Mesa City Council Study Session - January 8, 2026: Agenda Review and BESS, E-Bike, and Zoning Code Discussions
Mesa City Council Study Session - January 8, 2026
On January 8, 2026, the Mesa City Council held a study session to review the agenda for the January 12 council meeting and discuss several key items. Topics included the required setback for Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS), proposed e-bike regulations, revisions to the Planning and Zoning Board and Design Review Board structure, and comprehensive zoning code amendments to comply with state law. Council members provided direction and discussed next steps.
Discussion Items
Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) – Review of Agenda Item 8A
- Councilmember Jennifer Duff argued for reducing the proposed 1,000-foot setback from residential uses to 400 feet, citing extensive research and expert consultations indicating no technical evidence supporting the larger setback. She emphasized the economic cost of wasted land and lost energy capacity.
- Staff (Jim, Mary, Rachel) reported that the two of three proposed BESS sites can meet the 1,000-foot requirement. The third site (NextEra on Ellsworth) would require a rezoning of an RM4 parcel to industrial/commercial to comply, which is underway.
- Councilmember Rich Adams noted a compromise had been reached among stakeholders and that the affected parties were satisfied without duress.
- Councilmember Scott Summers supported the current approach, stating it addresses immediate energy needs and provides time for technology to evolve.
- Councilmember Haley Goforth expressed concerns about the concentration of jobless land uses and public safety risks from toxic gases, citing studies on acute inhalation hazards within 1,000 feet.
- Mayor John Giles indicated he would prefer a lower setback but acknowledged the current ordinance can be revisited later. He noted the Arizona Fire Marshals Association supports the 2024 International Fire Code adoption.
- No vote was taken; the item is on the January 12 agenda for adoption of the 1,000-foot setback ordinance. Council cannot amend it Monday but can adopt and later revise.
E-Bike Regulations – Review of Agenda Item 8B
- The proposed ordinance establishes a 15 mph speed limit on shared-use paths (including canal paths) and a 5 mph limit when passing. It applies to Class 1 and Class 2 e-bikes.
- Councilmember Adams raised enforcement concerns, noting the lack of practical means to monitor speeds on paths. Councilmember Taylor asked about applicability to private HOA neighborhoods; staff confirmed the ordinance does not apply there.
- Councilmember Duff noted the state legislature is considering bills that may set uniform speed limits, but local jurisdictions can adopt stricter limits.
- Vice Mayor Summers highlighted efforts to distinguish e-bikes from electric motorcycles, which cause most complaints.
- Council directed staff to move forward with the introduced ordinance on January 12 and continue exploring enforcement and legislative partnerships.
Planning and Zoning Board and Design Review Board Changes – Review of Agenda Item 7A
- Staff presented proposed amendments to Title II and Title 11 to add three alternate members to the Planning and Zoning Board and modify its composition to include three design professionals (one contractor/developer), four community representatives, and alternates with at least one design professional.
- The changes aim to ensure full board attendance and quorum, and to align with new state requirements for administrative design review based on objective standards.
- The Design Review Board’s role would shift to handling alternative compliance requests and appeals, while site plan and design review would be consolidated under the Planning Director and, for major projects, the Planning and Zoning Board.
- Council generally supported the direction and confirmed it would be on the January 12 agenda for introduction.
Administrative Review Amendments (House Bill 2447 Compliance) – Review of Agenda Item 7B
- Extensive discussion on comprehensive zoning code revisions (approximately 150 pages) to implement objective design standards and streamline site plan and design review processes, as required by state law.
- Staff recommended delaying the introduction from January 12 to February 23 to allow additional stakeholder review, as land-use attorneys and developers requested more time.
- Councilmember Goforth asked to see redlined versions and emphasized the importance of council weighing in on which design standards are codified.
- Councilmember Taylor inquired about grandfathering for projects in process; staff confirmed existing applications can choose to use prior or new standards.
- Council agreed to the delay, with the item to be introduced on February 23, 2026.
Key Outcomes
- BESS Setback: Council will consider adopting the 1,000-foot ordinance on January 12. No decision made today; further review of setback distance is anticipated as technology evolves.
- E-Bike Ordinance: Staff will proceed with the introduced ordinance on January 12. Council committed to ongoing evaluation and enforcement strategies.
- Planning and Zoning Board Changes: Direction given to move forward with the proposed amendments on January 12.
- Administrative Review Amendments: Introduction postponed to February 23, 2026, to allow for additional stakeholder input and council review.
- Appointments and Minutes: Council approved appointments to various boards and committees and acknowledged receipt of board minutes (motions carried unanimously).
Meeting Transcript
Hope everybody's had a beginning of a great new year. Can't believe it's 2026 already, uh, a few days into it. So uh I'm sure grateful for the cloud cover and rain that we're having in our community and and state of Arizona. And I guess we're assembled to tackle some differ difficult issues maybe this coming year. I hope they're not difficult, but uh it's uh what we do as council. So with that, uh all members of our council are present. Item one is to review the agenda we have for Monday, January 12th council meeting. And let's go through that agenda. Council, are there any questions regarding any of the agended items? And not everybody speak at once. Mayor. Yes, Ms. Duff. I would like to discuss 8A on the best system. It hasn't gone away over the holiday, it's still here. It hasn't. Mr. Butler, Mary, okay. I know there's been some uh changes on that. Good morning, Mayor Council. I'm not sure if there's a specific question, but since the uh meeting in December, um we've been working with the applicant um related to the next era site, which is the one off of Ellsworth. And right now we're still introducing and recommending the 1,000 foot separation for the residential uses uh for the best systems. The um applicant has been working with a property that is zoned residential that would have precluded them from meeting that thousand foot setback to look at a rezoning for that site. So we've actually been um we've we've received a pre-submittal for a rezoning of that site to in an industrial use so they can meet that thousand foot setback. So the two where we have the two pre-submittals, the one up on signal view, the one um down off of Ellsworth, both would be able to meet that requirement. So so Mayor, Councilmember, um so the good news is uh both the IPA site that we previously um have worked on and this particular site um next era will be able to move forward with their best systems under under our proposed ordinance. Now I think we've heard loud and clear though that council has an interest in continuing to examine that distance requirement as technology and safety uh advances around the best industry continue. Um we're going to be you know working with the utility providers and others to um try to understand the needs moving forward, but um for this situation right now um this will allow those uh facilities to to move forward and meet the energy demands that uh Salt River Project needed for that site sites, excuse me. Um concern is a rezone, you know that is costly and and time consuming. It'll take quite a few months before it comes back to council. Um they are under construction at this time, so is construction stopped. Uh uh Mayor, Councilmember Dove. The one that's under construction actually was approved prior to the interpretation that didn't that then did not allow the best in the city. So the one that's currently under construction and it on signal view is moving forward. They we've gone through that process. They've got everything in place to be able to move forward. They have a second site that is a little bit further inland off of Signal View that they that is the second site that they're looking at. So that one on signal view will move forward, no issues. We've got the the other one IPA has um proposed off a signal beauty, and then this one from next era off of Ellsworth. So so Next ERA is the only one that is caught in this quandary of the thousand foot and requiring the um them to purchase the multifamily land and go through a rezone process. That's correct. The the second the second site meets the requirement of the thousand foot separation. That's correct. What would it take to uh put a 400 feet back on for our consideration so that a thousand feet there's a lot of energy that or some kind of land use in that thousand feet? There's costs uh this is costing us energy, is costing us economic development. Mayor and council member, um that would that would certainly be a legislative act of the council uh to to revisit that. Um the direction we received from the majority of the council was to move forward with the thousand foot, and so that's why the ordinance reflects that that could be something that um now or in the future that council could could adjust if um if the thinking around this um technology changes or or different safeguards in in place, which is what we were um staff heard from the majority of council that wanted to keep this at the thousand foot. Um, I've done I spent a lot of time reading, attending webinars, doing some office hours. I spoke to five experts on energy storage, and this thousand feet does not have any merit or support or evidence that it's necessary. I can go into a lot of the detail on why the hundred foot has uh met, you know, the toxins in the air for public.
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