Cave Creek staff to draft broad zoning and subdivision code changes after planning‑commission guidance

Planning staff told the commission March 19 that they will prepare draft ordinance changes on several fronts and return for public hearings and possible workshops.

Luke and town planner Stephen summarized four main text‑amendment topics staff wants commission guidance on: allowing accessory living quarters (guest houses/ADUs) in R18 and R35 zoning districts (maintaining a 50% size cap of the primary residence and limiting one guest house per lot); reconsideration of the commercial requirement for 'undisturbed' open‑space (staff said smaller commercial parcels struggle to meet the standard and proposed options such as replacing undisturbed percentages with additional landscaped area); a holistic rewrite of the commercial uses table (section 3.5) to add clarity, add certain uses as special use (SU) rather than outright prohibitions (examples include event venues and assisted‑living facilities) and to distinguish high‑intensity drive‑thrus from lower‑impact pickup windows; and revisions to hillside disturbance and subdivision provisions to create a single maximum development envelope and to provide disturbance calculations for legal non‑conforming lots.

Luke referenced House Bill 2720 as context for statewide ADU trends and said staff has seen increased interest from property owners. Commissioners raised concerns about density effects on certain outlier parcels (one discussed 10.6 acres near Spur Cross that commissioners said could generate controversy) and reminded staff that CC&Rs or other private restrictions can limit implementation on some lots. Regarding commercial undisturbed requirements staff noted prior 2021 work that considered replacing undisturbed area with additional landscaping and said council previously chose not to proceed; staff will again present options.

For hillside lots staff proposed consolidating separate lot‑coverage and disturbance caps into a single development‑envelope cap (illustrative example discussed) and providing a clear calculation for legal non‑conforming lots. Commissioners and staff agreed complex items (hillside rules and subdivision changes to address wildcat subdivisions and sewer hook‑up policies) may warrant dedicated study sessions. The commission recorded consensus directing staff to prepare amendments and allowed staff discretion to schedule workshops before formal public hearings.