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Record of Proceedings

Surprise Planning & Zoning Commission Meeting - February 20, 2026

Planning and Zoning Commission — Friday, February 20, 2026
BodySurprise, Arizona
SessionPlanning and Zoning Commission
DateFriday, February 20, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 33:59

Transcript — Verbatim
1:16

Call to order this February 19th, 2026 Planning and Zoning Commission meeting for the City of Surprise.

1:23

Renee, may we please have a roll call?

1:26

Commissioner Perry.

1:27

Here.

1:28

Commissioner Holland.

1:28

Here.

1:29

Commissioner Leonard.

1:30

Commissioner Leonard has an excused absence.

1:33

Chair Chapman.

1:36

Chair Chapman has an excused absence.

1:38

Vice Chair Spada.

1:40

Here.

1:40

Commissioner Everett?

1:41

Here.

1:42

Commissioner Bash.

1:43

Here.

1:43

We have a quorum.

1:44

Thank you.

1:44

Please join me in the Pledge of Allegiance.

1:50

I pledge allegiance to the flag.

2:00

Indivisible Liberty and Justice.

2:08

Before we proceed with our regular agenda, uh, we want to remember former Commissioner Matthew Keating, who passed recently.

2:15

And ask you to please join us in a moment of silence to honor his memory.

2:28

Thank you.

2:31

Current events and reports.

2:32

Director Fleetham, do we have anything to offer?

2:37

Thank you, Vice Chair Commission.

2:39

Um, just one item for you.

2:40

Um, as you may know, we have been working on a zoning text amendment for to address uh battery energy storage systems within the city.

2:49

We'll be coming to you uh next meeting with a work session presentation on that to have a discussion about what we've drafted.

2:56

Thank you.

2:59

Move on to the planning and zoning commission agenda.

3:02

Consent items, Renee.

3:04

Consideration and action to approve or disapprove the February 5th, 2026 planning and zoning commission meeting minute.

3:12

Moved.

3:12

Second.

3:13

Moved and second.

3:14

Is there any discussion?

3:18

Yep.

3:19

No more discussion.

3:20

I'll move to a vote.

3:34

Motion passes with five votes in favor.

3:37

Thank you.

3:39

Uh regular agenda items.

3:41

Number one.

3:45

Consideration and action pertaining to a rezone of approximately 120 acres of rural residential R R to residential low density R1 and community commercial C2 for property generally located at the northeast corner of Deer Valley Road and 227th Avenue.

4:05

Case FS 241433.

4:24

The project is generally located at the northeast corner of Deer Valley Road and 227th Avenue.

4:30

The current zoning of the project is rural residential.

4:33

The zoning to the north is R2 to the east, rural residential with the desert overlay.

4:39

Surprise Foothills PH PAD to the south and R1 and C2 to the west.

4:45

The proposed zoning for tonight is R1 and C2.

4:50

The general plan land use designation is neighborhood with some open space to the south of the project and rural residential overlay to the east of the project.

5:01

A big portion of the project is located with the zero to six contour lines, with a smaller portion located up in the northeasterly section within the zero to four dwelling units per acre.

5:10

This caps the number of dwelling units at 714.

5:14

However, the next slide will show you the lotting plan, and it looks like they have approximately 370 dwelling units.

5:22

So this is a conceptual lotting plan.

5:24

It divides the parcels into A, B, and C and D.

5:27

A, B and C are residential lots with the sizes as shown in parcel D is the commercial site.

5:33

Additionally, to accommodate the desert rural residents to the east of the site, the applicant agreed to 150 foot buffer on the eastern side of the project.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Zoning Regulations█████████████████████████████████████████████52%
Procedural██████████████████21%
Community Engagement█████████10%
Affordable Housing█████6%
Parks and Recreation███4%
Water And Wastewater Management███3%
Transportation Safety██2%
Arts And Culture██2%
Summary of Proceedings

Surprise Planning & Zoning Commission Meeting - February 20, 2026

Note: The transcript indicates the meeting was called to order on February 19, 2026, but the provided metadata states the meeting took place on February 20, 2026. This summary uses the metadata date.

The Surprise Planning and Zoning Commission met on February 20, 2026, to consider a rezone of approximately 120 acres and a comprehensive sign program for a community resource center. Both agenda items were approved unanimously. The meeting began with a moment of silence for former Commissioner Matthew Keating.

Consent Calendar

  • Approval of February 5, 2026, Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting Minutes: Motion passed unanimously (5-0) with no discussion.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Rezone (Case FS 241433): Eddie Eaton, a resident of the area east of the proposed development, spoke in support of the 150-foot buffer along the eastern side. He expressed concern about potential through-roads that could increase traffic and endanger horse riders and pedestrians. He requested that no east-west connection be created that would allow access from Pinnacle Peak to 219th Avenue.
  • Comprehensive Sign Program (Case FS 25-0835): No public comments were made.

Discussion Items

  • Rezone of 120 Acres (Case FS 241433): Staff presented a proposal to rezone approximately 120 acres at the northeast corner of Deer Valley Road and 227th Avenue from Rural Residential (RR) to Residential Low Density (R1) and Community Commercial (C2). The project is consistent with the General Plan's Neighborhood designation. The developer agreed to a 150-foot buffer with an equestrian trail on the eastern side to protect the adjacent rural residential area. Access will be via 227th Avenue and Deer Valley Road only; no east-west connections will be built. The developer will contribute proportionally to traffic signals at 219th and 227th avenues. An outreach meeting on February 27, 2025, had 13 attendees. Staff recommended approval subject to stipulations A through C.
    • Applicant Jeff Bliley (representing the owner) explained that the 150-foot buffer exceeds the city's proposed desert overlay requirement. He emphasized that no roads would connect to 225th Avenue, preserving access for the rural community. The project will include a maximum of 50% two-story homes along the buffer. The development agreement will be presented to council later.
    • Commissioner Perry questioned the need for a small 10-acre commercial parcel within the site. Mr. Bliley responded that the city encourages commercial at the major intersection of 227th and Deer Valley, and that a grocery store on the opposite corner is planned. Commissioner Perry also asked about the project timeline; Mr. Bliley estimated construction would begin in 4-5 years, after the adjacent Mesquite Mountain Ranch project is built out.
    • Commissioner Everett expressed support for the commercial parcel, noting the need for amenities in the area.
    • Commissioner Holland raised a concern about horse safety on roads and suggested a public education campaign – a topic not directly related to the rezone but acknowledged by the chair.
  • Comprehensive Sign Program (Case FS 25-0835): Staff presented a request for a comprehensive sign program for the Multi-Generational Community Resource Center (CIP Project 51010) at the northwest corner of Santa Fe Drive and Hollyhawk Street. The proposal includes three signs: a primary monument sign (class 6) on Santa Fe Drive, a secondary ground sign on Hollyhawk Street, and a tertiary ground sign. The primary sign requires deviations for height (14 ft 8 in vs. allowed 8 ft) and sign area (45.96 sq ft vs. allowed 32 sq ft) because Santa Fe Drive is a local road, not an arterial. The secondary and tertiary signs meet code. An outreach meeting on November 12, 2025, had one attendee with no concerns. Staff recommended approval subject to stipulations A and B.
    • Commissioner Perry asked about aesthetic compatibility with the existing Surprise Original Townsite monument sign and about potential light impact from the digital sign on nearby housing. The project director explained that the new sign was intentionally placed away from the historic sign and that the senior apartments have windows facing away. The only nearby household expressed no concerns.
    • Commissioner Holland supported the larger sign size to attract visibility from Grand Avenue, which runs adjacent to the site.
    • Commissioner Bash noted that larger signs benefit seniors with reduced vision.

Key Outcomes

  • Rezone (Case FS 241433): Motion to recommend approval to the City Council, subject to stipulations A through C, passed unanimously (5-0).
  • Comprehensive Sign Program (Case FS 25-0835): Motion to recommend approval to the City Council, subject to stipulations A and B, passed unanimously (5-0).
  • Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned after a call to the public yielded no speakers.

Meeting Transcript

Call to order this February 19th, 2026 Planning and Zoning Commission meeting for the City of Surprise. Renee, may we please have a roll call? Commissioner Perry. Here. Commissioner Holland. Here. Commissioner Leonard. Commissioner Leonard has an excused absence. Chair Chapman. Chair Chapman has an excused absence. Vice Chair Spada. Here. Commissioner Everett? Here. Commissioner Bash. Here. We have a quorum. Thank you. Please join me in the Pledge of Allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag. Indivisible Liberty and Justice. Before we proceed with our regular agenda, uh, we want to remember former Commissioner Matthew Keating, who passed recently. And ask you to please join us in a moment of silence to honor his memory. Thank you. Current events and reports. Director Fleetham, do we have anything to offer? Thank you, Vice Chair Commission. Um, just one item for you. Um, as you may know, we have been working on a zoning text amendment for to address uh battery energy storage systems within the city. We'll be coming to you uh next meeting with a work session presentation on that to have a discussion about what we've drafted. Thank you. Move on to the planning and zoning commission agenda. Consent items, Renee. Consideration and action to approve or disapprove the February 5th, 2026 planning and zoning commission meeting minute. Moved. Second. Moved and second. Is there any discussion? Yep. No more discussion. I'll move to a vote. Motion passes with five votes in favor. Thank you. Uh regular agenda items. Number one. Consideration and action pertaining to a rezone of approximately 120 acres of rural residential R R to residential low density R1 and community commercial C2 for property generally located at the northeast corner of Deer Valley Road and 227th Avenue. Case FS 241433. The project is generally located at the northeast corner of Deer Valley Road and 227th Avenue. The current zoning of the project is rural residential. The zoning to the north is R2 to the east, rural residential with the desert overlay.

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