What kind of housing do we need in the City of Flagstaff? There is almost universal agreement that we are desperately in need of housing that year-round residents from all walks of life can afford.
But though the demand for housing serving a spectrum of needs is great, most developments to date have been high-end student and luxury housing.
This month, the City Council is facing a request for another student housing project. It’s one we’ve seen before, the controversial but previously approved 2018 Mill Town project across from Target. The developer wants to submit a new plan but under an old code. But the new plan will remain a student housing project, consisting mostly of four-and-five-bedroom apartments to be shared by students.
But Mill Town now faces a problem. In 2018, in response to community outrage over the proliferation of large-scale student housing projects, the City Council unanimously passed the High Occupancy Housing (HOH) Plan. It limits the number of 4-bedroom (or more) units to a maximum of 30% and requires that at least 20% of units be studio and/or one-bedroom apartments. The HOH restrictions on bedroom types were included to provide options for non-student residents.
The HOH is an extremely important tool for increasing the diversity of housing options in Flagstaff. It requires housing projects to be designed to accommodate all types of residents, not only students, using room type percentages and other tools. The overall vision is to create neighborhoods rather than off-campus dormitories. It is one of the few ways we currently can increase the diversity of housing types for people who live and work in Flagstaff.
The HOH Plan was created to direct Flagstaff’s growth toward the outcome the community wanted. The council should not undermine the very policy the City had the wisdom to put in place to address our housing crisis. It should not set a precedent that opens the door for future exemptions.
Mill Town’s developer is asking the City Council to go back in time and grant a special exemption to design a project in 2025 based on the 2017 code. It should not be given an exception to the rule that the community and Council developed to ensure more diversity of housing types.
On March 4, Flagstaff City Council will vote on whether to grant the developer of Mill Town an exemption to the HOH code. We urge the Council to uphold the policy it put in place to address our housing needs. Any requested modifications from the HOH zoning for Mill Town can be examined during future site plan review by staff and council. We urge readers to send an email to Council at council@flagstaffaz.gov before March 4, calling on our elected officials to require Mill Town to comply with the HOH code.
Michele James
Executive Director
