Summary:
The Downtown Peoria "core" is generally described as the area bounded by Peoria (north), Grand Avenue (east), Monroe (south) and 85th Avenue (west). With the exception of Osuna Park and a small strip of lots along Washington Street, the downtown core properties are zoned Downtown Commercial Mixed-Use (D/CM) or Downtown Residential Mixed-Use (D/RM). The purpose of this request is to unify the zoning within the downtown area.
Hence, this is a city-initiated request to Rezone (a) Osuna Park; and (b) a small strip of lots along Washington Street (collectively the "subject sites") from General Agriculture (AG) and Planned Area Development (PAD) to the Downtown Commercial Mixed Use (D/CM) zoning district. With the exception of the Lucidi Firehouse, the strip of lots along Washington Street are owned by the City of Peoria.
BACKGROUND:
With the exception of the Lucidi Firehouse, the "subject sites" are owned by the City of Peoria. The subject sites consist of the 3.5 acre Osuna Park, and a strip of lots (1.5 acres) along Washington Street. No effective change is proposed to Osuna Park. The purpose of this request is to unify these areas within the prevailing Downtown Mixed-Use districts.
Existing Zoning
The southern half of Osuna Park, the original park boundary and adjacent right-of-way, retains General Agricultural (AG) zoning and had been excluded from any of the prior zoning changes approved in the surrounding Downtown Area. The northern half of Osuna Park and the strip of lots along Washington Street are zoned as a Planned Area Development (PAD) going back to 2007 when a revitalization project was envisioned, albeit never gaining traction.
To that end, on December 18, 2007, the City Council adopted ORD. 07-40 approving the rezoning of the northern part of Osuna Park and the strip of lots along Washington Street to a Planned Area Development (PAD) to support revitalization efforts for commercial development. This PAD remains in effect today. The intent is this application is to unify the zoning and development standards.
The City looks to the General Plan for guidance on the disposition and zoning of the site. The General Plan 2040 designates the site as Master Planned Area. In December 2011, Peoria City Council approved the Old Town Specific Area Plan. Like the Peoria General Plan, the purpose of a Specific Area Plan (or SAP) is to be a strategic long-range planning tool. The subject site’s designation within the Old Town SAP currently identifies the property as Park / Open Space and Core Commercial Mixed Use (Exhibit 2).
On January 14, 2025, City Council approved a Code Amendment through ORD 25-01, to modernize the Downtown Mixed-Use Zoning District standards. The code amendment sought to facilitate greater interaction between businesses and the pedestrian realm through distinction in signage and land use allowance within Downtown. While the existing PAD zoning allows for similar land uses as the Downtown (D/CM) zoning would allow, however it is more restrictive on enhanced signage and how uses can interact with the sidewalk and pedestrian space.
PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT PROCESS:
Public Outreach:
Pursuant to Section 21-315 of the Peoria Zoning Ordinance, the City mailed Notice of Application and Notice of Hearings postcards to all property owners within 600 feet of the site and registered HOAs within one (1) mile. Additionally, the required legal ad published in the Peoria Times within the required timeframe, and Public Hearing notices were posted in three (3) conspicuous locations on the property.
The neighborhood meeting was held in person on February 5 at 6:00pm, at the Peoria Community Center located at 8335 W Jefferson St, Peoria, AZ 85345. There were three (2) attendees, along with the district councilmember and members of the Peoria Planning Department. General interest was expressed related to development in the area. After staff provided a brief presentation, no comments or concerns were expressed related to the subject rezoning request.
Support/Opposition:
At the time of this report, Staff has not received any written comments.