Voters will decide fate of Regional Land Use and Transportation Plan

By Becky Daggett
Flagstaff Resident

The Flagstaff Area Regional Land Use and Transportation Plan goes before voters on May 21. The Regional Plan, as it is sometimes called, has the potential to control how Flagstaff grows in the years to come. It is important that residents understand what the plan calls for, and go to the polls to take a stand on this proposal.

Why do you live in Flagstaff? Is it because you love ponderosa pine forests and wildflowers? Is it because you love to meet friends on the street on your way to the post office or coffee shop? Or do you value both Flagstaff’s small town charm and the beauty of the natural surroundings?

For several decades now, communities throughout the United States have been growing in ways that create an ever-increasing dependence on automobiles. Commute times grow ever longer. Open space is subdivided into sprawling neighborhoods miles from town. Investment dollars are diverted away from historic business districts and existing neighborhoods.

Recently there has been a movement afoot to turn community investment back toward downtowns and older neighborhoods as well as to save remaining open space. Some call this movement “Smart Growth” or “New Urbanism.”

According to the Smart Growth Network, the basic features of smart growth are:

Mixed land use

Compact neighborhood design

Affordable housing opportunities and choices

Walkable neighborhoods and communities

Distinctive, attractive communities with a strong sense of place

Protected open space, farmland, natural beauty and critical environmentally areas

Encouragement of development toward existing communities

A variety of transportation choices

Development decisions that are predictable, fair, and cost-effective

Collaboration in development decisions involving various community stakeholders

In 1996, Flagstaff area residents undertook a planning process known as Flagstaff 2020. This process asked four questions of our community: 1) Where are we now? 2) Where are we going? 3) Where do we want to be? 4) How do we get there? By June 1997, approximately 5,000 residents had participated in a dialogue about what Flagstaff should be in the year 2020 and how we as a community would make it so.

One of the agreed upon visions articulated through that process was that by the year 2020, “growth is carefully controlled and directed through local and regional planning to enhance the community’s livability.”

Fast forward to the year 2000 when the city and the county assembled a group of 28 individuals from various parts of the community and formed the Regional Task Force. This task force worked together for 15 months discussing, drafting, and refining the Flagstaff Area Regional Land Use and Transportation Plan. The Regional Plan was further refined through nearly a year of public meetings until it was adopted by the Flagstaff City Council and Coconino County Board of Supervisors in November 2001. Next month it goes before Flagstaff voters.

According to the Regional Plan, the vision and objectives are “that Greater Flagstaff will have a compact land use pattern that shapes growth in a manner that preserves our region’s natural environment, livability, and sense of community. By directing growth to well-defined contiguous areas, growth can be better accommodated without encouraging inefficient land use patterns; open lands and natural resources can be better protected; and public facilities and services can be delivered more effectively. With a finite supply of land, the Regional Plan shall provide for the region’s growth in a manner that balances growth and conservation.”

In reading through the Regional Plan, one sees a direct link between the plan’s vision, goals, and objectives and those of the Smart Growth movement. Retaining Flagstaff’s character, providing a variety of housing and transportation options, and protecting valuable open spaces are all addressed within the Plan.

Some of the other issues addressed in the Regional Plan are: commercial development, industry and employment, infill and redevelopment, cost of development, parks, recreation and trails, community character and design, natural and cultural resources, water resources, community facilities and services, and public safety.

I asked two Regional Plan Task Force members what they thought of the plan that they helped to create. Bill Jeffery, also a City Councilmember, said that the plan’s strongest point is “its balance of environmental quality and quality of life with economic development.” He also remarked that “the community needs to be involved in future decisions to make sure the Council implements the Plan appropriately.”

Carl Taylor, task force member and Coconino County Planning and Zoning commissioner, said, “The idea of urban and rural growth boundaries is very important as a management tool. I also support the idea of more dense development within the corporate boundaries, rather than a sprawl model such as is happening in the Prescott area.”

Why do we need a regional plan?

Under Arizona’s Growing Smarter legislation, all municipalities must develop a voter-approved general plan. The Flagstaff area Regional Plan, if approved, will replace the current general plan called the Growth Management Guide 2000. If the Regional Plan is defeated, a new plan will need to be created and approved by voters. This would probably mean going through the entire process again, from the citizen task force to the public open houses and meetings.

To understand the Regional Plan, voters need to understand its key concepts. The fundamental concepts contained within the Regional Plan are: compact land use, mixed-use development, infill, redevelopment, and protection of open space.

What is compact land use?

What is mixed use?

Compact land use is using scarce land in a more efficient manner. It does not mean merely stacking houses or apartments on top of each other and calling it compact. Compact land use, if designed correctly, can retain open space in close proximity to housing as well as provide trail systems to nearby forested areas. It can also help to achieve a more diverse mix of housing types, including affordable units. Land is generally an expensive part of development, and by using this resource more efficiently a community can realize more affordable housing opportunities.

During the past 10 years, Flagstaff has been developing at an average of seven dwelling units per acre. The Regional Plan calls for average densities of three to seven dwelling units per acre in various designated growth areas.

By mixing uses, including some neighborhood commercial in with residential, people living within those neighborhoods have the opportunity to walk some places they would otherwise have to drive, such as to a health clinic, hardware store or coffee shop. The goal of compact, mixed-use development is to allow for transportation options in addition to automobile use. Mixed use does not mean locating an industrial or large commercial use next to residences.

Pedestrians: The indicator species of smart growth

Imagine how nice it would be to live in a neighborhood where you can walk easily to most of the shops or other places you like to go. The idea isn’t to replace the automobile, but simply to give options to those who would prefer another means of transportation or a housing type not available to them currently. In some cases, compact land use can ease the transportation burdens of those who can no longer drive or who cannot afford to own a car, another factor in housing affordability. If done thoughtfully, it can help to alleviate traffic congestion because trips otherwise made in a car can be done on foot, by bicycle, or using mass transit. Compact land use is about creating choices.

What is infill? What is redevelopment?

Infill means developing vacant sites in already built-up areas. As Dan Cort, a redevelopment developer who spoke in the Building for Community Series said, “We should build on every vacant lot in town and rebuild all of our deteriorating areas before we even think of building on greenfields.”

A key to successful infill development is ensuring that the new buildings are appropriate to the existing neighborhood. For instance, we want to make sure that the historic character of the downtown area is preserved. The character of our existing neighborhoods is important to maintain when developing infill and redevelopment projects.

Redevelopment means reinvestment in existing neighborhoods and commercial areas by replacing or repairing buildings that are in substandard condition or are no longer useful in their current state. It also means making more effective use of the land, such as building on portions of excessively large parking lots.

How does the plan protect open space?

The Regional Plan outlines many policies and strategies to retain open space (see sidebar). Among these is utilizing the Greater Flagstaff Open Spaces and Greenways Plan, the City of Flagstaff Urban Open Spaces Plan, the City’s Long Range Master Plan for Parks, Recreation and Open Space, and the County Area Plan open space objectives. The Plan also addresses open space funding and protection of “Neighborwoods,” those lands adjacent to our neighborhoods that provide nearby recreational opportunities.

The Regional Plan also specifies urban and rural growth boundaries. The land within these boundaries is planned to be sufficient to meet growth demands for the next 30 years or more. With these boundaries in place, development will be directed inward while our open spaces are preserved.

What happens when growth extends to growth boundary?

The presumption is that growth will stop at the existing boundary. However, the city and county may consider growth boundary changes. The Regional Plan is a living document and, as such, public input will continue to be sought for zoning changes and major amendments — such as any change to the urban or rural growth boundaries. Where boundaries border state and federal land, state and federal jurisdictions will also participate in any future consideration of boundary changes.

Who supports the Regional Plan?

The Regional Plan has been endorsed by a diverse array of community, environmental and business organizations. These include Friends of Flagstaff’s Future, the Grand Canyon Trust, the Flagstaff Chamber of Commerce, the Sierra Club Plateau Group, the Flagstaff Activist Network, the Northern Arizona Building Association, the League of Women Voters of Greater Flagstaff, and the Northern Arizona Association of Realtors.

Get a copy of the Regional Plan:

The Regional Plan can be checked out from the Public Library, 300 W. Aspen Ave. or you may purchase a copy for $20 from the Community Development desk at City Hall, 211 W. Aspen Ave. It may be also be accessed at www.flagstaffplanning.com.

It’s important to your community that you become informed about the Regional Plan and that you vote in the general election. Check FTP for dates of forums and other public meetings to help you better understand this document.

The Flagstaff general election will be held May 21. To vote, you must be registered at your current address by April 22. For more information on where to register, how to request an early ballot, or your polling location, call the city elections office, 779-6589.

What’s in the Plan?

The following is a broad overview of some of the policies in the Regional Plan. Each policy also has several implementation strategies given.

 The Land Use and Growth Management element begins on Page 36 and contains policies such as:

 Establish an urban growth boundary

Require urban development to locate within city boundaries

Promote infill development

Promote targeted redevelopment

Promote quality design

Place emphasis on all transportation modes

Establish rural growth boundaries

Include a mix of uses in new commercial development and redevelopment

Reinforce the role of downtown

Support environmentally appropriate industry

Establish interconnected neighborhood street and sidewalk patterns

Establish rural growth boundaries

Restrict development at the periphery of the planning area

The city and county shall work with federal and state agencies to better manage future urban lands

Establish open space buffers on lands adjacent to forest service lands

Apply design and locational standards for large retail commercial developments including Big Box retail

Encourage clustered development

The Open Space, Parks, Recreation and Trails element begins on Page 107 and contains policies such as:

Implement urban and rural open spaces plans

Provide non-motorized transportation corridors to connect communities, neighborhoods, open spaces and recreational areas

Preserve priority open space lands

Protect “neighborwoods”

Provide parks, open space, and recreation facilities throughout the region

Preserve rural character and natural environment

The Community character and Design Element begins on Page 121 with policies such as:

Preserve the character of the region’s natural setting

Continue inter-agency coordination for development and protection of wildlife habitat and corridors

Preserve cultural and historic resources

Promote sustainable design technology

Collaborate with residents to stabilize, protect and improve historic districts and other neighborhoods while maintaining affordability and viability

The Natural and Cultural Resources and the Environment element begins on Page 129 and contains policies such as:

Improve air quality

Conserve water and protect resources

Protect wildlife habitat and travel corridors

Protect dark skies

Protect archeological and cultural resources

Promote the community’s cultural diversity

Plan within an ecosystem framework

Inventory, eradicate or control noxious weeds, and restore native vegetation

Encourage energy conservation measures

The Community Facilities and Services element begins on Page 168 and contains policies such as:

Determine and require adequate public facilities and services

Development shall pay its fair share toward the cost of additional public service needs created by new development

Implement capital improvements program.

Becky Daggett is the executive director of Friends of Flagstaff’s Future. friends@infomagic.net.