Phoenix City Council Meeting Summary – September 3, 2025

The Phoenix City Council met on September 3, 2025, at 10:45 AM to address a full agenda including boards and commissions nominations, liquor license approvals, several ordinance and resolution items, and multiple public hearings on development proposals. Key discussions centered on the Office of Accountability and Transparency (OAT) mediation program, a greenhouse gas inventory partnership with ASU, a workforce development agreement, and three rezoning cases. The meeting concluded with citizen comments on police accountability, cell phone use during meetings, and job retention for airport workers.

Consent Calendar

• Boards and Commissions Nominations (Item 1): Approved unanimously. New commissioners for the Military Veterans Commission were sworn in.
• Liquor Licenses (Items 2–19): Approved unanimously via voice vote.
• Ordinances, Resolutions, New Business, Planning & Zoning (Items 20–60, with exceptions): Approved 9-0 via roll call, excluding items 31, 38, 43, 57, 58, 59, 60 and continued item 56 to September 17, 2025.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Item 38 – ASU Greenhouse Gas Inventory: Leonard Clark spoke in strong support, thanking the Walton family for donations to ASU and emphasizing that man-made climate change is a critical problem for Phoenix residents as temperatures exceed 120°F.
• Item 57 – Rezoning at 21st Place: Richard Picardo, a 42-year resident, opposed the four‑story height increase (R3 to R5), citing privacy invasion, traffic, parking, and the property’s proximity (45 steps from his northeast property line to the proposed site). He noted the Village Planning Committee had denied the motion 9-1, and a petition with seven signatures was submitted.
• Items 58 & 59 – Baseline Road Corridor: Brittany Conklin, the appellant, presented 31 pages of opposition letters from seven nearby communities. Key concerns included traffic congestion on Baseline Road (already over capacity, with residents reporting they avoid left turns onto Baseline), inadequate emergency services and response times, a single point of entry/egress, insufficient infrastructure and retail, loss of community character, and lack of notice. She requested denial or a continuance.
• Item 60 – 17th Street/Griswold: Residents Jim Feldhan and Joanne opposed the rezoning for a 9,500 sq ft office building, arguing the application was piecemealed and that the developer was gaming the system by not including a unified plan. They requested a continuance so both adjacent properties could be reviewed together.
• Citizen Comments (End of Meeting):
  • Juni Bradford (survivor of human trafficking) criticized the city’s handling of human trafficking, stating the new OAT mediation program lacks understanding of transformative justice and that she does not feel safe speaking with law enforcement.
  • John Forsyth challenged the council’s cell phone use during meetings, saying heads were down when residents spoke, which undermines democracy. He also criticized the delay in fully implementing OAT (over a year since the director resigned) and cited unresolved police misconduct cases.
  • Rainisha Bonds and Ursulinayunka (LSG Sky Chef workers and Unite Here Local 11 members) testified that Sky Chef lost its American Airlines contract and plans to lay off 59% of its workforce (hundreds of workers). They urged the council to pass a worker retention policy for airport contractors to protect experienced, security-cleared workers and ensure airport safety and operations.
  • Leonard Clark voiced solidarity with the Sky Chef workers and asked for assurances that no foreign National Guard troops would be sent to Phoenix by President Trump.

Discussion Items

• Item 31 – OAT Mediation Contracts: Councilwoman Hernandez questioned OAT Director Shannon and Interim Director Ginger about the mediation program, noting that 15 staff are needed for a department of thousands, but only one director of mediation currently serves. Only five department-level mediations have been completed; individual officer mediations are pending an operations order. Hernandez expressed concern about measuring success (beyond just conversation holding), lack of data on community demand, and funding from OAT’s budget rather than the police department budget. She moved to require OAT to provide data on community demand, demonstrate alignment with OAT’s mission to reduce police violence, explore alternative uses of funds, and assess shifting financial responsibility to the police department before approving the contract. Despite her concerns, the original motion to approve passed 7-2.
• Item 38 – ASU Greenhouse Gas Inventory: Approved 9-0 with supportive testimony from Leonard Clark. Council emphasized the partnership with ASU helps Phoenix be a data-driven city and track accountability.
• Item 43 – One-Stop System MOU: Approved 8-0 (Councilman Waring did not participate). The agreement supports resident career and job training services.
• Item 57 – Rezoning at 21st Place (District 3): Councilwoman Stark noted that under existing R3 zoning, a taller building could already be built, and the rezoning to R5 allows up to four stories and 48 feet. She argued the city needs more housing stock, and that over the past eight years, multifamily approvals have contributed to a 7% decrease in rents. The motion to approve passed 9-0.
• Items 58 & 59 – Baseline Road Corridor (District 8): The applicant (Taylor Morrison/Yardley) proposed a gated, single-family-for-rent community with 188 units (13.1 dwelling units per acre) on 14.37 acres. A traffic study showed Baseline Road can carry 42,000 trips per day; current volume is ~30,000, and the project would add ~640 trips. The appellant expressed opposition over traffic, emergency access, infrastructure, and community character. Councilwoman Hodge Washington moved for a continuance to September 17, 2025, to allow further dialogue between the appellant, opposition, and applicant. The motion passed 9-0.
• Item 60 – 17th Street/Griswold Office Rezoning (District 6): The applicant (Sawyer Grace/Boxville Holmes) proposed a 9,500 sq ft, 15-foot-tall office building on a 0.9‑acre site, with no access onto Griswold (emergency only), a detached sidewalk with five feet of landscaping, native Sonoran Desert plants, low lighting, quiet HVAC units, and signage directing traffic south onto 17th Street. The Village Planning Committee voted 10-3 in favor; the Planning Commission voted 7-1 in favor. Councilman Robinson asked clarifying questions and determined the adjacent parcels are unrelated. The motion to approve per the Planning Commission recommendation passed 8-0.

Key Outcomes

• OAT Mediation Contracts (Item 31): Approved 7-2 after debate, with two council members expressing ongoing concerns about data and accountability measures.
• ASU Greenhouse Gas Inventory (Item 38): Approved 9-0.
• One-Stop System MOU (Item 43): Approved 8-0.
• Rezoning at 21st Place (Item 57): Approved 9-0, allowing a four-story, 24-unit multifamily project on the southwest corner of 21st Place.
• Baseline Road Rezoning (Items 58 & 59): Continued to September 17, 2025, for additional community engagement and dialogue between parties.
• 17th Street/Griswold Office (Item 60): Approved 8-0, adopting the ordinance for a low-scale office (RO) district with stipulations addressing resident concerns.
• Citizen Comments: The council heard concerns about police accountability, cell phone etiquette during meetings, and appeals for an airport worker retention policy. No action could be taken under Open Meeting Law, but some council members responded to criticism.