“The goal of [the HOH Specific Plan] document is to produce a new Specific Plan for the City of Flagstaff that defines future urban patterns for High Occupancy Housing (HOH) developments. The Flagstaff Regional Plan 2030 (Regional Plan), the Flagstaff community, and research on some practices to achieve the goals set forth within this plan will guide these patterns.”
It is important to note that in Flagstaff our Regional Plan is a guiding document, not a zoning document. Under Prop 207, it will remain this way. In most cities Regional Plans and Specific Plans are written to help inform and shape zoning. As long as Prop 207 remains the law of the land, zoning changes can lead to cities being sued by property owners. Therefore, it is unlikely that we will see substantial changes to the zoning code as a result of this document. However, we can expect some, like those currently proposed for the Transect Code.
Information contained in the first half of the HOH Specific Plan:
Favorite Takeaway: Our 60ft maximum height restriction for downtown buildings is based on the average height of a mature Ponderosa Pine.
- Site and Area Analysis (Demographics, Parking, Transportation, Housing Affordability, Economic Development, Peer Cities, Planning and Land Use, Northern Arizona University Housing, Property Management, Essential Services)
Key Takeaways:
- “Like many similar communities, Flagstaff has an undersupplied housing market and affordability issues. The 2016 median housing sale price is $315,500 while the median household income is approximately $49,000 (U.S. Census Bureau). 24% of the Flagstaff population is living in poverty.”
- “NAU is in the top 1 percent of universities nationally for total on-campus housing capacity.” Meaning, NAU houses more students on campus than 99% of other universities.
- Many livability issues related to HOH are property management issues that can and should be dealt with by property owners. For example, “In some of our Peer Cities, property managers are required to provide specific educational material to help tenants recycle the right items in the correct place.”
- Street and parking congestion is best relieved by increasing walkability and public transport, not by expanding roadways.
- Affordable Housing needs to be incentivized differently if we want to see more of it. Under Prop 207, one of the ways cities can encourage the type of growth they would like to see is through building incentives like reduced parking or specific tax breaks. HOH developments are ideal partners for affordable housing if we re-incentivize.
- We are not alone. Cities all over America of Flagstaff’s size with universities are experiencing growing pains and we can learn from each other.
In HOH Specific Plan: Part 2 of 3
I will review some key takeaways from the chapter’s Concept Plan, Vision from the Regional Plan, Activity Centers, and High Occupancy Housing Site Design.
If you have read the document and want to share your thoughts please email: dtucker@friendsofflagstaff.org.
Upcoming Public Workshops on this Issue:
· Wednesday, August 30, 2017 from 6:00pm to 8:00pm at the Flagstaff Aquaplex (1702 N. 4th St.)
· Thursday, August 31, 2017 from 6:00pm to 8:00pm in the Council Chambers at City Hall (211 W. Aspen Ave.) |
