SAN TAN VALLEY, AZ – San Tan Valley incorporated as a town in 2025, but Pinal County still processes its planning and zoning cases. Under Arizona law, the county continues providing planning and zoning services to newly incorporated towns until July 1, 2026. The San Tan Valley Town Council wants to influence those county decisions during this transition period.
On January 21, 2026, the council directed staff to develop a process for reviewing county zoning cases and submitting recommendations. Council members directed staff to prepare a resolution creating a seven-member Interim Planning Advisory Committee to evaluate land use applications. The county would not be required to follow the town’s recommendations. However, staff expects them to carry weight.
Local Control Drove the Discussion
Residents expressed strong interest in local control over development during the incorporation process. That sentiment drove the council’s discussion.
“There was a lot of public sentiment about increasing local control over development, and managing land use impacts, zoning, the general plan going into the future,” said Town Attorney Allen Quist.
How the Proposed Review Process Would Work
Quist outlined a process for the town to influence county zoning decisions during the transition period.
The process would start with coordination and communication with the county. Staff would need to know when new zoning applications are filed. Staff would then track these cases and place them on council meeting agendas for what Quist called “council triage.” The council would determine which cases merit full review. For those cases, either the council or an advisory body would conduct public meetings to hear from applicants and residents. Finally, the town would submit formal written recommendations to the county.
“We need to know when a new zoning case comes in,” Quist said. “When that thing is filed, it’s got a number, we need to know early on in the process, in order for us to have a say and to influence that case.”
Town Manager Brent Billingsley has reached out to the county to set up meetings for receiving updates on cases in the pipeline.
Council Supports Reviewing Cases After County Hearings
The council faced a key timing decision. Should San Tan Valley submit recommendations before or after the county Planning and Zoning Commission hears each case?
Council members supported the “after” approach. This allows the town to benefit from the county’s vetting process. Applicants present their projects to the county P&Z first, answering questions and establishing a public record. The town then has four to six weeks before the Board of Supervisors makes its final decision.
“Doing it after the P&Z, the benefit there is you’ve got the planning and zoning vetting those developers that are coming in, asking questions, finding out what their reasoning is behind their project,” Mayor Daren Schnepf said.
However, town staff would still submit preliminary observations before county P&Z hearings. This means the town would engage at two points: staff observations before P&Z, and a formal town recommendation after. Billingsley explained the reasoning for the early observations: “We’ll give that staff observations prior to P&Z, just so that when it goes to the board, a board member doesn’t say, ‘Well, if you were that interested in the case, why didn’t you comment at planning and zoning?'”
These early observations would be technical in nature. They would not represent official town positions.
Interim Planning Advisory Committee Structure
Rather than handle all reviews directly, the council supported creating a citizen advisory body. This committee would conduct public review meetings for cases referred by the council.
“I think it would be very advantageous for us to create a special advisory body who would look very closely at this and advise us on these issues, because we’re carrying a lot as we approach this July 1 deadline,” Vice Mayor Tyler Hudgins said.
The committee would operate under these guidelines:
The body would be named the Interim Planning Advisory Committee. It would have seven members, with each council member appointing one person. All terms would end July 1, 2026. Members would receive Open Meeting Law training.
Councilmember Gia Jenkins supported involving residents. “We have probably a ton of talented people, constituents within our community that are willing and able to help build the culture of San Tan Valley,” she said. “I’m all for an advisory committee.”
Councilmember Brian Tyler volunteered to serve as the council’s liaison to the committee. He would attend meetings to communicate council priorities and provide feedback.
How Committee Recommendations Would Reach the County
The council considered three options for handling the committee’s recommendations. They could forward them directly to the county. Alternatively, the mayor or vice mayor could endorse them first. Or recommendations could appear on the council’s consent agenda for full ratification.
Council members supported the third option. This would ensure every elected official has a voice in the final recommendation.
“I want any council member to be able to pull this if needed,” Hudgins explained. “We all represent San Tan Valley and all have responsibility on this.”
Mayor Schnepf agreed with this approach. “I would prefer it coming to the council as a consent item, because we will have the information before us, all of us,” he said.
Billingsley noted that having the mayor endorse recommendations could create a conflict. Mayor Schnepf serves on the county Planning and Zoning Commission, so he would be weighing in on the same cases in two different roles.
Hybrid Approach Until Committee Is Operational
Getting the advisory committee operational would take approximately one month. Staff would need to draft a resolution establishing the body’s rules. Council members would need to identify their appointees. Members would need to receive training.
In the meantime, the town would use a hybrid approach. Staff would continue submitting observations to county P&Z hearings. For urgent or significant cases, staff may request special council meetings.
“Until we have the body up and going, staff will continue to give the observations to the county planning and zoning,” Billingsley said. “And then any hot items that are identified, we would take directly to the council.”
Residents Interested in Serving on the Committee
Community members who want to serve on the Interim Planning Advisory Committee have multiple paths forward. In October, the town asked residents to express interest in various committees. Many people specifically mentioned planning and zoning or similar roles.
“A lot of people reached out and a lot of those people suggested planning and zoning or something very similar,” said Interim Town Clerk Garrett Glover. He said he would share those names with council members.
Additionally, residents can email the town clerk at [email protected]. “The public can email our clerk, pass that information around plus historical data information around and then we’ll make a determination from there,” Hudgins said.
Council members may also approach individuals directly to serve.
Resolution Expected at Next Council Meeting
Staff could bring a formal resolution to the next council meeting. This document would establish the Interim Planning Advisory Committee’s operating rules and official name.
Council members were asked to identify their appointees by that meeting. This timeline would allow staff to accelerate the training process and get the committee reviewing cases as quickly as possible.
Billingsley said citizen advisory bodies can develop future public servants. He cited Christian Price, who came to him as an HOA president, joined Maricopa’s Planning and Zoning Commission, and eventually served 12 years as mayor of Maricopa.
“It’s the best way in the world to train your future public servants and your council members,” Billingsley said.
