Goodyear General Plan winning easily in early returns

Goodyear voters on Tuesday appeared to be overwhelmingly approving the city's 2035 General Plan in a special election.

The election was based on all mailed-in ballots. In preliminary, unofficial counts, the measure was winning by more than 6,000 votes, with better than 20% turnout in the early mailed-in ballots.

Local election results in Arizona are unofficial until local officials have tabulated and canvassed the results. It's unknown how many ballots remain to be counted.

Voters had two choices: They could accept the proposed changes to the General Plan or reject them and leave the existing plan in place.

The city chose to have a special election so the General Plan would not get overshadowed by the primary or general elections. The City Council voted to adopt the draft General Plan in November. There was no organized opposition.

The General Plan outlines the city's goals and growth patterns over the next decade. Highlights of the plan include adding 65,300 jobs by 2055, improving transportation and roads, adding more housing units, adding more local businesses, and diversifying modes of transportation such as biking, walking and public transportation.

The General Plan also outlines some of the city's areas that are expected to see a particularly large amount of growth, including Civic Square, Ballpark Village, the Cotton Lane Corridor and Bullard Corridor.

Goodyear City Councilmember Bill Stipp said it's important that the General Plan has overwhelming support. That helps the city know it's headed in the right direction, Stipp said.

And the fact that citizens were so heavily involved in the process of writing the General Plan alone shows how important the support is, Stipp said.

"I think the thing that was not only important to me, but to I think everybody on council, is that this plan got out into the community and was actively talked about in the community," Stipp said.

The General Plan is closely tied to other city plans, such as the Parks Master Plan and Transportation Plan.

"We're going to continue to grow, well thought-out, in a way that is sustainable and is good for our community. It's the whole package that really sets it apart," Councilmember Sheri Lauritano said.

People who voted no may have been concerned that the General Plan authorized the city to spend more money. But Lauritano emphasized that the General Plan is simply a road map and is not tied to any specific funding.

The city's General Plan is updated every 10 years and maps out the city's overall vision and its plan for growth over that period, helping the city to plan which areas need additional investment and what types of developments could come to which areas.

According to the 2020 census, the city had a population of about 95,000, up 46% from 2010. The city's population is expected to reach 240,000 by 2055, according to the city's new General Plan.

This article will be updated as results come in. Please check back.

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Reach the reporter at ahardle@gannett.com or by phone at 480-259-8545. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter: @AlexandraHardle.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Goodyear General Plan winning easily in early returns