• Accept the report without additional comment;
• Accept and provide direction to staff on high-level next steps; or,
• Accept and convene a future meeting to discuss recommendations for potential action.  This option would be useful if Council wishes for additional citizen voice and involvement on future amendments to the Regional Plan specific to student housing since the charge from the Council and work of the External Working Group is concluded with this report.

Members of the External Working Group:
 

Jesse Dominquez Moran Henn David McCain   Jeff Knorr Tyler Mark

La Plaza Vieja  Neighborhood Friends of Flagstaff’s Future Followed Moran representing Friends of Flagstaff’s Future JKC-Inc. Construction Westpac Construction followed Jeff

Stuart McDaniel Vance Peterson Charlie Silver Amy Smith Charlotte Welch

Flagstaff Chamber of Commerce ReGroup Performance Contracting Townsite Neighborhood BellainVGroup, Property Management North End Neighborhood

Members of the Internal Working Group:
 

Dr. Rick Brandel   Sarah Darr Michelle D’Andrea Sara Dechter Roger Eastman Karl Eberhard Dan Folke Heidi Hansen Erika Mazza

NAU Special Advisor for Student & Community Issues City Deputy Housing Director City Attorney City Comp. Planning Manager City Zoning Administrator City Comm. Devel. & Redesign City Planning Director City Economic Vitality Director NAIPTA, Development Director

Joanne Keene   David McIntire Reid Miller Walt Miller Stephanie Sarty Kevin Treadway Dave Wessel   Jerene Watson

NAU VP and Chief of Staff to President (followed Dr. Sarah Bickel, VP & COS) Real Estate Mgr./Comm. Invest. Dir. City Comm. Devel. Proj. Mgr.(Eng) City Deputy Police Chief City Comm. Devel (Engineering) City Police Chief City (FMPO) Metropolitan Plan. Org. Manager Deputy City Manager

The Council adopted a Student Housing Work Plan (SHAP) through Resolution 2015-01 on January 6, 2015, found in Attachment #2.  This was the result of a community conversation that began in 2013 and continued into the spring and summer of 2014 when a couple of student housing developments were brought to the City Council.  Members of the impacted neighborhoods and residents across the city used this opportunity to request more involvement before similar high-density projects moved forward.  The result of the public interest was a broader community dialog.   In October 2014, a Student Housing Symposium was hosted by Northern Arizona University (NAU), Coconino County, the City of Flagstaff, and representatives of several neighborhoods. Two other university communities were invited to participate in this forum to share their experiences and solutions in finding a balance to accommodate the needs for student housing and interests of neighborhoods. Approximately 75 individuals attended. 

With the adoption of the Plan, work was set in motion according to the eight elements within the Plan:
  
1.  Designate internal and external City-NAU work groups for the purpose of trying to accomplish tasks set forth:

• NAU Code of Conduct application to off campus behavior
• Staff work and support associated with the SHAP
• Review Regional Plan for possible amendment  (see Attachments #3 & #4)
• Incorporate a neighborhood component in freshman orientation or sophomore move-out
• Develop an off-campus housing guide with input from the private sector and neighborhoods
• Develop outreach to property owners in single-family, detached housing neighborhoods who rent to students to help spread the word on codes of conduct relating to trash, parking, noise, etc. and enlist HOA's to sign up for orientation and communicate that to its members

2.  City/NAU Police departments, City CD & Legal staff work on designated tasks:

• Review Nuisance Party Ordinance and revise to hold landlords and hosts more accountable
• Develop a security ordinance or component focused on crime-free multi-housing
• Determine standard security conditions for development agreements and zoning ordinances (see Attachment #5)
• Add NAU PD into the City's Inter-Divisional (development-related) staff meetings involving high-occupancy residential units
• Establish post-construction consequences for non-compliance

3.  Look at establishing a Neighborhood/University Liaison position

4.  Review the City of Flagstaff Zoning Code for improvement on neighbor notification of student housing developments in comparison to other cities (i.e.,  who conducts the meetings, what is standard content, role of staff, etc.-- see Attachment #6)

5. Re-examine a Parking Permit System (in Southside but was expanded to the City)

6.  Review definition of "Family" in City Zoning Code (Cf. Opinion from City Attorney sent on this Plan element)

7.  Explore public participation options on student housing proposals on land with appropriate entitlements (Use-by-Right developments) and understand what is informative v. discretionary and what is to be done when people don't like it but there is no discretion  (Cf. Opinion from City Attorney sent on this Plan element)

8.  Flagstaff Metropolitan Planning Organization (FMPO) to develop Traffic Impact Analysis through trip generation models, updating mobility and land use components of a Milton Avenue Corridor Plan (a Plan does not currently exist) and develop a tool for multi-modal traffic impact analysis  (see Attachment #7)

The presentation this evening will be the culmination of many months of diligence and hard work done on this Plan by the members of working groups.

COUNCIL GOALS  directly or indirectly accomplished due to the charge from City Council and the work of the SHAP groups:
4) EXPLORE AND ADOPT POLICIES TO LOWER THE COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH HOUSING TO THE END USER
    (relating to SHAP this could include those seeking housing in high-density, lower cost development, particularly students)

5) DEVELOP AND IMPLEMENT GUIDING PRINCIPLES THAT ADDRESS PUBLIC SAFETY SERVICE LEVELS
    (Enforcement of the Party Nuisance ordinance adoption)

6) RELIEVE TRAFFIC CONGESTION THROUGHOUT FLAGSTAFF 
    (FMPO working on corridor, land use components along Milton and data analysis on traffic patterns)

7) ADDRESS KEY ISSUES AND PROCESSES RELATED TO THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE REGIONAL PLAN 
    (Recommendations provided from the External Working Group as part of the attachments to this report - see notes in Regional Plan below)

8) IMPROVE EFFECTIVENESS OF NOTIFICATION, COMMUNICATION AND ENGAGEMENT WITH RESIDENTS, NEIGHBORHOODS AND BUSINESSES ABOUT CITY SERVICES, PROGRAMS, POLICIES, PROJECTS AND DEVELOPMENTS
    (the participants of the External Working Group included representatives from three neighborhood associations, business representatives from construction, property management and the chamber of commerce, and an environmentally focused community group who looked at areas of the Regional Plan for possible amendment.  Additionally, Council's review of the City's Zoning Code sections 10-20.30.060, Neighborhood Meeting, 10-20-.30.080, Notice of Public Hearings, and 10-50.80.040A, Number of Parking Spaces Required, are the regulations that would address what the community has requested - see ATTACHMENT 6 ) 

9) Foster relationships and maintain economic development commitment to partners
    (the participants of the External Working Group included community business partners from the construction industry as well as a company who has a large portfolio of multi-family properties they manage)

REGIONAL PLAN:
The information on the Sections reviewed within the Regional Plan are detailed in Attachment #3 and include Building Design, Social Impacts, Transportation, Natural Resources, Public Engagement/Transparency/Accountability or contradictory language relating to those Sections as well as Proportion of on-campus housing, Education for off-campus students, Long-term parking for students, Park and Ride facilities for students and campus employees, and Buffers between residential and student housing.  Recommendations from the External Working Group are found in Attachment #3.