Friends of Flagstaff’s Future (F3) — Lone Tree Overpass, the Housing Plan, and More

by Community Contributor • March 16, 2022 • Comments Off

Communication Issue #21 March 16, 2022

In This Issue:

Lone Tree Overpass – Butler Intersection
Final Housing Plan
Citizen Bond Committee
E-Qual Online Signature Collection for Election Candidates
Open Call for Candidate Questions
Looking for Volunteers for F3’s Election Committee
McMillan Mesa Community Celebration April 9
Contribute to F3 on AZ Gives Day April 5-6

Lone Tree Overpass – Butler IntersectionAfter a strong campaign by F3 and others for a safe bike and pedestrian intersection at Lone Tree and Butler Avenue associated with the new Lone Tree Overpass, we were pleased that the City Council selected Option 5 (map below) at the January 25th Council meeting. Option 5 contains two through-lanes and one turn lane in each direction for a total of 5 lanes at each of the four legs of the intersection. This was the smallest intersection considered by the Council.

Council directed staff to explore the option of a second turn lane at the north and south legs of the intersection, as well as an option for a bike/pedestrian bridge from the north to the south.

Staff will return to Council to present their findings at a future Council meeting. F3 will keep you informed about when this intersection will next be discussed by Council.

Proposed Option 5, Lone Tree and Butler Intersection

Final 10-year Housing Plan Approved

Council approved and adopted the Final 10 year Housing Plan on February 15. F3 provided extensive comments on the draft plan and many of our suggestions were incorporated into the final plan.

F3 supports the Final Housing Plan but we recognize that a plan is only as good as its implementation. We’re pleased that stringent evaluation and reporting elements are included in the Housing Plan and we have encouraged clear, detailed, and transparent commun-ication to the public on an annual basis to ensure implementation of the Plan’s initiatives and strategies.

Citizen Bond Committee
A Citizen Bond Advisory Committee was formed in late 2021 by the City Manager. The Committee is tasked with advising the Mayor and City Council on potential ballot measures for the November 2022 election. General obligations bonds are a debt financing tool for funding large, one-time expenditures.

F3’s Executive Director is serving on the Committee which has been meeting weekly since January.
Composed of just over 20 community members, the Committee has heard details from City staff on proposed projects to be included on the 2022 ballot.
Proposals include: Infrastructure such as Public Safety (both fire and police), Wastewater, Storm Water, Housing, and Climate Action.
The Committee’s goal is to sift through the information and determine which projects to recommend to Council.
The City’s needs, as outlined by staff, far exceed the $75 million that Council has suggested be the limit for the 2022 ballot.
Look for online surveys and community meetings in the next couple of months as the Committee seeks public input into this process.

E-Qual Online Signature Collection for Mayor & Council Candidates
Did you know that residents of Arizona are able to provide signatures and addresses online via Arizona’s E-Qual System?

E-Qual is easy to use:

Enter your driver license or voter ID number when you sign on (this is to confirm your voter status)
Sign petitions for candidates up and down the ballot
Remember: you can only sign one petition for Mayor and three for City Council candidates, and you must be a resident of Flagstaff to sign in support of City candidates.

Go to E-Qual

Open Call for Candidate Questions
It’s an election year and F3 is starting to prepare our questionnaire for the City Council and Mayoral candidates and we need your help!
What questions do you have for the City’s Candidates? What do you want to learn about their positions on issues and ideas for the future?

We’re looking for specific, targeted questions that distinguish the candidates from each other and tell us what they stand for. Questions can pose real or hypothetical scenarios set in both the past and the future.

Send your questions to info@friendsofflagstaff.org by April 15th.

Interested in Helping F3 with the Flagstaff Election?
F3 is looking for volunteers to serve on our Election Committee. Duties include determining the final candidate questions and organizing the F3 Candidate Forum to be held in June.

If interested, contact F3 Executive Director Michele James at MJames@friendsofflagstaff.org

McMillan Mesa Community Celebration
April 9th 10:00-2:00 @ Buffalo Park Ramada

Celebrate the 5th anniversary of Prop 413 preserving McMillan Mesa Natural Area, and its recent rezoning to public Open Space. Live music, food trucks, & a guided tour!
NATRA run starts at 8:00 am.