6.
City Council Work Session
- Meeting Date:
- 06/14/2016
- From:
- Jennifer Mikelson, Associate Planner
- Department:
- Planning & Development Services
Co-Submitter:
TITLE:
Flagstaff Regional Plan 2015 Annual Report
DESIRED OUTCOME:
Inform City Council and the public of efforts to implement and measure how the Flagstaff Regional Plan 2030 is being used. Provide direction to staff on what missing information to prioritize for the next annual report and the proposed plan amendment tasks.
Staff is requesting feedback on the following:
Staff is requesting feedback on the following:
- Does the report provide a big picture of how the City implements the Regional Plan?
- Are there clarifications or corrections you would like to see?
- How important are the missing metrics? Should any of them be prioritized for development or tracking?
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
Comprehensive Planning staff has prepared the 2015 Annual Report of the Flagstaff Regional Plan 2030. This second assessment of the City’s efforts to implement the Plan shows progress towards comprehensive data tracking and incorporating the Plan into decision-making processes. The City’s commitment to produce an annual report will help determine future specific plan needs and Plan amendments, advancing the idea that the Regional Plan is a living document.
INFORMATION:
COUNCIL GOALS:
7) Continue to implement the Flagstaff Regional Plan and focus efforts on specific plans
8) Improve effectiveness of notification, communication, and engagement with residents, neighborhoods and businesses and about City services, programs, policies, projects and developments
Annual Report Summary
The purpose of the annual report is to keep Planning and Zoning Commissioners, City Council, and the public informed of the City’s progress towards meeting the goals and policies of the Regional Plan. The 2015 Annual Report does this in four ways:
The 2015 report builds on last year’s initial data and incorporates several metrics that were missing from the 2014 report, establishing several new baseline measurements. Staff began identifying trends in the data, where feasible. It will take several years’ worth of information for variability ranges to be determined and trend analysis to be most meaningful in assessing the Plan.
A total of nine missing metrics are identified at the end of the Natural, Built, and Human Environment sections, which is down from 13 in the 2014 report. Some of the metrics have no tracking method developed, and others do not have current information.
Goals Cited in City Council Staff Memos
A total of 67 out of 75 Regional Plan goals were cited in staff memos to Council in 2015. Goals from all 15 chapters of the Plan were used to link a project’s relationship to particular goals from the Plan. The top cited goals are listed with a brief connection made to the corresponding work item or project staff brought forward to Council last year.
Regional Plan Accomplishments
Last year’s Plan implementation included one major and two minor plan amendments: the Map 25 major amendment, the La Plaza Vieja Neighborhood Specific Plan, and the Core Services Yard map amendment. In Fall 2015 Comprehensive Planning launched an online civic engagement platform that aims to enhance meaningful public participation across all city departments. This additional avenue for public input will inform a range of City decision-making processes. Regional Plan accessibility will be increased with IT’s upcoming online interactive GIS maps, which is a long term project that has seen much progress in 2016. Part of the presentation will include a tour of the new interactive map feature.
Future Comprehensive Planning Projects
Three amendment tasks are outlined in the report, down from last year’s five. They involve two substantive amendments to the Growth and Land Use chapter and clarification of the terms “corridor” and “great streets” used throughout the Plan. Two of the amendment tasks from the 2014 report were completed and summarized in the Regional Plan Accomplishments section. In early 2016 Council gave direction on the prioritization of specific plan work. A list of those plans and other projects spanning 2016-2017 is summarized under Upcoming Specific Plans. First on that list is the High Occupancy Housing Plan (HOH). Comprehensive Planning staff has already chartered a team to begin work on the HOH.
7) Continue to implement the Flagstaff Regional Plan and focus efforts on specific plans
8) Improve effectiveness of notification, communication, and engagement with residents, neighborhoods and businesses and about City services, programs, policies, projects and developments
Annual Report Summary
The purpose of the annual report is to keep Planning and Zoning Commissioners, City Council, and the public informed of the City’s progress towards meeting the goals and policies of the Regional Plan. The 2015 Annual Report does this in four ways:
- It builds on last year’s baseline data so that trend analysis is possible over time.
- It shows which Plan goals are cited most often in all staff memos to Council.
- A summary of all amendments and planning efforts accomplished in the last year is provided.
- Identification of all current and upcoming amendments and specific plan work is shown.
The 2015 report builds on last year’s initial data and incorporates several metrics that were missing from the 2014 report, establishing several new baseline measurements. Staff began identifying trends in the data, where feasible. It will take several years’ worth of information for variability ranges to be determined and trend analysis to be most meaningful in assessing the Plan.
A total of nine missing metrics are identified at the end of the Natural, Built, and Human Environment sections, which is down from 13 in the 2014 report. Some of the metrics have no tracking method developed, and others do not have current information.
Goals Cited in City Council Staff Memos
A total of 67 out of 75 Regional Plan goals were cited in staff memos to Council in 2015. Goals from all 15 chapters of the Plan were used to link a project’s relationship to particular goals from the Plan. The top cited goals are listed with a brief connection made to the corresponding work item or project staff brought forward to Council last year.
Regional Plan Accomplishments
Last year’s Plan implementation included one major and two minor plan amendments: the Map 25 major amendment, the La Plaza Vieja Neighborhood Specific Plan, and the Core Services Yard map amendment. In Fall 2015 Comprehensive Planning launched an online civic engagement platform that aims to enhance meaningful public participation across all city departments. This additional avenue for public input will inform a range of City decision-making processes. Regional Plan accessibility will be increased with IT’s upcoming online interactive GIS maps, which is a long term project that has seen much progress in 2016. Part of the presentation will include a tour of the new interactive map feature.
Future Comprehensive Planning Projects
Three amendment tasks are outlined in the report, down from last year’s five. They involve two substantive amendments to the Growth and Land Use chapter and clarification of the terms “corridor” and “great streets” used throughout the Plan. Two of the amendment tasks from the 2014 report were completed and summarized in the Regional Plan Accomplishments section. In early 2016 Council gave direction on the prioritization of specific plan work. A list of those plans and other projects spanning 2016-2017 is summarized under Upcoming Specific Plans. First on that list is the High Occupancy Housing Plan (HOH). Comprehensive Planning staff has already chartered a team to begin work on the HOH.