Bullhead City Planning and Zoning Commission members met Jan. 2 in a workshop to review a planned area development (PAD) zoning application for the City Center District, a proposed mixed-use redevelopment on roughly 246–247 acres. The meeting was informational only and no votes were taken.

The PAD application, presented by applicant representative Jay Quarter and lead consultant Jason Sanks, asks the city to adopt a set of tailored zoning districts and several deviations from the standard Bullhead City zoning code to enable a compact, walkable downtown-style development. Property owner Ali Salas participated by video and the commission asked detailed questions about setbacks, parking, building heights, open space and housing affordability.

Project team members said the PAD repurposes the citys standard open-space calculation by reallocating the required 5% into a central, diagonal gas-line easement that the developers propose to convert to an open-space trail. The team also described a separate retention area in the southwest corner of the site that they expect to serve both stormwater detention and park-like functions. "Were not simply deleting requirements; were reallocating them," Jason Sanks said.

Commissioners pressed the team on several points they said felt unclear in the PAD text. Commissioner Mel Steiness and others expressed concern that commercial areas labeled C-2 in the plan could allow zero-foot setbacks and 100% lot coverage, particularly along Highway 95. The applicant and property owner said the practical build-out would be constrained by parking, access and other requirements and that, where Highway 95 is concerned, there is already a substantial right-of-way and a buffer of roughly 25 to 30 feet between the highway curb and the property line in many places. "Along 95, it is impossible for a building to be right up against the street," property owner Ali Salas said, adding that planned sidewalks and landscaping would be deeded to the city in places where the developer constructs them.

Commissioners also focused on building height. The PAD requests up to five stories in parts of the commercial corridor; the project team said the taller height is intended mainly for hotel and other core Main Street parcels, while lower heights would apply to residential edges. "Were trying to create that downtown component," Sanks said, and the team confirmed that the 12-foot figure in the submittal refers to limited architectural projections rather than a five-story addition to every façade.

Housing and affordability were recurring topics. Commissioner Boyd Kramer urged the team to consider a development agreement provision that would convert the waived 5% parkland dedication into a financial contribution for improvements at two existing parks adjacent to the site. The applicant said the northwest triangular parcel is targeted for affordable housing and that the project team has been in discussions with national, regional and local builders about smaller-lot products intended to reduce per-unit costs. "Attainable and affordable housing are critical components of this project," the applicant said.

Other plan elements described by the project team included: a separate RV and boat storage use rather than allowing storage on every residential lot; a proposed three-lane expansion on the west side of Highway 95 that would taper south of the hospital; a roundabout and public art feature at a primary entrance; curb-separated sidewalks and parallel parking on the Main Street; and reduced commercial parking ratios intended to limit large, underused surface lots.

Procedure and timing drew repeated questions. Planning staff and the applicant clarified that, if the PAD zoning is approved by City Council and tied to a development agreement, the zoning would vest for the site; subsequent preliminary plats and specific building proposals would then return to the commission for review and final plat approvals. As planning staff summarized: once zoning is approved and a development agreement executed, "the zoning vests," and plats for individual lots and projects would be the later steps.

Speakers also discussed accessory dwelling units (ADUs). Staff noted a recent Arizona state law allowing ADUs for cities above a population threshold (referenced in the meeting as a 75,000-population threshold); Bullhead City currently falls below that threshold. The applicant said the PADs smaller lot standards are intended to support more cost-effective housing product types, but that detailed designs and final lot sizes would be market driven and returned for review at the plat stage.

Commissioners repeatedly emphasized that the workshop was intended for questions and clarification and not for final decisions. Commissioners suggested potential PAD amendments — for example, a specified setback along Highway 95 — that could be added into the PAD text before formal hearings. The applicant and owner said they would consider such conditions as the project moves toward formal hearings and a possible development agreement.

No formal actions were taken at the workshop. Planning staff said that if the PAD proceeds to the regular hearing and council review, the zoning and any tied development agreement would control the allowed uses and standards; individual parcels and building designs would come back to the commission and council at the plat and site-plan stages.

The commission scheduled no vote at the workshop; the applicant will proceed according to the citys public hearing schedule for PAD zoning and future plat submittals.