LAND USE REGULATIONS AND DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS
Mesa City Code § 11-14-3
in effect11-14-3: - LAND USE REGULATIONS AND DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS
A. Zoning.
1. Once the EO District becomes effective on a property, either directly by City Council action, or through the opt-in procedures in this Chapter, the approved EO District and EO Development Plan are the zoning for the property.
2. The approved EO Development Plan shall be the principal reference for implementation and review of future development within the boundary of the overall site.
3. All development that takes place within the boundaries of an EO District shall be governed by and built in accordance with the approved EO Development Plan and approved amendments, and any development agreement, intergovernmental agreement, intergovernmental development agreement, or similar agreement that was executed as a condition of the EO District.
B. Land Uses. The permitted, conditional, and prohibited land uses for an EO District shall be listed in, and established by, an approved EO Development Plan.
1. Permitted, conditional, and prohibited land uses may be based in whole or in part on the land use classification descriptions in the Zoning Ordinance or based on land use classification descriptions or Land Use Groups (LUGs) established in an EO Development Plan.
a. The EO Development Plan may establish land uses are not listed in the Zoning Ordinance.
b. If a proposed land use is not listed in an approved EO Development Plan, it is prohibited unless the Zoning Administrator determines the proposed land use is within or equivalent to a permitted land use in the approved EO Development Plan as identified in Section 11-86-1: Purpose and Applicability.
2. Land Uses for Qualified Political Subdivisions. In addition to Section 11-14-3(A) and 11-14-3(B), an EO Development Plan for a Qualified Political Subdivision may, with the approval of both an EO Development Plan and an intergovernmental agreement, intergovernmental development agreement, or similar agreement, establish:
a. Categories of land uses, development activities, projects, and sites.
b. Exemptions from the regulations in the Zoning Ordinance, the EO Development Plan, or both, that are based on the category of land use, development activity, project, or site.
i. Any exemption shall be expressly set forth in the EO Development Plan; and
ii. Exemptions shall be subject to further regulation in, and compliance with, an intergovernmental agreement, intergovernmental development agreement, or other similar agreement.
c. Flexibility in defining minor and major adjustments to permitted, prohibited, and restricted land uses, and an administrative review and approval process for such requests.
C. General Development Standards. The EO Development Plan shall expressly set forth the General Development Standards (as defined in Chapter 87 of the Zoning Ordinance) for the EO District.
1. Application of the General Development Standards. General Development Standards, including those amended by the EO Development Plan, shall apply to all development in the EO District.
2. Zoning Ordinance Standards as Default Standards.
a. A default standard base zoning district shall be selected as part of the EO Development Plan.
b. Any General Development Standards not specified within the approved EO Development Plan shall conform with the standards set forth in the Zoning Ordinance.
3. Adjustments to the General Development Standards in an approved EO Development Plan. A request for an adjustment to any General Development Standard in an approved EO Development Plan for a specific project or site will be reviewed and processed as follows:
a. Minor Adjustments.
i. The Planning Director may administratively evaluate requests for minor adjustments to the General Development Standards for a specific development project or site and may grant the minor adjustment if it complies with the criteria in this section.
ii. A minor adjustment is an adjustment that is less than 20% of the required number, dimension, or measurement, as determined by the Planning Director.
iii. The Planning Director shall use, at a minimum, the following criteria when evaluating a request for a minor adjustment:
(1) The minor adjustment is consistent with the application of design requirements designated in the approved EO Development Plan;
(2) The minor adjustment is consistent with the implementation of the EO Development Plan;
(3) The minor adjustment will result in a project design that meets or exceeds the design goals and guidelines in the approved EO Development Plan;
(4) The minor adjustment will result in a building of equivalent quality and architectural design, as determined by building form and massing, use of materials and colors, relationship of the development project to the project context, and relationship of the building to the building site; and
(5) The minor adjustment is in accordance with the Mesa Building Code (Title 4 of the Mesa City Code), adopted Engineering Division requirements, and associated requirements of the City of Mesa, as may be applicable.
b. Major Adjustments.
i. A major adjustment is an adjustment that is either 20% or greater than the required number, dimension, or measurement or an adjustment that the Planning Director determines does not meet the criteria for a minor adjustment in this section.
ii. A request for a major adjustment to the General Development Standards for a specific development project or site will be reviewed and processed as per Chapter 67 of the Zoning Ordinance.
4. Flexibility in the Review Process for Adjustments to General Development Standards.
a. An EO Development Plan may establish administrative processes and review criteria for approving requests for adjustments to the General Development Standards that may be different than the requirements in this section and may include different processes and review criteria for adjustments based on the category of land use, development activity, project, or site.
b. The process must be expressly set forth in the EO Development Plan and may be subject to further regulation in, and compliance with, a development agreement, intergovernmental agreement, intergovernmental development agreement, or other similar agreement.
5. Compliance Required with FAA Requirements. In addition to the requirements in Section 11-14-3(C), any General Development Standards or review process and review criteria for adjustments to General Development Standards are subject to the following:
a. Any modification to a height requirement must comply with Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Title 14 Part 77.
b. Any modification must comply with all requirements and standards in Chapter 19, Airfield Overlay District, of the Zoning Ordinance.
c. Any other requirements that are set forth in a development agreement, intergovernmental agreement, intergovernmental development agreement, or similar agreement and compliance with such agreement.
(Ord. No. 5962, § 1, 9-22-25)
Source: City of Mesa, Arizona, Mesa City Code and City Charter (Municode Library, library.municode.com)URL: https://library.municode.com/az/mesa/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=COOR_TIT11ZOOR_ART2BAZO_CH14EMOPDI_11-14-3LAUSREDESTFetched: 11/1/2026