I had. Okay. I think that's all I had. All right. Thank you, He answered my question. Oh, he did. Okay. Thank you, Council Member Trey. Thanks, Mayor. Um, I guess this one's going to be for our staff. Uh, State Route 30 is planned to be in this area shortly.
When we're talking about truck traffic, where is State Route 30 in relation to this project and as far as the direction of likely travel with a lot of trucks? I know MC85 is there. It's not going to be the main thoroughfare for trucks. Um, probably within 5 years. So, where where is State Route 30 in relation to this? And is that further to the south? Um, and how far is that? Do you know? Uh yes, Mayor Pasilo and Council Member Terry. It is to the south.
Unfortunately, I don't remember the distance. Um and I believe trucks will be able to exit onto Cotton Lane from State Road 30, but I will be honest. I'm I'm not sure about that. Okay. Looks like it's on slide two. Yeah. Oh, two. Two lines down there. Yeah. Okay. Um, so trucks would be able to take the right down um south onto Cotton Lane. Um, I believe so. Okay.
I I would expect that to be the most likely direction of travel rather than going, you know, 5 6 7 miles north to I 10 through um through or I guess where we're at Cotton. So 303 would be a little bit to the west of here. So, um I I foresee them going south and west uh more than north. I don't have as big of a problem uh with having a spot for trucks, you know, as long as it's not overnight parking. Uh I drive around the city. I I see trucks parked behind gas.
I see them parked where they're not supposed to be all the time. um right now um I you know that we can hopefully you know stay on that a little bit more. I do worry about the enforcement. Um it would be private enforcement for the no overnight parking. So that's kind of out of our hands. I know that's in a stipulation.
Um, but aside from that, my biggest concern is the making sure that the flow of traffic is geared towards going south and west where 303 and State Route 30 will be you'll have interstate highways or you'll have freeways there less than a mile in both directions within five years. That's all. One more. I know it's a right in, right out. So, what is we going to build out the roads to where they could they could turn if they need to?
I just foresee if they needed to go back to their direction, how hard that's going to be at Cotton there if they got to take that take that left around there and try to make that turn, what that would look like in real life. So, I don't know if that's I I don't know if you can see that or foresee that or if it'd be enough room to take a left hand to take a Uturn at Cotton and M85 if they want to go back to their direction that's even possible.
Or if they're get stuck and they want to go take a right-hand turn and head down Cotton and they up in Australia Mountain. I don't know if I ever see any turning big enough turning radiuses up over over the across the bridge maybe. I'm not sure. I'm just trying to see what it was going to feel like to be there. That's all. Yeah. Coming on to coming on to MC85. If you were to take a right, you can maneuver into that turning lane to go left on South Cotton Lane. Okay.
But primarily it's going to be right in, right out for both. Uh MCDOT won't let us do the U-turn thing on MC85. That's just not going to happen. They won't do that. So, one other thing to consider in this area is that if a truck were to want to get on the future freeways, they could go north a half a mile. At Lwood, you'll have the ramps that will let you get on to 30 or sorry, 303 south that would get you to 30.
So, in theory, no truck really should be going beyond Lwood if they're trying to get back onto the freeway. So, hopefully that helps under with the context of that. It does. Thank you. Thank you. There's been a lot of changes around that area. So, I was trying to figure out what it look like in the future in five, 10, 15 years from now. Thank you. Yeah, I have no problem with the trucks. Only thing is just make sure they're not staying overnight. That that's really critical.
You got to have that enforcement. Mayor one um with that right turn on if if it's okay. Sorry. Um, with that right turn on MC85, as Vice Mayor Hampton was saying, um, how far is that from the intersection to get them over to be able to make that left turn to go north on Cotton to get to Lwood? Um, that looks like a very short distance to be able to, you know, get all the way across on MC85.
uh that you know again I'm expressing my my concerns with that knowing that these highways are coming within a couple years and it's going to completely change um you know what routine traffic looks like there. Well, right now from center line of uh South Cotton Lane to the center line of that very exit, it's about 275 ft.
And I just want to remind you that we did have to go through MCDOT all over again to get this going, get another traffic study current, you know, to uh within last year, it was in November that we started this again. And so this is their recommendation and we do meet their minimum. So you good? Yeah. Okay. Go ahead. Let's open it up for vote. You got uh for Bonita. Council member Beckles, please state your vote for the record. I passes 61. Thank you. Thank you guys. Have a great evening.
Thank you. Next public hearing is to consider the city of Goodyear zoning ordinance date dated July 2026. Open the public hearing. Good evening, Mayor Pazolo and Goodyear City Council. My name is Christian Williams, planning manager here with the city of Goodyear, alongside my colleague, Guadalupe Ortiz Cortez, principal planner, who's also been the lead on this zoning ordinance project for the last 18 months. We also have in the audience um Matt and Robbie.
They're with Michael Baker International, and they have been our consultant and main researchers on this zoning ordinance update. In the last year, staff has brought before you various text amendments to make modifications to sections of the zoning ordinance to address new state laws and also to respond to new development types.
However, if you recall from our work session in November where I showed you that box of artifacts, we have not done a comprehensive update in over 27 years or 1999 since artifacts like this were in circulation. This update is a strategic plan goal. It aligns with the recent general plan and design guideline updates and it along with the modernizations of the zoning ordinance.
The goal has been to update um the zoning ordinance to protect our neighborhoods, support development and business growth, ensure compliance with state and federal laws, and enable more housing diversity in our Goodyear neighborhoods as well as refine the development standards among other items. So with that, I'm going to turn over to um Guadalupe, our um lead on this project, so she can go over the timeline of the public engagement efforts. Thank you, Christian.
As Christian stated, this has been Get a little closer to the microphone. There you go. Thank you, mayor. Uh as Christian has stated, this has been an 18-monthlong effort that began in January 2025 with an analysis of the existing zoning ordinance. At the beginning of the process, the project team met with city council to discuss the goals of the update.
The first community workshop was held in April 2025 with 10 residents participating and engaging in discussions about zoning and the zoning ordinance update. During the same month, a community survey was released to gather additional input from the community. More than 200 responses were received providing valuable insight into the existing ordinance readability and participants concerns.
Staff also held roundts with the development community focused on the topics of residential, commercial and industrial development. Additionally, staff provided project updates during the development advisory forums which the development services department holds on a quarterly basis. Three work sessions have been held with the planning and zoning commission and city council.
The first session in November 2025 with which focused on obtaining feedback on temporary signage, noticing requirements, housing opportunities, and use permit uses. The second work session in March of this year focused on receiving additional input. this uh specifically on additional topics including battery energy storage systems and data centers.
The draft language for battery energy storage systems and data centers was released to the public during the early March work sessions and the remaining of the ordinance draft language was released through the month of April. The final community workshop was held in May and was attended by members of the development community who were primarily interested on the proposed regulations for battery energy storage systems and data centers. The final work session was held a few weeks ago.
During this session, staff provided updates on the draft language for topics discussed at the previous work sessions. Staff received feedback from various firms and organizations. This feedback was um evaluated in the context of state law impact on cities, the city's interest in protecting residents and neighborhoods and the industry best practice as well.
Revisions made on this evaluation and on the input received from the various work sessions have been incorporated into the final draft presented to you this evening. The final version of the zoning ordinance presented to you uh tonight also includes revisions that were made since the notice of the public hearings was released a few weeks ago. These issues pro excuse me these changes provide greater clarity and flexibility in response to council and customer feedback. Thank you.
And with that, the zoning up ordinance update before you this evening aligns again with our current general plan, design guidelines, and city strategic plan. And while modernizing this ordinance, this update again also protects neighborhoods, supports development and business growth, and ensures compliance with state law. For those reasons, staff is recommending that the city council adopt the ordinance presented today. if adopted.
Staff will also continue to maintain a log of any unintended issues that arise as well as any clarifying questions that we receive from the development community and our customers. We also plan to establish an annual review cycle for the zoning ordinance.
And as new trends emerge or as issues or items that council brings forward or brought to us, we'll work with the city manager and the development services director to bring those forward to you so you don't end up with an orith that feels as out of date as this item here. With that, happy to answer any questions. And um back to you, mayor. Does that thing still work? It does work. Any speaker any speaker cards? Yes, mayor. We have five speaker cards. Okay, call them up.
First up, the pond Alisa, if you would please, your name. Uh you've got three minutes, you know, to cover. Uh don't have to don't have to say whether you're Well, good. your resident, but you have to give an address. Go ahead. Okay. Uh, mayor, vice mayor, uh, members of council, good evening. My name is Sepand Alazada. I am here on behalf of the Arizona Technology Council.
We are a trade association with over 750 members uh, in various industries uh, such as semiconductor manufacturing, chip manufacturing, data centers, and renewable energy development development. And I just want to take a moment to say thank you to staff. staff has been wonderful to work with over this entire process.
I think I have been at every public meeting whether I can give comment or not, but I've been at meetings to learn, listen, and work with Christian and Guadalupe, give feedback, hear their reasoning on certain items and just work with them. Uh the fact that you all had a website devoted to this shows extreme foresight. other I have worked with other cities that have done zoning ordinance updates and they haven't done that.
So staff really took time to listen to the members of the industry uh and our member companies to really get an ordinance on the books that will benefit Goodyear for years to come. Uh one of my mentors is a prominent land use attorney here in the valley. Uh and he always told me that land use documents, zoning ordinances are living, breathing documents. Occasionally they need to be refreshed to keep up with the times. And we believe the Arizona Technology Council does that.
Goodyear has done that. Now we've given recommendations uh not all of our recommendations have been incorporated into this final draft, but that's okay because this is a give and take process. This is a diplomacy process.
Um, moving forward, all that the Arizona Technology Council asks for is that when projects come before you, whether they are a battery energy storage system or a tech campus or a data center, please take them into into account one by one, which means sometimes there may be flexibility that may be needed to be granted by planning and zoning as well as city council.
So, please judge each project on its own merits and if screening requirements or separation requirements or anything need to be re-evaluated on a case-byase basis, we hope that you will all do that. With that, thank you again. Thank you to Christian Guadalupe, the entire staff. Thank you to all of you. This has been a fantastic process and this will ensure that Goodyear will prosper for decades to come. Thank you. Thank you. And I appreciate the uh feedback. Next, Sam Damas.
Same thing, just name whether you're a Goodyear resident or not. And you got three minutes. Go for it. Okay. U mayor, council, my name is Samantha Damas. I'm with Rose Law Group and I'm here on behalf of Microsoft. Um, and we're just here tonight to thank staff for all of the hard work they've done with us. um they've worked really hard and continued to engage with us this whole time.
Um and we look forward to continuing to work with them um to develop a development agreement to come back to council with to address some of our remaining concerns. But thank you for your time. Thank you. Next, Autumn Johnson. Good evening, mayor and council members. As she said, my name is Autumn Johnson. I'm the executive director of the Arizona Solar Energy Industries Association, or ARISA. We are a statewide nonprofit that works on energy policy at every level of government.
We've worked on renewables and battery ordinances such as the one you are voting on today all over the state, including in uh Surprise and Mesa and Buckeye. Um we as the other uh commenters have said appreciate the significant amount of work that has gone into the ordinance. Staff has made meaningful improvements since the original draft particularly by reducing the proposed setback requirements for the battery energy storage component um which is section 311.
Uh I'd like to just offer a couple of comments. Uh as uh Christian mentioned that you'll be revisiting this over the years just for future food for thought for future reference. Um and so we continue to encourage the city to look at and consider nationally recognized standards if you do revisit this um ordinance in the future.
The National Fire Protection Association standard 855 establishes the national safety framework for battery energy storage systems and generally relies on a 100 foot separation framework. The American Planning Association has identified setbacks generally ranging from 50 to 100 ft. 150 ft. Maricopa County requires a 100 foot setback and Buckeye adopted a 150 foot setback.
Uh secondly, uh we are encouraged by and continue the council or uh encourage the council to preserve uh flexibility through the special use permit process. One of the strengths of a special use permit is that it allows the council to evaluate projects based on the specific characteristics characteristics of a site rather than on a one-sizefits-all standard.
We appreciate that section B7 allows deviations from certain development standards through the special use permit process and we encourage the council to apply that concept um broadly so that an otherwise appropriate project that might conflict with a particular development standard could still have the flexibility through the city council to be approved with reasonable deviation while still protecting public safety and surrounding land uses.
That flexibility will become increasingly important as Goodyear continues to grow and as Arizona works to build the critical infrastructure needed to meet rising electricity demand without placing unnecessary upward pressure on electric rates. Thank you. Thank you. Next, Cristiana Fedul Pepper. Go ahead. Good evening, Mayor Bazillo, Vice Mayor Hampton, council members. My name is Cristiana Fedul Pepper. Uh, and I am a resident of neighboring city Buckeye.
Uh, I really do thank you all for this opportunity to speak with you this evening. So, although I do live in Buckeye, Goodyear has truly become a place that feels like a second home to me. Over the past decade, and especially since moving to Buckeye a couple years ago, I have spent countless evenings here with my husband, my family, and my friends. whether we're shopping in the Australia area or just enjoying Goodyear's many restaurants.
Uh this has truly become one of the communities that I care most about and that is why I wanted to be here tonight. So before I share my thoughts, I also want to sincerely thank all of you, the planning commission as well and city staff for the work that you've all put into this ordinance over the last year and a half. Uh I know that these conversations haven't always been easy, but I do appreciate the care that you all have taken to thoughtfully balance public safety with Goodyear's future.
uh the progress that has already been made, especially in reducing the proposed energy storage setbacks and keeping much of the ordinance flexible really does show a genuine commitment to finding practical solutions for this city. So, as an advocate for clean energy across the West Valley, I have learned that reliable energy doesn't happen by accident, but it does happen because communities like this choose to plan ahead. Goodyear is growing quickly. We know that.
And with that growth comes a greater need for reliable power and energy storage technology to really store and deploy that power that we need. So battery energy storage, it strengthens our grid. It really stores the electricity that we produce when it's available and it'll deliver it back to our communities when the demand is highest. And we know that that happens most often during our hottest summer months. We're feeling it right now. It was 105 degrees today.
Uh and so we really need to have reliable, dependable power to ensure that our public is safe. So the encouraging part is that we don't have to choose between protecting our residents and preparing for the future. I love that we can do both. So as you consider this ordinance tonight, I hope that you will take one final step by allowing the 150 ft setback when project specific technical analysis demonstrates that it can be done safely.
I also hope that you will continue as others have said to ensure that the ordinance reflects national safety standards and clear and fair requirements that not only you all can understand but that residents uh and developers and everyone alike is able to really understand and apply when new projects come to the city. Uh I also want to make sure that they uh are ensuring well-designed projects can be considered fairly on their individual merits.
A practical and science-based ordinance will do more, of course, than just bring reliable energy, but it will help our economy as well and help Goodyear continue attracting responsible investment, creating skilled construction jobs, uh generating additional tax revenue for the essential uh services that we have in our city.
So, to wrap this up, I do believe that this is a really wonderful opportunity for Goodyear and to show that our communities do not have to choose between public safety, prosperity, and preparing for the future. My hope is that years from now that this decision will be remembered as an example of thoughtful leadership in the west uh and one that protects residents, embraces practical solutions and helps position Goodyear for a strong resilient future.
Thank you all for your service and for your time this evening. Thank you. Next last I have Sean Pepper who does not wish to speak but supports responsible energy storage for Goodyear. Anything else? No other weather. No, ma'am. Okay. Thank you. Uh, let's see. I'm going to go ahead, I guess, and close the public hearing. City clerk, please read ordinance number 2026-1652 by title only.
Adopt ordinance number 2026-1652, adopting city of Goodyear zoning ordinance dated July 1st, 2026, and repealing ordinance number 99-655. Thank you. Um, we got a motion to second up there. Uh, Council Member Bonita, any questions? Uh, yes. I have one question and one statement. Go ahead. Um, in terms of the battery energy storage, are there specific protections regarding distances from schools? Hold on. Christian's coming up. Go ahead. Christian Williams, planning manager.
Yes, there are protections for any sensitive uses. So that would be the beginning at the 330 ft with the SUP process in the flume plume study being able to drop that down to 150 ft. Okay. Thank you. Well, digesting these um complexities of the zoning has been a tremendous learning curve for me. But with this process, my primary focus has been on around safety and on the responsibility of us providing reliable energies energy for the future and I feel that uh this strikes a good balance for both.
Thank you. Thank you, Beneda. Um, Council Member Kano, I just have a comment because this has been a very long process and we've had multiple uh conversations, but it we know that you've done a good job engaging stakeholders, but for stakeholders to come to this meeting and to testify to that fact uh is really remarkable. Um and it's really a tribute to your your department for the uh engaging and listening and and and responding to them.
Um I'm very excited to hear that you are going to have an annual review cycle. I think that that will prevent uh you know it's funny to think that this uh this um ordinance was from the last century. So it it it goes way back. But I also wanted to uh call out Keaney Kudson. He's been uh a great leader in this process. Has really kept it on track as we've navigated new topics that we never learned about really knew that much about before.
And uh just really appreciate your leadership through this whole entire process. And it's encouraging to hear that, you know, we do have some outlying things that are still need to be resolved, but your team's working with them and to know that we'll uh they'll all get worked out. So, appreciate it very much. Thank you. Uh, Council Member Kerry. Thanks, Mayor Christian.
Can you explain how um any changes or how the changes to the ordinance affect existing projects either fully completed or in in the works? Yes. If the project generally if the project is fully completed, it is a grandfathered project. It's allowed to the uses are permitted to continue.
Um if there are any C we are working with some customers to dive into a little bit more how certain things related to noise might impact them and director uh Katie Wilin is working closely with them on some tools that we can utilize to help them um understand their path forward. Okay. Um yeah I I just want to encourage especially even stuff we've approved already um you know so that they don't have to come back and do it all over again.
Um, and that kind of gets into kind of my second point here is, you know, your your team's gonna done a great job. You know, this has been going on since I got up here 18 months ago. And it's I know the 99 ordinance, you know, it had additions, subtractions all the way through for 20 something years. Um, and it is kind of a living document. It's good to see how uh we will have an annual review.
Um I I would like to see as we go forward maybe ways that we can streamline a little bit more of kind of our you know just residential um commercial stuff. Um I think right now it's running close to almost 350 pages which is a lot. It's a lot for somebody to go through it. It's not necessarily a criticism. It's just something to look at, you know, as we continue to work on this because um right now my vote is based on, you know, this is an improvement.
This is an improvement on what we have and I think we can continue uh improving on it because, you know, it's just like everything else. Just because we voted on it tonight doesn't mean it's done. Um we're we're continuously working on this. It's one of the more important things we do as a council. So, I just wanted to um throw that out there.
I do appreciate when it comes to some of these modern tech facilities that uh we do require them to, you know, from their power source, from their water source. That is now written into the ordinance. Um where before, you know, we were kind of making it up as we went along. Maybe it was a little bit more professional than that, but um you know that it's just one reason why we have to do this. As I think it was Councilwoman Keno said, these are issues that we weren't talking about four years ago.
So, who knows what we'll be talking about in four years. So, um that's all I got. Vice Mayor. Yeah, thank you. I'll say the same uh with uh support to staff. Thank you for for leading this and getting across the finish line here.
Um, I guess to the point of all the all the speakers, flexibility, just making sure flexibility is important for each project and then reiterating uh what Sam said about uh just making sure we're working with Microsoft and making sure we finish up those little things with development agreements. Make sure that we we finish we finish that after this is all said and done here as well. Um, and then yeah, and then I appreciate you working with all our stakeholders, especially APS, SRP.
Uh, they're probably one of our biggest ones in the in this area for us here. So, uh, thank you for that as well. Um, they're going to be everybody everybody's going to be partners throughout the rest of the life of our of our city. So, making sure that we're taking them along the way and and being involved with them as well so that we can have as much generation and power and uh for all our all our residents here. So, yeah, I'm I'll I'll be voting for it. So, thank you. Thank you.
Uh, Council Member Gillis, Christian, I'm super super excited about this project. You know that I've been for this project from the very beginning. Staff has really done a good job because we've had to do a lot of educating of ourselves. I have been on this in another state for several years. So, I was fully aware and ready of this project when it came and I educated myself completely on this. So, I am super excited.
Thank you for showing everybody that it's not the fear wasn't what everybody was thinking, but yet we've come a long way. Maybe it wasn't one time, but it's not now. And we really have come a long way and things have changed and I feel that it started what at 500 ft set back and then it went to 300. Now we're at 150 providing the plume study comes back. Um, correct.
I really feel we have a safe forward-thinking project for power and we have to keep up with the times because if we get behind, you know, it's not good. So, and everybody else is doing it. We're not the only state that's doing it. So, before we start having the blackouts and brownouts and all that kind of stuff, I think it's important to keep on this. So, thank you for everything you guys have done because we really have come a long way. I am for it and I will be voting for it.
Thank you, Council Member Campbell. Okay, Christian. I I'm the odd one out. So explain to me how the setback is going to work for each project. It's automatic 300 and then they take specific to best or battery energy storage systems. It's measured from the best module. So it's not the property itself, it's where they are placing those battery energy storage systems. So those um systems um the minimum setback from other industrial uses is 100 ft.
The minimum setback from commercial uses to the facility or the the module is 150 ft. And the minimum distance to residential or sensitive uses such as schools, churches, things of that nature is 330 ft. Through the special use permit process, through providing a plume study and a toxic fumes and gas study, we can evaluate if that distance can be shrunk up to a distance of 150 ft. Okay? Because we do have a flume in Goodyear now that we've been studying for 20 some odd years.
And that's a little bit of a difference that because they have the flume and we can study it, we know what's going on. So I think that's really critically important that we continue to do that. Yes, ma'am. And I am just concerned that if they're testing their batteries or they're doing something special, an alarm goes off and it rings and rings and rings, it's going to irritate the neighbors.
So, I know we're trying to work out something now because we just had that happen um so that it doesn't happen again. I'm all for all of this. I understand all of this. But I just want us to be very much aware that we may have homes around there somewhere. And in fact, I think one of the locations now is close to a subdivision anyway. And I just don't want those folks to be irritated by noise. And because if you've never lived by one, you don't know what they sound like.
And we can say they're silent, but they may not be silent. So that's all that I wanted to say. And I would I like that each project independently is applying the appropriate standards so that we don't lump them all. One size does not fit all regardless of what we may think. So thanks Christian very much. Okay. I probably should have gone ahead and closed the public hearing. Right. All right.
Um and but before before we going into the uh ordinance, the only thing I'd like to say is I you know we pride ourselves on being uh business friendly and uh being open to the input and the processes and I really appreciate all the feedback that has come before us that kind of uh validated that with our staff as being open in the process itself.
And I want to echo what uh council member Kano had said Kenny uh you have been a major impact on getting some of these issues over and I really appreciate those uh uh skills of yours. It's probably the architect in I mean the engineering in you that does that. But I want to thank you for some of the issues that we had to work through to get this and again the fact that we have residents popping in here um talking about our process and what you all did. I want to thank you.
I want to thank staff because that to me is is worth its weight and gold seeing that. So with that, I did close the public hearing. Can you go ahead and read the ordinance? I did title the ordinance. Would you like it to be titled again, Mayor? Yeah, cited again. All right. Just one moment. Adopt the ordinance number 2026-1652. adopting city of Goodyear zoning ordinance dated July 1, 2026 and repealing ordinance number 99-655. Okay, thank you.
Um, with that being said, let's go ahead and open it up. I think we got enough discussion in there, right, Bonita? How you vote? I believe that that was a yes. That was a yes. 70. Thank you. All right. Next, we have two items on business. So, I would like to remind council wait for a motion and a second before discussion. Would you please introduce yourself when you come up for the public? Good evening, mayor and council. How are you this evening? Good. I'm here before you. I'm Gene Oslansky.
I am the parks and recreation deputy director and this evening we are here seeking approval of the council subcommittee recommendations for the community grant funding program. So community grant funding is a way for the city to support our local nonprofits. This uh this support is for direct human and social services and it supports things such as f food securities, emergency assistance and various support services that really benefit and improve quality of life for Goodyear residents.
for the 25 at fiscal year 2025 26 26 grant funding cycle at the six-month reporting we had over 7300 of un uh duplicated Goodyear residents that received services through this and we are expecting the 12-month report to come out the end of this month and we'll share that information with mayor and council via manager memo once we have that reporting.
This community funding has been going on since 2001 and the most recent update made to this program was in 2025 when council did a review and revised and adopted a new policy and that policy was really to ensure that this program aligns with council strategic priorities and benefits our Goodyear residents for the 2627 cycle.
The application process opened on April 1st and ran through April 30th with council staff hosting a virtual pre-application meeting on April 8th so that any applicants that needed assistance with applying could come to staff and ask questions and have some assistance with that. In addition, when the applications open, that was shared through a press release.
Um, it went out to our faith and community roundt network as well as we have subscribers that want updates when this program opens and updates about the program and they were notified as well. For fiscal year 2027, we had $214,400 for the program. And our council subcommittee, which includes council member Wally Campbell, council member Laura Kano, and councilwoman Vicky Gillis, they met on June 9th to review the applications. We did have 67 applicants asking for $1.9 million in funding.
Um they went through all of those applications and they're recommending funding to 32 uh applicants and they are looking to provide the full budget amount of $214,400. On this slide, you'll see the agencies that are being recommended for funding. Um those are also included in your packet. And if approved tonight, this information will be available on the city's website at goodyearaz.gov/comm communityf funding.
So with that, mayor council, um this evening, I'm asking for the approval of the recommended FY2026 2027 community grant funding allocations as recommended by the community grant funding subcommittee. Um that does conclude my presentation and I am available to answer any questions. Thanks, Kylen. Um, any speaker cards? No, mayor. Okay.
The council will please enter a motion and a second to approve the recommended 2026 27 community grant funding allocations recommendation by community grant funding subcommittee. I see a motion and a second for open up for discussion. I want to thank the committee did a heck of a job going from 1.9 to 200 some thousand. So again, thank you for your efforts for doing that. With that, open up for discussion. Let's see who we got. Councilwoman Gillis first. Go ahead. Yeah, it was hard.
That was a big amount um that we had to come down to and and actually 214,000 is not enough money. We wish we could help help everybody. Um it's a hard process when you get in there as you know, Gene, you want to do for everybody and as we know, I just want to give everybody the full mouth. Just everybody do it, you know, because we really do care about all these people that are coming in and and we know that they have their wants and needs and they're doing great.
great work around the city of Goodyear. So, it's not an easy project, but we did have to narrow it down because one 1.9 million, is that what we y down to 214,000, that's a big deal. So, anyway, um thanks for helping us with all that. We appreciate the staff's help with all that. I know it was a lot of preparation that we had to get that to us and um and we wish we could do more, but that's all we've got. Thanks, Council Member Campbell. Thank you.
Um just so that the public understands the one of the criteria for the community funding grants is how many Goodyear residents right are they serving not will serve or hopes to serve but they actually have to actually serve the residents and that way we know that they are giving them a service that we as a city do not provide. And we want to thank everyone that did apply. Every year that I have been on this committee, we have had more applicants than money.
And it's just a normal thing because the nonprofits know that the cities all generally all of the cities have a community funding grant. And they all apply in the hopes that they will get additional funding from each city. So it would take care of their budgets. But we've been very careful with the taxpayer money. None of it has been spent frivolously and it has not gone to any com any nonprofit that is not actually servicing the city of Goodyear. And that's really important for you to know.
And it was interesting to say that it seems that our food banks are serving more people right now, which is not unusual and not surprising with the cost of food. And we really appreciate everyone that that was on the committee. We thank them for for working hard and figuring out how we could help them maybe just get a little bit to their goal. And sometimes we even have had nonprofits that have asked upfront for a million dollars and we've not been able of course to do that.
But anyway, that's what we do. And and I this committee is a great committee. So thank you. Good explanation. Go ahead, Vice Mayor. Yeah, I say thank you to the committee. I know it's a lot of hard work. So thank Thank you. A lot of great I look through all the all the different applicants or not applicants but all the people we're giving money to. So they're all great doing great things in the community. So thank you to them. Okay. I don't see any other fur up here.
Let's let's open it for a vote. Um Council Member Beckles, please state your vote for the record. I passes 70. Thank you. All right. Our our next item is to receive uh the 2026 post legislative session overview and government relations. Please introduce yourself for the public. All right. Well, good evening, mayor and council. Uh for the record, Edwin Hernandez, chief government affairs officer for the city, and I have with me Anthony Castleman, government affairs officer.
Uh we're really excited to present to you your 2026 post legislative session update as well as uh government relations overview. As you'll note, this is the first time that government relations has come before this body to present uh a post- legislative update and we're really excited for that.
As we were presenting our legislative agenda uh late last year prior to the start of session, we were thinking about uh the opportunity to come back uh and provide close that loop and provide uh information on the things that we saw over the past six months that impacted Goodyear. So, we're excited to do that today.
Uh so looking at the agenda ahead, some of the things that you can expect aside from our uh session update include an quick update on regional affairs, federal affairs, and then a couple closing items as well. Awesome. Good evening, Mayor and Council. Uh just to start, we're going to do a quick overview of the 2026 legislative session. Just going to kind of cover some of the data points here.
I'm not going to hit every single data point that's on this slide, but I do want to highlight the first two. 2,190 bills, resolutions, and memorials introduced. That was a record. Um, government relations at the peak of the session was tracking over 500 of those. So, I think this really just gives you a good idea of the volume that we see and the volume that we're reviewing. Each bill does get reviewed by the government relations team.
Um, but then it's also important to note that a large percentage of that 500 plus are also being sent to our department directors for their review and their feedback as well. And that's it's it's critical to the work we do down at the capital. And we're really greatly appreciative of our department directors for the time they take reviewing those bills. Um because again it allows us to convey that feedback back to the legislature.
Um and ultimately I think it played a critical role and why we were so successful this session. Speaking of success, I'm just going to cover a couple of um successes that the cities were able to deliver um from both the policy perspective and then the budget perspective as well. So on the policy side, I think the critical thing there was we upheld one of our guiding principles which was preserving local authority.
There were a number of different um challenges to that authority throughout the uh throughout the session, but none of those were successful. And then on the budget front, we also achieved some key outcomes there. We protected our state shared revenues, which is a critical component. Um we maintained funding for IT 10 widening between SR85 and Citrus, which is a critical infrastructure project.
And then we were also able to um get a $4 million general fund appropriation to fund the existing shortfall in funding for the statewide 911 system. Great. So, some other themes that we saw uh not just Goodyear priorities, but things that were more thematic throughout the entire legislative session that are also of consequence to the city. So, uh, if there was one word that encapsulated everything that we're seeing at the state level, but also at the federal level, it would be affordability.
Uh, really there were so many different proposals that were presented. Uh, many of which didn't necessarily tackle uh the the the full intent of the uh of the original proposal. However, there were some exciting things that came out. Uh, not too much that passed. However, we're looking forward to seeing what interim conversations uh provide and what language looks like for next year as well. Now, looking at tax conformity and data centers on the slide in front of you.
Uh those were two big issues that were top of mind at the front of legislative session. Uh sort of fizzled out a little bit and then came back during budget negotiations. Tax conformity. Uh specifically, Arizona became the first state to fully adopt HR1. Uh that is the big beautiful bill as it's often known. Uh and then data centers, we saw a three-year moratorum for the data center uh computer equipment tax credit program.
Now looking at public safety tools, that was another big theme of the legislative session. We did see a lot of conversation there. Uh no proposals made it to the end, however. And then ballot referrals, just touching on that quickly. uh included that as residents can expect to see about 10 different ballot referrals. Uh three of those came from the 2025 legislative session.
Seven of uh came from this session and there's about three different citizens initiatives as well that are uh being discussed and are moving through the process. So looking ahead at 2027, uh we're expecting a lot of the same proposals that we updated you on throughout the uh the past six months to come back next year in different forms. So, we'll continue to monitor what those conversations look like during the interim and be involved in those.
Um, but while I'm not going to go through all of these, I did want to touch on the 911 long-term solution. It is critical uh to the state to maintain the viability uh of that program and ensuring those response times remain low. Uh and as Anthony mentioned, we were able to in working collaboratively with MAG as well as the league and other stakeholders uh work closely with our legislators as well to ensure that there was a short-term solution to the 911 program and keeping that whole.
Uh that was about $4 million in the budget. Now, uh we'll continue to monitor through uh the interim the stakeholder conversations that emerge uh and are hopeful for data to also be released by ADOA. Uh and we'll continue that conversation and we'll keep mayor and council informed as well. Uh now, looking ahead, league resolutions will also be top of mind, which speaking of the league, uh a brief update on the league policy proposal process can be found on this slide.
Uh while there were 10 different uh proposals that were ultimately submitted through this round this year uh in budget finance and economic development committee that vice mayor Hampton sits on uh could be found BFED number two uh that was regarding PSPs stakeholder engagements that is the public safety tier 3 uh pension system specifically now working closely with council member Terry uh as well as public safety stakeholders and others.
Uh we were able to uh come together and craft a solution uh that really helped to solve the biggest issue that they had which was some confusion around whether or not the league was really able to be involved in stakeholder conversations. Really excited to say that we were able to get that win uh for uh public safety personnel uh and looking forward to those stakeholder conversations to continue through the interim and into next year as well.
Uh and finally capping out the the policy proposal process is the resolutions committee which mayor you sit on and we're very excited uh to see that uh during the league conference in August. Now a brief brief overview of regional affairs. These are some of the regional organizations that we all work together on uh that have mayor and council representation.
Uh there are so many different issues that each of these work on and it's always a joy to work with each of you uh in representing Goodyear residents but also in helping to craft solutions that are representative of Goodyear and resident needs. But uh one thing that I will note here on this slide, one small change is uh transportation policy committee. Happy to say that council member uh Terry will be joining uh that committee representing the city starting in the August uh meeting schedule.
Now, transitioning over to federal affairs. Uh there are so many different issues that uh there's too many to fit on one slide, so we're just going to talk about two quick ones here. Um, Colorado River water negotiations, as you've previously heard from our water services director, Barb, in a prior meeting, uh, are continuing.
We're expecting for though the, uh, final direction to come from the Bureau of Reclamation, uh, later this month, and that should give us better baseline numbers to really start to look at what the future of those negotiations uh, look like for us in our water portfolio.
I think the biggest thing to mention here for residents is that a shortage on the river uh does not equate to a shortage at the tap and uh as Barb and I don't want to speak for them uh but uh the city of Goodyear has continued to engage in a conservative approach to water conservation. Um so looking forward to those numbers being released later this month. Surface transportation program capping out this slide.
Uh there are a there are several different proposals that are currently being discussed. The most important takeaway uh for this conversation is that the service transportation program is coming to its end in its current form uh at the end of this federal fiscal year which ends on September 30th. Uh there are several different policy changes. Uh but I'm happy to say that of consequence to the city of Goodyear.
One of the programs that is covered within the current iteration is the safe streets and roads for all SS4A program that seems to be continued uh through the current proposal that's gained some traction. That's the Build America 250 act. All right. And the last item we'll update in terms of the federal affairs is I do want to provide just a quick update on our congressionally directed spending requests, CDS requests, also sometimes commonly referred to as earmarks.
We submitted requests for three different projects. Uh the top two on the slide there were not sponsored by our federal delegation, but I do think it's really important for us to note that these projects are still advancing forward. For Bullard Avenue TI, we were actually able to work with MAG to acquire some funding for what's known as a design concept report or a DCR. So that'll take us through the initial stages of design and then we'll continue to look for funding for the full design.
And then for the CAD or the computer aed dispatch upgrade, um, mayor and council, you might remember that that was impro uh approved uh as part of inclusion into the CIP. The third project there on the slide, the soil aquifer treatment site, the SAT site was sponsored by our federal delegation. Um, the House appropriations bill was released with a $750,000 number in it. Um, the Senate bill has not been released yet. We're looking forward to that.
We're hoping that the dollar figure in that bill will be higher. Typically what's happened in the past is if the Senate releases a bill with a higher number, that's the number that they go with. Um, so one of the other things we're doing is looking forward to FY28 as well. Um, we're working with our city manager. We want to get feedback from mayor and council on how we can be more strategic and make sure that our project requests are as competitive as possible.
And then lastly, I'll just touch on civic engagement really quickly. This is something that when Edwin and I presented the legislative agenda earlier this year, this was something we wanted to focus on and grow a lot further. Uh most of you are familiar with the resident newsletter that goes out every month. This is something we worked on and tried to make it a little bit more digestible and understandable for residents. Um but we also wanted to provide it with a little bit more regularity.
Um in addition, we also sent out some legislative action alerts um giving residents the chance to voice their opinion on some of the legislation. Um we use this tool pretty sparingly. Uh we really used it when dealing with the design preeemption bill, the design guidelines bill, um starter home light bill, Senate Bill 1431. Um, but we found that this method was really effective.
It really gave again the residents the chance to voice their concerns about how that bill might impact the look and the feel of Goodyear communities. Looking forward with civic engagement. Again, we're looking for mayor council feedback on how we can continue to expand this program uh utilize it effectively and grow it further. And with that, mayor council, we're happy to answer any questions. Uh, thank you.
I don't don't want the answers now, but if you would for uh council here, looking for a report on all the b ballot measures. Okay. All 10 of them. Do they impact the city? And if they do, how? Okay. Don't give me any report right now, but if you can put something together, you mentioned there's 10 of them. Yes, mayor.
So, if you just write us up a report, so the ones we can focus on, especially the elected officials up there are the ones that hurt us negatively or the ones that we probably need to be focused on. If you can get us a report for that, that would that would be great. Okay. And again, the second thing I would like to add is I appreciate all the hard work and keeping us informed on this because I know it's a battle down there every year at the legislature.
So, uh, kind of keeping that in tune is really great. So, with that, uh, there's no real action here except for some feedback. And, uh, I got Council Member Kano on first here. Well, when you both got here, you really had to hit the ground running and really appreciated how you did that, but also that you involved staff and mayor and council uh, through that process. Uh, as you mentioned, I sit on a regional board for the Arizona Municipal Water Users Association.
You two are both great resources. uh part of the meeting prep for it and things like that. I also sit on a subcommittee for National League of Cities. It's talk that's a covers um energy and infrastructure things like that and you've been invaluable helping with that. So, I just wanted to thank you for the support you give us uh the active support as well as your accessibility. Anytime we need uh questions about anything, you're always uh available to help.
I don't see anything else up here on the board and this was just for information. So again, if you could get that report to all the council members here, that would be great. Uh does the uh let's see, does this council have any comments, commendations, or report on current events they'd like to mention? You got something? Yeah, if I may.
Um about 10 days ago, I think it was 10 days ago, I attended the women in municipal government conference in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, which is one of the friendliest cities I've ever been in. I'd never been there before, but I was able to speak to four different groups on women in government and also the ability of our city to do a downtown and as well as some of our policing uh requirements.
But tomorrow I'm flying out to Louisville, Kentucky, where I will be um chairing the firstear suburbs and we're hoping to change the name to Suburban Communities Council if they vote for it this weekend. We hope. Um, and I'm going to be um giving a tour of the Jamestown Police Department, which is unusual because I normally don't go visit police departments when I'm out, but we're going to talk to them about redevelopment areas in their city.
And we're going to use a lot of what we've done with our private partner, public partnership in building our GSQ. People want to know how we did it and the pictures that we show them. And I take the same slide with me. It's kind of like a dog and pony show, but they really like it and they're just excited and they want to know how they can do it. We're just trying to share our knowledge and and how we did it to make them as successful as we are. Anything else?
The only thing I want to mention, I know I've mentioned it before, but again, the uh BIES opening day couldn't have gone any smoother. uh the plan that you all had in place, the police, the fire, the staff, all of you, what you did. You know, that was be honest you what I was thinking was my worst nightmare if that didn't go well. Uh but it went very very well. Um in fact, I went to a service down uh Bullard the other day. Traffic is just flowing fine.
Now, you may have some trouble getting on the lot there at BIES because it still is packed, but uh you guys did an excellent job and I want to thank you for all of that, all that hard work you did, police and fire, etc. So, with that, does the city manager have any uh report for us? Mayor and council, just a a quick update. We had a wonderful Fourth of July event. Uh almost 13,000 of our friends came from the area to see the the fabulous drone show.
There were over 400 drones that went up for that particular show. I thought it was spectacular. We got lots of great feedback on it. And just another shout out to all the staff that made that event happen. It's a truly a team effort when you have 13,000 people at an event like that. and uh I thought it was just a really great job. So, thank you for everyone that helped make that happen and thank you guys.
Yeah, I know with the technology is there any possibility you can give us all a report on what percentage were Goodyear residents and what percentage were not Goodyear residents? Yes, sir. We can do that because I've always been told about 30 to 40% are ours and the remainder is outside. So, it' be just nice to confirm that. Yes, sir. I'll take a look. All right. Next meeting uh will be a special meeting on August 4th and a regular meeting on August 31st. So with that, hang on there.
We got a vote be held to call an executive session for the following.
Pursuant to ARS 38-431.03A3 03 A3 and 4 for legal advice and consultation to consider its position and to provide in uh instruction direction to city touring city manager regarding city's position in con and connection with contracts are subject to negotiations with Yuma road winding project pursuant to ARS 38-431.03A34 3834 for legal advice and consultation to consider its position and to provide instructions, direction, city attorney, city manager regarding city's position in connection with contracts that are subject to negotiation for legal advice regarding annexation to property generally located near 187th Avenue in West Yuma.
Pursuant to RS 38-431.03A1, 3A1 city council will meet for the purpose to discuss and consider personal matters including performance goals setting related to the city manager. Can I get a motion and a second going to executive session? I see a motion and a second. We get a vote. Council member Beckles, please state your vote for the record. I passes 70. Thank everybody. will wander over there to to um the executive session.