Planning and development professionals around Arizona should be aware of a major change scheduled to take effect at the end of the month.
House Bill 2447 will significantly alter how local jurisdictions around the state manage site plan and development reviews.
When the new law goes into effect Dec. 31, staff will review and approve development plans—including design reviews, site plans, plats and landscape plans—administratively. There will be no public hearings.
HB2447 requires objective and quantifiable review standards to be established in every municipality. Those standards must be “clearly defined, measurable, and free from subjective judgment.”
The legislation’s goals included removing bottlenecks and speeding up approvals, reducing uncertainty, and enabling more predictable timelines.
Cities and towns will have to rewrite their zoning codes, modify their design standards and review procedures, and train staff to consistently apply objective criteria.
Jurisdictions that had relied heavily on design review boards are actively working to update their ordinances and regulations before the end of the year.
While many applications will now completely bypass the public hearing process, rezonings, conditional use permits and variances will still require hearings.
Supporters say the updated process will appreciably expedite routine project reviews and increase efficiency and consistency.
Prospective developers and applicants should familiarize themselves with the updated processes for the jurisdictions where they work. (Source)