City Council considers home occupations zoning at Feb. 24 meeting
In a lengthy meeting on Feb. 24, Globe City Council held two public hearings on recommendations provided by the city’s planning and zoning commission. The first hearing was on recommendations to update the home occupation zoning code. The second hearing was on recommendations to clarify minimum parking lot paving standards and expand zoning code to allow alternative paving surface options for parking lots. The council also ratified its $25 million federal grant application for flood mitigation.
Council voted to ratify a federal assistance grant application to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service Emergency Watershed Protection Program, for a package totaling $24,774,458. This amount includes a city match of $5,429,230.
City Manager Paul Jepson explained that the application was submitted on a tight timeline and had to be signed and filed promptly to maintain Globe’s eligibility. The council’s action was a formal ratification of that submission.
Jepson said the city prepared and submitted a large volume of project information, including more than 100 projects tied to flood-related needs, and that work is already moving forward under the EWP timeline. A 220-day clock is running, and the city has begun early steps, including engineering work and obtaining right-of-entry permissions from property owners.
Of the $25 million, NRCS will pay for 100% of about $3 million in engineering costs. The construction component, about $21 million, will be covered on a 75/25 basis, meaning the city has to come up with 25%.
Jepson said a source for the funds needed hasn’t been identified yet, but the process needs to continue in order to keep projects moving within the 220-day window. Jepson said, if necessary, the city could use value-engineering the scope to reduce cost or could limit the project to align with available matching funds.
Council held an extended discussion and public hearing on proposed amendments updating and expanding the city’s home occupation ordinance, including extensive attention to provisions regarding child care.
The changes would address topics including permitted and prohibited uses, permitting and licensing requirements, maximum number of employees on site, traffic impacts and more.
Globe Zoning Administrator Dana Burkhardt presented an overview of the draft changes. Council’s discussion covered traffic limits, enforcement, child care provisions, and balancing the preservation of neighborhoods’ character with support for small home-based businesses.
No action was taken, and the ordinance will return to the council at a future meeting for further consideration.
For full coverage, see "Home occupation rules spark Globe debate"
Paving standards and surfacing options are the subject of a proposed zoning code amendment intended to clarify Globe’s minimum parking lot paving standards and allow alternative surfacing options based on site-specific conditions.
Burkhardt explained that the proposal grew out of prior Planning and Zoning Commission discussions about whether the city’s existing code is too rigid. The current code requires commercial parking lots to be paved to specific engineering standards, typically involving compacted base materials and asphalt or concrete surfaces. Review and approval by the city engineer is required.
“We’re not flat lands like the Valley or Safford. We are our own entities stuck in these hills, and we need to enforce and design and engineer accordingly,” said Councilman Mariano Gonzalez
The current code specifies typical thickness of asphalt and aggregate base, with a minimum 3 inches of asphalt over 8 inches of aggregate over compacted sub grade. However, the code also allows for surfaces “otherwise approved by city engineer.” This enables the use of a variety of technologies developed for certain applications.
The proposed amendment doesn’t eliminate those standards, but broadens the range of acceptable materials and approaches, such as engineered gravel, chip seal, permeable pavers, or other approved systems. Acceptable surface will depend on factors such as the use, traffic volume, vehicle weight, drainage, floodplain conditions and ADA accessibility requirements.
“P&Z wanted to give residents and investors and people who are doing construction in the City of Globe alternatives that are available, other than concrete and asphalt.” — City Manager Paul Jepson
Jepson emphasized that any alternative surface must still be engineered appropriately, and highlighted the need for drainage and flood resilience in light of recent severe flooding. Councilman Gonzalez pointed out that well-designed paved lots largely held up during the September storm.
There were no commenters during the public hearing, and no action was taken. The ordinance will return at a future meeting for possible approval.
Council also approved motions for the following:
To view this meeting online, click here.
To view documents related to this meeting, click here.
Full minutes can be found by going to the City of Globe website at https://www.globeaz.gov/government and clicking on Agendas/Minutes in the bottom left-hand corner.
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