| It’s been a busy spring and beginning of summer here at F3! Below are short updates on some of the issues on which we have been working.
The city’s proposal to allow housing on lands zoned “Public Facility”
F3 did a deep dive into the city’s proposal to allow housing on lands zoned “Public Facility.” After many conversations with city staff and careful consideration over nearly two months, F3 decided to support the zoning code amendment because the city included the requirement for any development proposal to go through the Conditional Use Permit process. Read our final letter to Council on March 14 for more information.
Flagstaff’s Regional Plan 2045
Flagstaff’s Regional Plan 2045 Committee has been keeping our Executive Director and our Board President very busy. Nine meetings have been held in 2024 thus far, and each require detailed review of draft chapters (often two reviews of each) and discussion with other members of the appointed citizens on the Regional Plan Committee. The chapters reviewed thus far include Water Resources, Energy, Parks, Recreation, & Open Space, Cost of Development, Resource Stewardship & Resilience, and Transportation. The Committee will continue to meet through August. Take a look at upcoming chapter reviews and other Regional Plan topics here. A final draft of the Plan is scheduled to be released in the fall for a 60-day public review. Please keep your eye out for more information about this as public input is a critical component of the Regional Plan.
Update on plans for the hospital from NAHA meeting with Northern Arizona Healthcare and some community members on June 12 indicated that they plan to start speaking with community groups regarding future plans for healthcare in the city. NAH is not selling the old Summit Center but will remodel it as a new orthopedic office and ambulatory hospital set to open in 2026. NAH is renting the formerly vacant building on the north end of McMillan Mesa which will house primary care and urgent care services along with a specialty clinic for vascular and cardio-thoracic surgery, a cardiac cath lab, a sleep clinic, and gastroenterology services.
F3 is pleased that NAH will be providing important services in the heart of the city but we are still concerned that NAH is refusing to consider renovation of their existing hospital or expansion onto their own vacant land and neighboring parcels. NAH has indicated they are looking at three sites to relocate and build a new hospital. They will not say where those sites are located or if they are within the City of Flagstaff. They are no longer considering the “health village” development as was planned to be adjacent to their proposed new hospital near Ft. Tuthill.
F3 continued to emphasize exploring all options including renovation and expansion of the existing hospital and the need to maintain a vibrant community center on the hill. We will continue to keep our members informed about this topic.
Mountain Line Citizen Advisory Committee
Our Executive Director participated in the Mountain Line Citizen Advisory Committee to provide input into the potential for the much-needed transportation tax extension and increase. City Council has approved Mountain Line’s recommendation for this ballot initiative for the November election.
Threats to Flagstaff’s Carbon Neutrality Plan
F3 actively addressed the threat posed to Flagstaff’s Carbon Neutrality Plan (CNP) from a citizen petition submitted by the loosely formed group calling themselves Flagstaff First. F3 and many, many others in the community spoke at multiple council meetings about the importance of rejecting the revisions requested by Flagstaff First. Council directed staff to look at the issue during the regularly-scheduled periodic review of the CNP in FY 2025.
Sustainable banking procurement policy
F3 recommended that the City adopt a stronger banking procurement policy to ensure a more strict policy against working with banks that invest in the fossil fuel industry. We were disappointed that the council chose the weakest of the three procurement options provided. Read F3’s June 4 letter to council about this topic.
Proposed water and wastewater customer rate increases
F3 has been examining the city’s proposed water and wastewater customer rate increases for some months. Read about the proposed rate increases here. We’ve reviewed all the details and meeting discussion of this complicated process and met with Water Services staff to get answers to our questions. While the rate increases are necessary given current inflation in costs and deferred updates and maintenance of infrastructure, we are concerned about the impact of the increases on those with lower incomes in our community and we have been urging Council and staff to pursue options for assistance to those in need. We wrote to council and made a statement about this at the first public hearing on June 18. The second public hearings for the proposed water rate increases is scheduled for the July 2nd Council meetings.
The City’s EPA grant for creation of “Resilience Hubs”
The City of Flagstaff received a $1M grant from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) this spring to design and designate three “Resilience Hubs.” Read about resilience hubs here. This is great news for our community! F3 is a community partner along with many others for this grant and our ED will serve as a member of the steering committee and attend quarterly meetings.
Flagstaff’s Resource Protection Overlay zoning
F3 participated in a field trip to look at past implementation of Flagstaff’s Resource Protection Overlay (RPO) as part of the Regional Plan Committee discussion of City staff’s desire to modify this zoning in the near future. The modifications would be balanced to provide resource protection, wildfire protection to housing units, and more complete utilization of parcel space for building housing units. This topic is in the early stages of conversation with the public and more conversations will be taking place.
Economic Development Strategy
Review of the City’s Economic Development Strategy including meetings with city staff and consultants and comments provided to council. Read F3’s May 21 written comments.
Workforce Development Strategic PlanReview of the City’s Workforce Development Strategic Plan and comments provided to council and city staff on May 28. Read F3’s written comments to council.
Community Engagement Coalition for Energy Retrofits
F3 is a member of the Community Engagement Coalition for Energy Retrofits. The Coalition has been knocking on doors and talking to residents of Sunnyside this spring about how they view their neighborhood. Two “house meetings” have been held that are expanding those conversations. More work will continue this summer.
November 2024 election preparationIn preparation for the November 2024 election, F3 has started planning for our fall City Council Candidate Forum and the Council Candidate Questionnaire. Three city council seats will be filled in this election with the end of terms for Council members McCarthy and Harris. Council member Sweet is running for reelection to her council seat. There will be six council candidates on the ballot (no primary) and one write-in candidate as of this writing. Mayor Daggett is running for another term as mayor with no competition. We are also considering a questionnaire for FUSD School Board candidates. As a nonprofit organization, we never endorse candidates, but strive to provide information to our members about them.
We plan to produce our Voting Guide to Propositions again this election year. There will be two City propositions on the ballot: a continuation of the BBB tax (Bed, Board, Booze) and a proposal to extend and increase the city’s transit tax which funds Mountain Line. Public transit is critical in the city’s efforts to make the “big shift” toward lessening our carbon emissions. F3 will provide more detailed information about these two propositions in the future. In addition to the city’s propositions, there will be many state propositions on the ballot this fall.
New F3 Program Coordinator hired!
We’re pleased to announce that two weeks ago we hired Elijah Born as our part-time Program Coordinator. Elijah completed an internship with us this spring focusing on the Community Engagement Coalition for Energy Retrofits and did fabulous work. He is a graduate of NAU with a major in environmental sustainability and a minor in community engagement. He has a passion for Flagstaff, his hometown, and we’re excited to welcome him to F3.
1% for the Planet PartnershipF3 is proud to announce that we are now an environmental partner with 1% for the Planet. This global program allows certified businesses to contribute funding to partner nonprofits. We are grateful to Flagstaff’s certified business, Mountain Sports, for their assistance in becoming a partner.
Guidestar Candid Gold Seal of Transparency F3 has received a “Gold” seal of transparency rating from Guidestar Candid indicating that we are a highly transparent nonprofit with detailed information readily available to potential funders and partners on our online profile.
Reminder: Coffee Hour with F3’s Director this Wednesday, July 3
F3 wants to engage with you one-on-one. We want to hear your concerns, questions, and ideas about Flagstaff issues.
Our Director will be available for at least one hour (9:00-10:00 am) on the first Wednesday of each month. F3 Board members may join as well. We’ve selected locally-owned coffee shops throughout the city. Here’s the schedule for the remainder of 2024:
July 3: Late for the Train, 19 E Aspen, outside courtyard
August: cancelled
September 4: White Dove Coffee, 2211 E. 7th Ave.
October 2: Kickstand Kafe, 719 N Humphreys St.
November 6: Lund Canyon Coffee, 601 Piccadilly Dr. #10
December 4: Campus Coffee Bean, 1800 S. Milton #24
I look forward to talking with you!
As always, if you want to know more about any of the work F3 is doing, or if you have questions, please reach out to me at the email below.
Michele James
Executive Director
MJames@FriendsofFlagstaff.org |
