FLAGSTAFF — On Wednesday, May 25, the City of Flagstaff’s Planning and Zoning Commission recommended that the City Council approve changes to the Flagstaff Regional Plan 2030. The proposal would modify Chapter 3 of the Regional Plan to change the criteria for major plan amendments, and clarify procedures for area plans and for modifying the map that illustrates future growth and land use. The City Council will take up the proposal after the summer break.
The Regional Plan was adopted by voters in May 2014. Arizona law sets enhanced procedures for major plan amendments and allows each city to set its own criteria. Major plan amendments must be completed in one calendar year and the applicant cannot file an annexation or rezoning request until the amendment is approved. “The difference between a major and minor plan amendment is not that major amendment is a big deal and minor is not,” says Sara Dechter, Comprehensive Planning Manager for Flagstaff. “Major plan amendments only look at systematic plan and policy implications, and minor plan amendments look at how well the site plan fits the Regional Plan goals and policies. So the question most relevant to these changes is if the public, staff and Council will be better served by a proposal with or without a site plan.”
City staff identified the need for changes to Chapter 3 in 2015 and asked the City Council and the Planning and Zoning Commission for direction as part of the first Regional Plan Annual Report. Work on these changes began in December 2015. Staff reached out to former members of the Citizen’s Advisory Committee and those who had participated regularly in the Regional Plan effort before developing a proposal. The proposal was refined in a 30 day public review of the draft, and three work sessions with the Planning and Zoning Commission before it was approved by the Commission.
For a full description of the proposed changes, visit www.flagstaffmatters.com, or review the video of the May 11th Planning and Zoning Commission meeting online at: www.flagstaff.az.gov/streaming. Sara Dechter can be reached with questions at (928) 213-2631 or sdechter@flagstaffaz.gov.