The City of Flagstaff is proposing a Major Plan Amendment on climate change and climate action to the Flagstaff 2030 Regional Plan. The proposed amendment will revise pages IV-11, IV-12, and X-19 of the Flagstaff Regional Plan 2030: Place Matters (Regional Plan). This amendment will align the Regional Plan Climate Change and Adaptation pages with the City’s climate action work and the 2021 Carbon Neutrality Plan.

Staff will update Council on the proposed Amendment, the rationale and benefits of this amendment, and the public review process.

The proposed Amendment to the Regional Plan will align the Regional Plan Climate Change and Adaptation pages with the City’s climate action work and the 2021 Carbon Neutrality Plan.
 
Why amend the Regional Plan?
“The Flagstaff Regional Plan is a dynamic document that can be updated, revised, and improved over time to respond to emerging issues, new ideas, and changing conditions.” – The Flagstaff Regional Plan 2030
 
The proposed amendment is a text amendment, as it changes the written text of the Regional Plan. The amendment is a major amendment because it adds or deletes a goal or policy in the Plan.The State and the City of Flagstaff outline specific requirements of major plan amendments. These are outlined in Chapter III of the Regional Plan and the Flagstaff City Code, Title 11, General Plans and Subdivisions. Major Plan amendments require a significant public outreach component, and are only reviewed by City Council once per calendar year.
 
Why is this change necessary?
This text amendment will update the Flagstaff Regional Plan 2030’s discussion of climate change and climate action to align with the City of Flagstaff’s climate action goals. The climate action work of the City has evolved rapidly since the 2014 adoption of the Regional Plan, creating a gap between the guidance provided in the Regional Plan and the City’s declared climate goals and the ambition of its climate actions.
 
This gap is exemplified in the Regional Plan’s discussion of greenhouse gas reduction targets:

• The Flagstaff Regional Plan 2030 climate change and adaptation section set a goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions: Goal E&C.2.: reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
• In 2018, City Council set a goal to reduce community greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by 2050.
• In 2020, City Council declared a climate emergency and set a goal to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030, effectively reducing emissions to net-zero. The achievement of this goal will be guided by the Carbon Neutrality Plan, which was adopted by the Flagstaff City Council on June 15, 2021.

While these goal statements all support City action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and do not conflict with one another, there is a significant gap between the ambition and requisite actions of these goal statements. This gap reflects the growth in the urgency of climate action, both globally and locally.
 
This amendment will restore alignment between the Regional Plan and the City’s well-established climate goals, clarifying the carbon neutrality goal and the types of climate action the City will take. This will reduce confusion, increase transparency, and support decision-makers when making decisions based on the City’s climate action goals. 
 
Amendment Details
The Proposed Regional Amendment includes the following changes on page IV-11 and IV-12 of the Regional Plan:

• Changes to the narrative
• Revisions to goals E&C 2 and E&C 3
• Revisions to policies E&C 2.1, E&C 2.2, E&C 3.2, and E&C 4.1
• Addition of four policies: E&C 2.3, E&C 2.4, E&C 3.5, and E&C 3.6

In addition, there is also one proposed change to Policy T.8.1 in the Transportation Chapter to add specificity and clarity.
 
These changes are detailed in the attached documents, which explain the exact text changes for each goal and policy.
 
 
Project timeline
This amendment was initiated by the Planning and Zoning Commission on April 14, 2021, at the request of the Sustainability Commission.
 
This amendment application was approved by the City of Flagstaff Inter-Division Staff group on July 29, 2021.
 
The City of Flagstaff hosted a public review period from July 13, 2021, until September 13, 2021. Information was provided to the community through printed advertisements, press releases, multiple in-person or online events, a dedicated webpage, social media postings, Sustainability Commission meetings, and newsletter updates.

The following opportunities for engagement were provided to all community members:

• One in-person Open House: Wednesday, August 25th from 5:00 to 7:00 pm, Murdoch Community Center, at 203 E. Brannen Ave, Flagstaff, AZ 86001.
• Two online information sessions via Zoom:
  • Tuesday July 20th, from 5:30 to 6:30 pm.
  • Thursday September 9th, from 6:00 to 7:00 pm.
• A Flagstaff Community Forum online comment board, available at https://www.opentownhall.com/10937
• Email, mail, or phone calls to Jenny Niemann, Climate and Energy Specialist.
• Four meetings of the Planning and Zoning Commission, and two meetings of the Sustainability Commission.

Connection to the Regional Plan:
Regional Plan:
Goal E&C.2 Reduce Greenhouse gas emissions.
Goal E&C.3 Strengthen community and natural environment resiliency through climate adaptation efforts.
Goal E&C.4. Integrate the best available science into all policies governing the use and conservation of Flagstaff’s natural resources.