Regional Plan Retreat - Review of Draft Agenda for May 2, 2025

Discussion only.

On Friday, May 2, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., the City Council, Board of Supervisors, and City and County Planning and Zoning Commissions will meet in a facilitated retreat to review proposals for revising the draft Flagstaff Regional Land Use Plan.  The purpose of the retreat is to review the proposals in a public meeting and request direction before public hearings begin. 

The budget for the Regional Plan development is 90% spent, so complicated updates or new analyses will only be possible to complete by reallocating staff time and could affect the project schedule. 

The Flagstaff Regional Plan is both a visionary and living document that can serve our community and guide its future. It is also a practical document that must be implementable within the legal system and governmental resources available. It must be adaptable to macro-economic, financial, legislative and social influences on development and government, reflect community values and priorities, and be realistic about constraints and uncertainties.   The Regional Plan must be applied within a broad set of existing laws, regulations and court decisions determining what is permissible in land use decision making.  It cannot override any federal or state laws, or any constitutional limits on the authority of jurisdictions to exercise police powers, and it cannot be used in a manner inconsistent with common law in the State of Arizona. The plan is designed to be updated regularly. 

Flagstaff Regional Land Use Plan is:  

• a collaborative community vision.
• priorities to guide future development.
• a collection of goals and policies to achieve the priorities.
• a set of maps and policies that show the infrastructure necessary for resilient and safe development and redevelopment
• a tool for decision makers, developers, businesses, 
• and citizens.
• a framework for general planning.
• adopted by the Flagstaff City Council and the Coconino County Board of Supervisors.    

Flagstaff Regional Land Use Plan is not:

• a mandate for or against development.
• a requirement or prohibition for a specific land use on a property.
• a zoning ordinance.
• a Capital Improvement Plan or infrastructure master plan.
• a City or County budget.
• an obligation to execute a project or plan 
• an operational or strategic plan for the City or County
• an unchangeable plan, or a law.

Developing this Regional Plan included extensive community outreach. Input from the public, agencies, the business community, nonprofit organizations, civic groups, and others shaped its focus and defined its priority areas. Based on collective community input, the Regional Plan reflects the desire to support inclusivity and sustainability while being good stewards of natural and cultural resources. The participants in this process identified the Region’s highest priorities as:

• Housing attainability and equity
• Climate action
• A walkable mixed-use community
• Natural and cultural resources 
• A healthy economy
• Resilient public services and facilities

City Council, the Board of Supervisors, and the City and County Planning and Zoning Commissions have been updated regularly on the progress of the Flagstaff Regional Land Use Plan since work began in 2021. In June 2023 the City Council and Board of Supervisors nominated members for a Regional Plan Committee that the City and County Manager formed to advise staff on the document while it was under production.  That group met monthly from November 2023 to July 2024 and then met in September 2024 and March 2025 to review later edits and proposed changes. All meeting agendas, packets and recordings of the Regional Plan Committee are available on the project website at: https://flagstaff-regional-plan-2045-flagstaff.hub.arcgis.com/pages/regional-plan-committee.  These meetings were open to the public and to Commission members.