A plan and timeline for updating the City of Surprise General Plan was presented to City Council at their Regular Meeting last night.

The General Plan provides the vision and policies that determine how Surprise will grow and develop. It addresses City issues such as land use, open space, transportation, infrastructure and services.

Arizona State Law requires every city and county in Arizona to prepare a General Plan to address growth and to update and/or readopt it every 10 years by a public vote. The previous Surprise General Plan was adopted by City Council and approved by Surprise voters in 2013.

This General Plan update will be an 18-24 month process with three stages:

  Information Gathering
  Drafting of the General Plan
  Recommendation and Approval
Because the update process will include extensive public outreach and engagement, the next step is for City Council to adopt a Communication Plan. This is currently scheduled for the June 7 City Council Meeting. A General Plan 2040 website will be launched shortly after that meeting, which will include additional details on the process.

The proposed General Plan 2040 is projected to be complete and voted on by City Council in late 2023 and will be placed on the ballot for a citizen vote in August 2024.

For questions about the General Plan, please contact the City of Surprise Planning and Zoning Division at 623.222.3134.

To view the City’s current General Plan 2035, visit surpriseaz.gov/GeneralPlan.