Zoning overlays go before P&Z Monday

In the Heritage District, the new collides with the old like nowhere else in Maricopa.

The reminders of an unincorporated “cow town” of fewer than 5,000 people are everywhere. Some residents and residences have been there for generations. Symbols of old Maricopa, like the water tower and the railroad properties, are still holding ground.

The indications of future needs are also obvious.

From the moment an overpass was proposed for State Route 347 over the Union-Pacific Railroad tracks, the impact on the Heritage District became a primary issue.

Some buildings will go away when an overpass is constructed. Other changes will occur before that happens if the city can find the right balance in the distinctive neighborhoods of the Heritage District.

“It has challenges that are unique in the city, and it has its own character,” Interim Development Director Dana Burkhardt said.

The goal of meeting the special needs of old Maricopa and setting up new Maricopa with modern development tools resulted in proposals for overlay districts during the zoning code rewrite process. The Transportation Corridor overlay meets the Mixed-Use Heritage District overlay at the heart of Maricopa – the Heritage District.

The Maricopa Planning & Zoning Commission will look at the proposed amendment to the zoning code to allow implementation of the overlay districts Monday at 6 p.m. in city council chambers.