The Proposed Hospital Relocation
Action Alert: Urge the City to Stop Banking with Wells Fargo
“Big Shift” Funding and Personnel Priorities
Flagstaff Regional Plan 2045
Action Alert: Beulah & University Realignment Project Open House
In Memoriam: Freda Van Houten

F3 hit the ground running in January and there’s a lot to report to our members. This newsletter contains important information, updates, and opportunities for community action.

Development Agreement and Rezoning Process

• The hospital relocation project has been broken into two phases:
  • Phase 1 consists of 98 acres of rezoning related to the hospital (approx. 751,000 sq ft), ambulatory center, and open space.
  • Phase 2 consists of the adjacent “health village” which will include rezoning for 270-315 dwelling units, 30,000 sq ft of commercial zoning, and 250,000 sq ft industrial/research zoning.

• Northern Arizona Hospital’s (NAH) financial commitments are expected to be detailed in a Development Agreement (a specific plan) that is under review by the City and nearing completion for Phase 1.

• Once the Development Agreement for Phase 1 is deemed complete by City staff, the Planning & Zoning Commission and the City Council will be asked to approve or deny both the Rezoning Request and the Development Agreement in upcoming months.

F3 is continuing our advocacy on multiple fronts regarding the NAH proposed relocation of the hospital:

It’s our view that NAH must make significant written financial commitments to the City in the Development Agreement for a fair share of costs related to the building and operation of a hospital and “wellness village”  in order to qualify for a rezone. These financial commitments must be in alignment with the City’s requests and needs and should not unduly impact City finances or be a burden to the public. Financial and other commitments that need to be part of the Development Agreement include:

• Public Transit: F3 was surprised to learn in December that NAH has chosen not to provide funding for a reasonable portion of the costs for a new public transit route to serve the proposed new hospital location. Mountain Line estimates the cost of the new bus route with 20-minute service to be $1.2M/year. Public transit to this area, located within an Urban Activity Center, is required according to Flagstaff’s Regional Plan. In addition, the City needs to provide equitable access to healthcare, and this includes for those without a vehicle. Flagstaff’s commitment to reach carbon neutrality in seven years time requires the increased use of public transit and multi-modal transportation to reduce Vehicle Miles Traveled and carbon emissions. Not providing public transit is not an option.

This decision by NAH significantly increases F3’s concerns that NAH may not commit to paying a significant portion of other necessary costs of the proposed new hospital and that Flagstaff citizens will be burdened with additional costs as well, including:

• Road Improvements: NAH should pay for a reasonable portion of the necessary road widening and associated multi-million dollar improvements on Beulah Ave that are needed to handle increased traffic near the relocated hospital and associated wellness village.

• Fire Prevention: NAH should pay for a reasonable portion of the costs the City has identified for the significant expansion of City Fire services that is required to adequately provide fire fighting coverage for the new hospital building, including a 142-foot tall tower (with expansion planned to 160 feet), a new fire station, a taller ladder truck, additional operations and maintenance costs for a total of $11.6M as well as the costs of up to 18 additional staff members.

The development agreement should also include:

• A  commitment to design, build, and operate the hospital and ambulatory center in a manner that aligns as closely as possible with Flagstaff’s Carbon Neutrality Plan.

• A  commitment to fund and produce a community-driven plan for the re-purposing and redevelopment of the existing hospital campus to ensure benefits to the Flagstaff community.

Fossil Free Arizona’s petition calling on the Flagstaff City Council not to renew its contract with Wells Fargo is being publicly debated Tuesday March 14 at City Hall at 3:00pm. 

• F3 supports this call to action and is one of over 50 endorsers (read FFA’s letter to Council on the AZ Daily Sun or on the F3 website). Wells Fargo is one of the top financiers of the fossil fuel industry and the City’s use of this bank is not in line with Flagstaff’s Climate Emergency nor the Carbon Neutrality Plan.
• Please come to City Hall and show your support on March 14 and/or email City Council (by March 12) at council@flagstaffaz.gov and tell them to not renew this contract.
• F3 is recruiting members to stand with our Executive Director as she provides verbal public comments to the Council on the 14th. Contact MJames@friendsofflagstaff.org if you would like to participate in this important action.

Scenario Planning

Phase 2 of the City’s revision process includes “scenario planning.” Scenario planning is a method of long-range planning used by cities and regions that enables communities to create and analyze multiple plausible versions of the future. The City is using “exploratory scenario planning” which recognizes that the future is uncertain and assists with this uncertainty by envisioning a range of possible futures (“scenarios”) and determining an adaptive plan that responds to changes on the ground as the future unfolds. Read more about this process on the City’s website. We have found this document to be a useful resource for understanding the exploratory scenario planning process.

Technical Advisory Group (TAG)

F3 has joined the newly formed TAG, a group of subject matter experts brought together by the City to think through different facets of future scenarios and develop materials that will be taken to the public for further consideration and policy translation. Information about the TAG, its members, and recording of the meetings can be found here.

The upcoming March and April public workshops (see Action Alert below) offer an opportunity for the community to review and provide input about the items coming out of the TAG and to consider how differing policy directions might impact the future.

The City has four upcoming public workshops where the community can learn more about the revision of the Regional Plan and provide important information and feedback to City staff and their consultant, Cascadia Partners. All workshops will be held at the Flagstaff Aquaplex, 1702 N. Fourth Street in Flagstaff.
March 28: 8:00 AM – 9:30 AM

March 28: 10:30 AM – 12:00 PM

March 30:  5:00 PM – 6:30 PM

April 1: 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM

Construction on the Beulah & University Realignment project begins in April 2023. Attend the City’s Open House at City Hall on March 2, anytime between 5:00-6:30 to view detailed information about the project, ask questions, and learn how community members will be affected. More information about the project is available here.  The elements of the project include:

• Extending present-day Beulah Boulevard northward to present-day University Avenue, with a roundabout constructed at the new intersection
• Realigning present-day University Avenue, east of the new roundabout, to match up with University Drive, east of Milton Road
• Constructing a pedestrian underpass just north of the Milton Road/University Drive intersection (between Burger King and Target)
• Stormwater infrastructure improvements and sewer and water pipe-upsizing throughout the project corridor.

Freda Van Houten, a former resident of Flagstaff and member and supporter of Friends of Flagstaff’s Future, died in Green Valley, Arizona on Sunday February 12th.  She was preceded in death by her husband Marvin, another strong community advocate, in 2014.  F3 member Peggy Sheldon-Scurlock has written a remembrance of Freda which you can read here.

We seek accountability and transparency from our local leaders through meeting with city staff, council members, and community organizations, following and participating in local and regional planning, and communicating what we learn to our members and the public.

We encourage you to join F3 if you are not yet a member. We gain strength with more members. Help F3 do important work in the Flagstaff community!

Information about our Executive Director, Board of Directors, and
Advisory Board can be found here.