7.
City Council Work Session
- Meeting Date:
- 06/09/2015
- Co-Submitter:
- Sara Dechter, AICP, Comprehensive Planning Manager
- From:
- Sara Dechter, AICP, Comprehensive Planning Manager
- Department:
- Planning & Development Services
Co-Submitter:
Jennifer Mikelson, Associate Planner
TITLE:
Presentation of Flagstaff Regional Plan 2014 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 next year's annual report and the plan amendment tasks proposed.
Staff requests feedback on the proposed amendments described in the annual report, considering:
• Do any of the proposed amendments move the Regional Plan away from its original intent?
• Will the clarifications proposed be adequate for evaluations of Regional Plan consistency?
• Are there clarifications or corrections missing in the proposed solutions?
• Are the proposed timelines and prioritization of these issues acceptable?
Staff requests feedback on the proposed amendments described in the annual report, considering:
• Do any of the proposed amendments move the Regional Plan away from its original intent?
• Will the clarifications proposed be adequate for evaluations of Regional Plan consistency?
• Are there clarifications or corrections missing in the proposed solutions?
• Are the proposed timelines and prioritization of these issues acceptable?
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
Comprehensive Planning staff has prepared the first annual report for the Flagstaff Regional Plan 2030. It demonstrates that the City has already made great progress in incorporating the Regional Plan into decision-making across City departments and toward embracing the Plan as a living document.
INFORMATION:
COUNCIL GOALS:
7) Address key issues and processes related to the implementation of the Regional Plan.
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 update the City Council and community on progress towards meeting the goals and policies of the Flagstaff Regional Plan. The 2014 Annual Report accomplishes this objective in three ways:
1) It establishes baseline statistics for comparison in future year reports.
2) It gives an overview of the use of goals in City Council staff reports.
3) It provides a strategy for moving forward on clarifications and corrections identified as needing amendment to the Plan.
Baseline Statistics
The report includes baseline statistics for all but 13 of the metrics identified in Appendix D of the Regional Plan and for one additional metric associated with the airport. Some of the metrics that are missing have not yet been developed; others did not have up to date information to include. In some cases, the data exists but could not be compiled in time for this year's report.
City Council Staff Reports
Staff began including the Regional Plan Goals in City Council Staff Reports in September 2014, and so this section is only reflective of 4 months of City Council work.
Regional Plan Amendments
Throughout the first year of using the Regional Plan, Comprehensive Planning staff has identified text and map clarifications and corrections with a wide range of implications from editorial errors to substantive changes. Some of these issues were generated by the Planning and Development Services staff’s review of the document, some by questions from the public, and some by development application concepts.
ISSUES THAT NEED FURTHER DIALOGUE
There have been several issues that are more complex than a clarification or correction, which have been part of the public dialogue about the new Regional Plan. There is no specific proposal about how address them at this time, but they will be brought forward in the future. All of these topics could result in updated or new Regional Plan goals and policies, changes to the Future Growth Illustration or development of a Specific Plan for an identified area of the City or element of the Regional Plan. Current examples are:
• Dark Skies – there is an outside group working on Dark Skies issues and the Regional Plan is one element of this dialogue. City staff is participating in this effort, as requested.
• Transportation and Land Use issues along the Milton corridor
• Student Housing – the City and NAU have formed internal and external student housing working groups that are discussing the need for or potential advantage of Regional Plan amendments.
• The Activity Center at Woody Mountain Road and Route 66- Council has included taking a look at this activity center as part of the Council priorities. The effort is pending but not programmed at this time. It is possible that this task could be completed along with any dark skies changes.
7) Address key issues and processes related to the implementation of the Regional Plan.
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 update the City Council and community on progress towards meeting the goals and policies of the Flagstaff Regional Plan. The 2014 Annual Report accomplishes this objective in three ways:
1) It establishes baseline statistics for comparison in future year reports.
2) It gives an overview of the use of goals in City Council staff reports.
3) It provides a strategy for moving forward on clarifications and corrections identified as needing amendment to the Plan.
Baseline Statistics
The report includes baseline statistics for all but 13 of the metrics identified in Appendix D of the Regional Plan and for one additional metric associated with the airport. Some of the metrics that are missing have not yet been developed; others did not have up to date information to include. In some cases, the data exists but could not be compiled in time for this year's report.
City Council Staff Reports
Staff began including the Regional Plan Goals in City Council Staff Reports in September 2014, and so this section is only reflective of 4 months of City Council work.
Regional Plan Amendments
Throughout the first year of using the Regional Plan, Comprehensive Planning staff has identified text and map clarifications and corrections with a wide range of implications from editorial errors to substantive changes. Some of these issues were generated by the Planning and Development Services staff’s review of the document, some by questions from the public, and some by development application concepts.
ISSUES THAT NEED FURTHER DIALOGUE
There have been several issues that are more complex than a clarification or correction, which have been part of the public dialogue about the new Regional Plan. There is no specific proposal about how address them at this time, but they will be brought forward in the future. All of these topics could result in updated or new Regional Plan goals and policies, changes to the Future Growth Illustration or development of a Specific Plan for an identified area of the City or element of the Regional Plan. Current examples are:
• Dark Skies – there is an outside group working on Dark Skies issues and the Regional Plan is one element of this dialogue. City staff is participating in this effort, as requested.
• Transportation and Land Use issues along the Milton corridor
• Student Housing – the City and NAU have formed internal and external student housing working groups that are discussing the need for or potential advantage of Regional Plan amendments.
• The Activity Center at Woody Mountain Road and Route 66- Council has included taking a look at this activity center as part of the Council priorities. The effort is pending but not programmed at this time. It is possible that this task could be completed along with any dark skies changes.