Public Hearing, Consideration and Possible Adoption of Ordinance No. 2016-16:  An ordinance of the City Council of the City of Flagstaff, amending the Flagstaff Zoning Map to rezone approximately 26.03 acres of real property located at the northeast corner of Fir Avenue and North San Francisco Street, from Single Family Residential (R1) and Public Facility (PF) to Public Open Space (POS), and to apply the Rural Floodplain Designation.  (Buffalo Park West Zoning Map Amendment) 

A zoning Map amendment request to rezone approximately 26.03 acres located north of Fir Avenue along San Francisco Street from the Single Family Residential (R1) and Public Facility (PF) zones to Public Open Space (POS).

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COUNCIL GOALS:
1) Provide sustainable and equitable public facilities, services, and infrastructure systems in an efficient and effective manner to serve all population areas and demographics
2) Continue to implement the Flagstaff Regional Plan and focus efforts on specific plans


REGIONAL PLAN:
Goal E&C.6. Protect, restore, and improve ecosystem health and maintain native plant and animal community diversity across all land ownership in the Flagstaff region.
Goal E&C.10. Protect indigenous wildlife populations, localized and larger scale wildlife habitats, ecosystem processes, and wildlife movement areas throughout the planning area.
Goal OS.1. The region has a system of open lands, such as undeveloped natural areas, wildlife corridors and habitat areas, trails, access to public lands, and greenways to support the natural environment that sustains our quality of life, cultural heritage, and ecosystem health.
Goal WR.6. Protect, preserve, and improve the quality of surface water, groundwater, and reclaimed water in the region.
Goal REC.1. Maintain and grow the region’s healthy system of convenient and accessible parks, recreation facilities, and trails.

This proposed rezoning would enact a prior dedication set forth in City of Flagstaff Ordinance No. 2014-23. The dedication states: “The portion of real property owned by the City of Flagstaff…is hereby set aside, preserved, and dedicated to the public for passive park purposes to be included in the immediately adjacent Buffalo Park.” Rezoning the property “to the zoning best reflective of the dedication of the property as a public park” was identified as a secondary enactment of the Ordinance.

The Public Hearing and first read of this Ordinance was held on April 5, 2016.

Options and Alternatives:
1) Approve the ordinance with the proposed conditions
2) Approve the ordinance with the proposed conditions, additional conditions, or modified conditions.
3) Deny the ordinance based on the required findings in Section 10-20.50.040(F)(1)(a) of the Flagstaff Zoning Code

The Applicant, the City of Flagstaff Recreation Department, on behalf of the property owner, the City of Flagstaff, is requesting a Zoning Map amendment to rezone approximately 26.03 acres to the Public Open Space (POS) zone with the Rural Floodplain designation. A Public Open Space (POS) designation would allow the expansion of an existing city park with passive recreational uses. The Rural Floodplain designation would exist along with the proposed Public Open Space (POS) zone, and prohibits certain development within the identified floodway and floodplain. Attached to this report is a map of the FEMA-recognized floodway and floodplain across the parcel, with the existing water transmission lines shown in the floodway. In addition, the Resource Protection Overlay (RPO) zone currently applies to this parcel, and will be carried over with this rezoning application.
 
As previously stated, the primary purpose of this rezoning is to enact a prior dedication as stated in City of Flagstaff Ordinance No. 2014-23.

All proposed amendments shall be evaluated as to whether the application is consistent with and conforms to the goals of the General Plan and any applicable specific plans; and the proposed amendment will not be detrimental to the public interest, health, safety, convenience, or welfare of the City of Flagstaff (the “City”) and will add to the public good as described in the General Plan; and the affected site is physically suitable in terms of design, location, shape, size, operating characteristics, and the provision of public and emergency vehicle access, public services, and utilities to ensure that the requested zone designation and the proposed or anticipated uses and/or development will not endanger, jeopardize, or otherwise constitute a hazard to the property or improvements in the vicinity in which the property is located. If the application is not consistent with the General Plan and any other applicable specific plan, the applicable plan must be amended in compliance with the procedures established in Chapter 11-10 of the City Code (Title 11: General Plans and Subdivisions) prior to considering the proposed amendment.

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Community benefits and considerations related to this Zoning Map amendment are addressed in the attached Planning and Zoning Commission staff report dated February 19, 2016.

All property owners within 600-feet of this site were notified via mail of the zoning map amendment and asked to attend the October 19, 2015 Parks and Recreation Commission meeting. Additionally, a notice was run in the Daily Sun, which discussed the zoning map amendment and identified the Parks and Recreation Commission meeting as a venue for discussion. The Commission did not meet quorum for their advertised meeting, but a public meeting for the rezoning was still held with the applicant and other city staff present. One member of the public attended the meeting to receive clarification on the Zoning Map amendment for this property.

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