Consideration and Adoption of Resolution No. 2025-02 and Ordinance No. 2025-01:  A Resolution of the City Council of the City of Flagstaff, Coconino County, Arizona, declaring as a public record that certain document filed with the City Clerk entitled "PZ-24-00216 - Resource Protection Standards Applicability" and an Ordinance of the City Council of the City of Flagstaff, Coconino County, Arizona, amending the Flagstaff City Code, Title 10, Flagstaff Zoning Code.
 

The City is requesting a modification to the Zoning Code provisions in Chapter 10-50: Supplemental to Zones, Division 10-50.90: Resource Protection Standards. Specifically, the amendment seeks to exempt all public rights-of-way, in addition to arterial roads, from the requirements outlined in Section 10-50.90.20: Applicability.

The Planning and Zoning Commission recommended that the City Council approve the proposed text amendment by a vote of 4-1.  

There are no anticipated financial impacts affiliated with the proposed Zoning Code Text Amendment.

There are no anticipated policy impacts affiliated with the proposed Zoning Code Text Amendment.

There has not been a previous City Council decision on this ordinance.

The City Council may adopt, modify, or deny the proposed amendment.

The proposed amendment (see Attachment 1) modifies the applicability requirements for the Resource Protection Standards. These standards apply to properties within the Resource Protection Overlay (RPO), which was generally applied to vacant parcels over 5 acres in the early 1990s. While the standards have remained largely unchanged since their adoption in the 1990s, some modifications were made in the 2011 Zoning Code update. The amendment proposes to exempt all new public rights-of-way from resource calculations for proposed developments. This change provides staff with more flexibility to work with developers in creating better road connectivity and overall design that accommodates all modes of transportation. As a result, the amendment slightly reduces the amount of resources that must be protected within a proposed development.

A Zoning Code Text Amendment shall be evaluated based on the following findings:

A.    Finding #1:
The proposed amendment is consistent with and conforms to the objectives and policies of the General Plan and any applicable specific plan;

Flagstaff Regional Plan 2030

• Goal E&C.4. Integrate available science into policies governing the use and conservation of Flagstaff's natural resources.
• Policy E&C.4.1. Assess vulnerabilities and risks of Flagstaff’s natural resources.
• Policy LU.2.3. New development should protect cultural and natural resources and established wildlife corridors, where appropriate.
• Policy LU.3.3. Protect sensitive cultural and environmental resources with appropriate land uses and buffers.
• Policy LU.5.2. Promote infill development over peripheral expansion to conserve environmental resources, spur economic investments, and reduce the cost of providing infrastructure and services.
• Policy LU.5.4. Encourage development to be clustered in appropriate locations as a means of preserving natural resources and open space, and to minimize service and utility costs, with such tools as Transfer of Development Rights (TDR).
• Policy ED.4.7. When planning for future growth, consider tribal, cultural, and natural resources in balance with community needs.

10-Year Housing Plan

• Create 4.5 Evaluate and amend the Resource Protection Overlay standards to ensure that the minimum densities can be met on most sites, including making the requirements for residential sites to be similar to those for commercial sites.
• Create 4.6 Evaluate Resource Protection Overlay standards in terms of consistent application across each zone and allow for greater maximum densities.

Carbon Neutrality Plan

• Protect existing forests, resources, and meaningful open spaces.
  • Support planning and zoning efforts that protect natural resources, including surface water resources.
  • Reduce urban encroachment into the forest, such as by promoting infill as supported in the Regional Plan.

B.    Finding #2
The proposed amendment will not be detrimental to the public interest, health, safety, convenience, or welfare of the City;
The amendment provisions are not anticipated to be detrimental to the public interest, health, safety, convenience, or welfare of the City.  The amendment will primarily impact the development of residential subdivisions, because of the requirements to provide rights-of-ways to serve individual lots.

C.    Finding #3
The proposed amendment is internally consistent with other applicable provisions of this Zoning Code.
The amendment is internally consistent with the existing Zoning Code, following its format and aligning with its comprehensive purpose. It does not conflict with any other provisions and ensures that the Zoning Code remains clear, usable, and easily understood.

 

Achieve a well maintained community through comprehensive & equitable code compliance, & development is compatible with community values.

• Goal E&C.4. Integrate available science into policies governing the use and conservation of Flagstaff's natural resources.
• Policy E&C.4.1. Assess vulnerabilities and risks of Flagstaff’s natural resources.
• Policy LU.2.3. New development should protect cultural and natural resources and established wildlife corridors, where appropriate.
• Policy LU.3.3. Protect sensitive cultural and environmental resources with appropriate land uses and buffers.
• Policy LU.5.2. Promote infill development over peripheral expansion to conserve environmental resources, spur economic investments, and reduce the cost of providing infrastructure and services.
• Policy LU.5.4. Encourage development to be clustered in appropriate locations as a means of preserving natural resources and open space, and to minimize service and utility costs, with such tools as Transfer of Development Rights (TDR).
• Policy ED.4.7. When planning for future growth, consider tribal, cultural, and natural resources in balance with community needs.

• Protect existing forests, resources, and meaningful open spaces.
  • Support planning and zoning efforts that protect natural resources, including surface water resources.
  • Reduce urban encroachment into the forest, such as by promoting infill as supported in the Regional Plan.

• Create 4.5 Evaluate and amend the Resource Protection Overlay standards to ensure that the minimum densities can be met on most sites, including making the requirements for residential sites to be similar to those for commercial sites.
• Create 4.6 Evaluate Resource Protection Overlay standards in terms of consistent application across each zone and allow for greater maximum densities.