2023 Year In Review

Published on January 10, 2024

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The leadership team at Planning and Development Services is grateful to our community, elected officials, and City staff. As we reflect on the remarkable achievements of 2023, we extend our deepest thanks for your support and partnership. We are thrilled to highlight these key accomplishments and eagerly anticipate a year of continued success and collaboration in 2024.

2023 KEY ACCOMPLISHMENTS

City of Tucson hires Planning and Development Services Director

Following an extensive national search and competitive process, the City of Tucson was thrilled to select Kristina Swallow as the new Planning and Development Services director. With an impressive background and a wealth of experience, Swallow brings a fresh perspective and invaluable expertise to this pivotal role. With nearly three decades of experience in engineering and management across various sectors, Swallow has successfully undertaken numerous local, state, and federal projects. Her understanding of the public and private sectors further enhances her ability to make meaningful contributions to the City of Tucson.

PDSD Introduces Permit Review Lanes to Deliver Faster Review Times

In August 2023, Planning and Development Services (PDSD) introduced permit review lanes to enhance the permit review process, resulting in faster review times for specific permit types. PDSD adjusted target review times according to the scale of the project, streamlining the turnaround time for smaller projects. Timeframes are specific to each review cycle and depend on the quality of the initial submission. Expedited review times do not apply to permits that are in special districts, historic districts, or floodplains. Express Lane permits, which include residential trade permits, electrical reconnects and residential solar using SolarApp, are reviewed, approved, and invoiced on the same day, with issuance contingent on fee payment. About 30% of submittals now qualify for fast or express lane reviews.

Launch of Permit Dashboard

PDSD launched a Permit Dashboard in November 2023. The interactive dashboard provides insight into the permitting process. Users can gain an understanding of review times, allowing staff and customers to pinpoint areas of improvement or excellence. Since the launch, PDSD has consistently met target review times more than 90% of the time. 

Plan Tucson Update Underway: Thousands of Tucsonans have shared their vision for our future

Every 10 years, Tucsonans can share their input to guide the development and adoption of Plan Tucson, the City's General Plan. The Plan Tucson Update kicked off in January 2023 with a community Open House. During the first phase of community outreach during Spring 2023, Tucson residents were asked to share their priorities and vision for the future of our City. This was an opportunity for the community to learn about the City’s recent efforts, assess our challenges and needs, and guide Tucson’s long-term direction. Over 2,000 Tucsonans attended a Plan Tucson event, and over 13,000 comments were received. Read the Phase I Community Engagement Summary for a snapshot of the key issues on Tucsonans' minds. 

Mayor and Council approve amendments to Streamline the Unified Development Code

Mayor and Council approved eight amendments to the Unified Development Code (UDC) as part of the PDSD Code Update Package. The approved items are intended to improve PDSD processes, remove barriers to small-scale infill, and simplify corridor development standards. The PDSD Code Update Package proposal was the culmination of nine months of community engagement that resulted in over 130 suggested updates to the development code. Although not all suggestions were part of this initial proposal, they may be considered in future updates. 

Water Conservation Measures

Mayor and Council approved Unified Development Code (UDC) amendments in June 2023 to prohibit ornamental turf in new commercial, industrial, institutional, and common areas within residential development.

Mayor and Council also approved amendments to the 2018 International Plumbing Code and 2018 International Residential Code to require the use of EPA WaterSense Certified Fixtures in all developments to promote water efficiency. 

Amendments to Modernize Code

Mayor and Council approved the following code amendments in 2023:

  • Permitted the development of congregate food truck courts within the City of Tucson. The regulations created new rules establishing minimum standards to protect health and safety by ensuring that necessary infrastructure such as restrooms, electrical hookups, and adequate parking are in place for congregate food truck uses.
  • Created a Special Exception land use procedure for marijuana dispensaries wishing to be located within the City. This process applies to both medical and adult-use dispensaries, as well as relocations or certain expansions of existing dispensaries.
  • Established regulations which apply to all new smoke shops, creating a new land use class establishing separation distances between schools, parks, and other smoke shops. Limits on the hours of operation for new smoke shops were also instituted. 

Casita Model Plan Design Competition

PDSD announced the ten designs selected in the Casita Model Plan Design Competition in November 2023. The competition, made possible through the AARP 2023 Community Challenge grant awarded to PDSD in June, aimed to foster innovation in casita design and provide a platform for emerging architects and designers. The competition will be the foundation for a casita model plan library. This library will help increase housing options, particularly affordable options, support aging-in-place and multigenerational households, and reduce barriers to constructing casitas in Tucson. 

EV Readiness Roadmap receives Environmental Excellence Award

The City of Tucson Electric Vehicle Readiness Roadmap was honored by Arizona Forward in the Climate Action Solutions Category of the 2023 Environmental Excellence Awards. The City of Tucson’s Electric Vehicle (EV) Readiness Roadmap is paving the way to help historically underserved communities access affordable, clean transportation powered by locally-sourced clean, renewable energy. Since adopting the EV Roadmap in April 2021, the City instituted a Green Fleet Policy, invested in EV charging facilities, established codes that require new residential and commercial developments to be EV-ready, and launched an electric bus fleet. 

BY THE NUMBERS

Planning and Development Services

  • 10,830 Issued Permits
  • 1,350 Issued Permits for New Single-Family Residential
  • 1,311 New Multi-Family Residential Units
  • 118 Issued Permits for New Commercial Building
  • 107 Plans Applied for Historic Preservation Zone/Historic Landmarks
  • 28 Issued Permits for Casitas/ADU
  • 19 New Rezonings
  • 19 Rezoning Major/Minor Changes
  • 13 Adopted Code Amendments
  • 12 Special Exceptions
  • 3 New Planned Area Developments

Tucson Development Center 2023 Year End Permit Summary

Plan Tucson Phase I Outreach

  • 13,000+ Comments Received
  • 2,000+ People Attended In-Person Events
  • 950 Online Surveys Completed
  • 400 Intercept Surveys Completed
  • 15 Pop-Up Events
  • 12 Community Workshops and Meetings

Plan Tucson Phase II Outreach (In Progress)

  •  2000+ Comments Received from Working Groups
  • 300+ Working Group Community Members Participated
  • 60+ Comments from First Round of Community Forums
  • 16 Draft Goals Created
  • 2 Community Forums 

2024 FOCUS AREAS 

Enhancing the Customer Experience

Look for new services and tools to be rolled out in 2024 as we continuously seek to improve our customer experience and enhance our services – some of the things we have planned include:

  • A customer survey, launching in January 2024, to collect your feedback on areas for improvement
  • Certain tenant improvements to be added to the express lane in early 2024, cutting review times for these types of projects
  • A new permit guide to help customers select the correct permit type and understand application requirements, to be rolled out by the middle of 2024

These measures strengthen PDSD’s commitment to transparency and efficiency in the permitting process, fostering a positive customer experience, and promoting collaboration and accountability to our community. 

Tools to promote housing and redevelopment along our corridors

PDSD is currently working on two projects: the Grant Road Urban Overlay District and a Citywide Corridor Redevelopment Toolkit, to help with the redevelopment of underutilized properties along our commercial corridors and to promote a wide range of new housing options, including affordable housing. The coming year will bring opportunities for robust community input and participation in both of these efforts. 

Code Updates to Promote Sustainability

PDSD continues to promote sustainable development through updates to building and zoning codes.

In 2024 this will include:

  • Adoption of 2024 Building Codes - The Tucson-Pima County Joint Consolidated Code Committee will be reviewing the 2023 and 2024 editions of the model codes and associated local amendments. Public meetings are scheduled monthly, during which the committee will consider staff recommendations and public comments regarding existing and proposed amendments to the various codes, prior to adoption by Mayor and Council.
  • Creation of new Low Impact Development Standards to strengthen local stormwater regulations as part of the City’s water conservation efforts.
  • Resilient Southwest Building Code Collaborative, a collaboration with local jurisdictions, state agencies, educational and training organizations, industry and other technical partners, and community-based organizations to transform building construction practices across the southwest to achieve highly efficient and climate-resilient buildings and communities while preserving affordability and regional characteristics. 

Plan Tucson: A Community-Driven Vision

Plan Tucson is currently in Phase II, which will continue into the Spring of 2024. The team is actively developing draft goals based on a combination of community feedback received during Phase I and input from Phase II Working Groups. Phase III is scheduled to launch in Fall 2024, during which the Plan Tucson team will thoroughly review and refine all the feedback received, incorporating it into a comprehensive plan. Throughout Fall 2024 and Spring 2025, the community will have the opportunity to review the draft of Plan Tucson before final revisions are made. The finalized plan will then be presented to the Planning Commission and Mayor and City Council for approval. Plan Tucson will be on the ballot for voter approval in November 2025. 

Launch of Casita Model Plan Library

The Casita Model Plan Library, launching in January 2024, will feature the plans selected in the Casita Model Plan Design Competition. The library will help reduce barriers in developing accessory dwelling units (ADUs), also known as casitas, and support more housing options for Tucsonans. The library will include pre-approved plans, which reduce the cost, complexity and time involved in building a casita.

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