Lake Havasu City Planning and Zoning Commission General Plan Update Kickoff - May 7, 2025

The Lake Havasu City Planning and Zoning Commission met on Wednesday, May 7, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. (17:00 UTC) to receive the kickoff presentation on the city's mandatory 10-year General Plan update. The meeting was informational, with no applicant or rezone cases on the agenda. The commission approved the prior meeting minutes, heard one public comment about handicapped accessibility, and discussed the consultant team's public engagement strategy and timeline. The May 21 meeting was announced as canceled; the next regular meeting is scheduled for June 4.

Consent Calendar

• The commission approved the minutes from the previous meeting by a 7-0 vote. The motion was made by Vice Chair Tiffany Wilson and seconded by Commissioner Gabrielle Medley.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Bonnie Schwartz, a resident, urged the commission and city to improve handicapped accessibility. She reported seeing no accessible parking at an apartment or condo complex at 2060 Swanson Avenue, with curbs running around the entire complex, and no accessible parking at a newer complex across from Albertsons on Swanson. She said newly added porch-style fencing made a sidewalk too narrow for comfortable wheelchair use, and that a medical office parking lot serving Cornerstone Family Doctor and LabCorp was designed more than 20 years ago and is not adequate for current medical clientele. She also said crosswalk timers of about 25 to 30 seconds are too short for slower pedestrians and asked the city to look further into being more handicapped accessible.

Discussion Items

• Terry Hogan of Logan Simpson presented the General Plan update kickoff. She described the General Plan as a 30,000-foot policy document and the community's vision for growth, distinct from a zoning map, and as the foundation for zoning codes, area plans, subdivision regulations, and site plans.
• Hogan introduced the consultant team: Logan Simpson; Peacemaker Aviation, with retired Colonel Rusty Mitchell for airport and military airspace compatibility; Kimley Horn for public services, water resources, and transportation; and Elliott D. Pollock & Company for economic growth and housing. City staff and consultants are working together as one project team.
• The current General Plan was adopted in 2015 and ratified by voters in 2020. State law requires an update every 10 years. With a population of nearly 60,000, Lake Havasu City is above the 50,000 benchmark and must address all required statutory elements, including land use, circulation, open space, growth areas, cost of development, water resources, environmental planning, and additional topics.
• Public engagement strategy: the Public Education Plan was adopted by city council. The project website is live under the branding 'shaping our future.' A first questionnaire had received almost 500 responses as of April 29 and will remain open through June; Hogan said that is well above the typical 100 to 250 responses for a first questionnaire in a city this size.
• The General Plan Steering Committee will have 11 community members selected from 29 applications; its kickoff is planned for late May or early June. A Technical Advisory Committee kickoff was scheduled for later that morning at 10:30. Listening sessions, in-person and virtual workshops, and drop-in events will be held through the summer.
• Process and timeline: the update will take about 18 months, with five phases. After drafting, there will be a statutory 60-day public review period. The commission will make a recommendation to city council, and after council adoption the plan will go to voters for ratification on the November ballot.
• Commissioners asked about how consultant teams are assembled, survey response benchmarks, how to include summer, winter, and year-round residents, and how much commissioners should participate outside meetings. Staff and consultants encouraged commissioners to act as ambassadors, attend workshops, distribute flyers and QR codes, and share outreach information with community groups. Commissioner Medley offered the Elks Lodge, with about 4,700 members, as a potential event venue.
• Chair Harris asked whether the General Plan should consider making Lake Havasu City Airport a Class D or towered airport. Rusty Mitchell replied that the airport may not currently have enough operations to qualify for an FAA or contract tower, but the city is well positioned to plan long-range; he said now is the time to decide how the airport should support the area in 10 to 15 years and that runway capability for fighter-type aircraft could support military operations and contracts. Hogan added that an airport area plan or airport master plan update could be included as an implementation action in the General Plan.

Key Outcomes

• The commission approved the prior meeting minutes 7-0.
• No formal action was taken on the General Plan update; it was presented for information, discussion, and future engagement.
• The first community questionnaire remains open through June; staff urged continued promotion of the project website and outreach materials.
• The May 21 Planning and Zoning Commission meeting is canceled. The next regular meeting is June 4, with cases expected; staff member Mr. Gilbert said he will be absent for that meeting.
• The consultant team will finalize the existing conditions report, complete steering committee selection, conduct listening sessions and summer workshops, and return to the commission with updates. The next formal decision point will be the commission's recommendation of the draft General Plan to city council.