PC: Planned Community Zoning Uses in Mesa, Arizona

In the City of Mesa, the PC (Planned Community) District does not maintain a universal list of permitted or prohibited uses; instead, all allowable land uses are established by an individually adopted Community Plan unique to each specific property. To be eligible for this designation, a project must encompass a minimum of 160 contiguous acres, and any use not explicitly authorized within that project's approved Community Plan or subsequent Site Plan is strictly prohibited [Section 11-11-2].

Understanding the PC District Framework

The PC District in the City of Mesa is intended to accommodate large-scale, unified, and comprehensively planned developments. Because these developments are unique in nature, the City of Mesa Code of Ordinances delegates the determination of land uses to a "Community Plan" which serves as the primary regulatory document for the property [Section 11-11-2(A)].

General PC District Requirements

While specific uses are flexible based on the approved plan, the City of Mesa imposes the following baseline standards for the designation:

Standard	Requirement for Mesa PC District
Minimum District Area	160 contiguous acres [Section 11-11-2(B)]
Primary Regulatory Document	Adopted Community Plan [Section 11-11-2(A)]
Mandatory Site Review	Site Plan Review required for all non-single residence development [Section 11-11-6(B)]
Use Limitations	Restricted to those specified in the approved Site Plan [Section 11-11-2(C)(4)]

Allowed Uses in the PC District

In the City of Mesa, the permitted and conditional land uses for a PC District are established as follows:

The Community Plan

The Community Plan must individually list all permitted and conditional uses for each "development unit" within the project. These uses are often grouped into categories based on existing Mesa Base Zoning Districts (such as Residential or Commercial) or may be entirely new categories created specifically for that development [Section 11-11-2(C)].

Conditional Use Authorizations

The Community Plan may designate certain activities as conditional uses. These require additional layers of approval within the City of Mesa, such as:

Council Use Permits (CUP) [Section 11-11-2(C)(1)]
Special Use Permits (SUP) [Section 11-11-2(C)(1)]
Administrative Use Permits (AUP) [Section 11-11-2(C)(1)]

Default Standards

If a Community Plan does not specify a particular development standard for an authorized use, the City of Mesa applies the "Zoning Ordinance Standards" of the district that most nearly approximates the proposed use [Section 11-11-2(E)].

Prohibited Uses in the PC District

The City of Mesa utilizes a strict "permissive" zoning approach for the PC District. This means that instead of listing specific prohibited activities (like heavy industrial or salvage yards) for the entire district, the City of Mesa prohibits any use that is not explicitly granted permission in the approved documents.

Non-Specified Uses: Any use not listed in the land use groups of the adopted Community Plan is prohibited [Section 11-11-2(C)].
Site Plan Restrictions: Even if a use is allowed generally in the Community Plan, it is prohibited at a specific location if it is not designated on that site’s approved Site Plan [Section 11-11-2(C)(4)].
Non-Compliant Uses: Any use that does not conform to the "Land Use Budget" (which tracks the total number of dwelling units or gross floor area permitted) is prohibited [Section 11-11-2(C)(2)].

Modifications and Amendments

Once the City of Mesa has adopted a Community Plan for a PC District, any substantive changes to the permitted uses are treated as a "Major Amendment." This requires a recommendation from the Planning and Zoning Board and final approval by the Mesa City Council [Section 11-11-8(D)].

Major amendments specifically include:

A change to the permitted uses in the PC District or any development unit [Section 11-11-8(D)(2)].
An increase in the total number of approved dwelling units or gross floor area (GFA) [Section 11-11-8(D)(4)].
Changes to the General Development Standards [Section 11-11-8(D)(3)].

Sections Cited

Section 11-11-1: Purpose and Intent
Section 11-11-2: Land Use and Development Regulations
Section 11-11-6: Site Plan Review
Section 11-11-8: Amendments to an Approved PC District