Goodyear staff outline timeline to align development review with voter-approved general plan

Katie Wilkin, the city’s development services director, told the City of Goodyear council that staff are moving to align day‑to‑day development review with the voter‑ratified 2024 general plan and recently updated master plans and design guidance.

“Council staff alignment on the future vision for development” is a strategic‑plan item for fiscal year 2026, Wilkin said, and she noted the general plan was ratified by voters on May 21, 2024, with 76% approval. She listed related work that has occurred since the general‑plan process, including adoption of a parks master plan and a transportation master plan in late 2023, an impact‑fee update adopted in January 2024, and a design‑guidelines update adopted in November 2024.

Wilkin told the council that staff are preparing updates to codes, including building, fire and property‑maintenance codes, and have scheduled additional work sessions on the zoning‑ordinance update with an adoption target in June 2026. She said the intent is that, if the code updates and ordinance project proceed as planned, most development‑related master plans, ordinances and codes would be less than three years old and therefore easier for staff and the development community to implement.

Christian William, the planning manager, said staff will create an annual trends report for the council to summarize “how we’re doing on our growth journey,” including metrics such as commercial vacancy/inventory, residential growth, and other indicators that can inform council retreats and budget discussions. “We haven’t found a great example of that, so we’re gonna create one that’s more, with the audience being council,” William said.

Council members praised the recent focus on process improvements and stakeholder engagement. One councilmember said the Home Builders Association of Central Arizona has signaled positive feedback on the stakeholder outreach for the building‑codes and design‑guidelines updates. Councilmembers asked staff to ensure the trends report distinguishes land that is technically undeveloped from land that is actually buildable (because of absent infrastructure) and to include energy‑supply considerations when reporting on development capacity.

Wilkin closed by listing upcoming projects where the council will have input, including an RFP and planning work for land adjacent to the ballpark village, a city real‑estate strategy and annexation policy recommendations, housing‑diversity planning, and a long‑range amenities master plan. She invited council members to identify additional initiatives they want staff to track.

The council did not take formal action on the update; staff will bring the zoning‑ordinance items back to council in additional work sessions in March and May and continue to refine the proposed trends report for fall 2026 distribution ahead of the council retreat.