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ARIZONA STATE SENATE
Fifty-Sixth Legislature, Second Regular Session
general plan; transportation; independent study
Purpose
Prohibits a general plan from including policies or projects that reduce overall system capacity for motor vehicle traffic, modifies plan elements and adds an independent study requirement, as prescribed.
Background
A general plan is a municipal statement of land development policies that may include maps, charts, graphs and text that set forth objectives, principles and standards for local growth and redevelopment, as prescribed (A.R.S. § 9-461). Each municipal planning agency and governing body must adopt a comprehensive, long-range general plan for the development of the municipality. A general plan must consist of a statement of community goals and development policies and include land-use and circulation elements.
For a city or
town with a population of more than 2,500 persons but fewer than 10,000 persons
and whose population growth rate exceeded an average of two percent per year
for the
10-year period preceding the most recent U.S. Census and for a city or town
with a population of 10,000 or more persons, the general plan must, and for
other cities and towns the general plan may, include open space, growth area,
environmental planning, cost of development and water resources elements. For a
city with a population of 50,000 persons or more, the general plan must, and
for a city with a population of fewer than 50,000 persons the general plan may,
include conservation, recreational, circulation, public services and
facilities, public buildings, housing, safety, bicycle, energy, neighborhood
preservation and revitalization, and conservation, rehabilitation and
redevelopment elements (A.R.S.
§ 9-461.05).
There is no anticipated fiscal impact to the state General Fund associated with this legislation.
Provisions
1. Prohibits the general plan of each municipality from including transportation or land-use policies or projects that reduce overall system capacity of motor vehicle traffic.
2. Requires a municipality to conduct an independent study on the impact on emergency vehicle response times if a general plan includes a reduction in the level of service of any arterial street which includes reducing the speed or capacity of an arterial street.
3. Removes the bicycle element, consisting of proposed bicycle routes, bicycle parking areas and designated bicycle street crossing areas, from the:
a) required components of the general plan for a city with a population of more than 50,000 persons; and
b) allowed components of the general plan for a city with a population of fewer than 50,000 persons.
4. Removes, from the growth area element of a general plan, specifically identifying those areas, if any, that are particularly suitable for planned multimodal transportation.
5. Makes technical and conforming changes.
6. Becomes effective on the general effective date.
Prepared by Senate Research
January 12, 2024
KJA/slp