Nov. 13, 2024
CHANDLER, Ariz. — The Chandler City Council tentatively approved an ordinance to amend its city code to align with new state laws related to final plats, timelines for residential zoning applications, accessory dwelling units and backyard chickens.
Below are five bills that were signed into law and the resulting amendments:
- SB 1103 Administrative review; approvals; developments: The amendment allows Final Plats, which establish property lines, easements, and tracts, to be reviewed administratively, approved, and signed by the City Engineer and Development Services Director in lieu of requiring City Council approval. The Preliminary Plats process was not amended and still requires the public hearing process and City Council’s approval.
- SB 1162 Zoning Shot Clock/Housing Assessment: Establishes timelines for residential rezoning cases and requires cities to conduct a housing needs study every five years. Chandler currently has policies in place regarding review timelines; currently, it’s 20 business days for approval/disapproval once all documents have been submitted for initial review. Review timelines for all residential rezonings:
- Determine if the application is complete within 30 days of submittal;
- Sets 180-day deadline to schedule for City Council to vote;
- The applicant may request one 30-day extension.
- HB 2720 Accessory Dwelling Units: Allows for single-family homes to permit accessory dwelling units (ADU) by right; one detached ADU and one ADU attached to the main house, for a potential total of two ADUs on each single-family lot. A third ADU could be added if the lot is larger than one acre. Cities will no longer be allowed to set setbacks greater than five feet for side/rear yard; restrict height; require ADUs to match the primary unit; require additional on-site parking or restrict short-term rentals. This approved bill was mandated for cities and towns with populations greater than 75,000 and cities must adopt their code revisions by Jan. 1, 2025.
- HB 2325 Backyard Fowl: Prohibits cities from restricting chickens within single-family lots and increases the permitted amount from five to six hens. Roosters would still be prohibited and there would be no changes to current chicken coop restrictions.
- HB 2297 Commercial Building; Adaptive Reuse: Municipalities may identify or exclude 10% of existing commercial, office, or mixed-use developments that would allow redevelopment into residential uses without a public hearing (i.e., the Rezoning/Preliminary Development Plan process) if the developer reserves 10% of total units for either low-income or moderate-income housing for at least twenty years. The City of Chandler opted to identify properties not eligible to develop under this policy.
These bills were signed into law by Governor Katie Hobbs with the hope to “expand housing options and help mitigate the effects of rising costs to make life more affordable for everyday Arizonans.”
The City Council will vote for the ordinance’s final approval at the Dec. 7 meeting.
Media contact:
Stephanie Romero
Public Information Officer, City of Chandler
480-782-2231