Others present: City Manager Josh Copley and City Attorney Sterling Solomon.

Planning Director Dan Folke gave an introduction and turned the presentation over to Ms. Dechter, who gave a PowerPoint presentation on the proposed High Occupancy Specific Plan and answered questions from Commissioners and Councilmembers.
 
Public Comment
 
•Deborah Harris, resident
•Charlie Silver, resident
•Maury Herman, resident
 
Topics Discussed were as follows:

•Social justice, honorable population and creativity
•NAU needs to be involved in discussion
•Supports NAU in continuing to build High Occupancy Housing
•Supports “old town” and “new town”
•HOH not appropriate in “old town”
•Place making/keeping
•Activity centers
•Prop 207
•TIAs
  
Below is a summary of the direction given by the majority of the Planning and Zoning Commission and City Council to proceed with the specific plan:

 

Problem Statement	Direction
The Sawmill (U2) activity center overlaps too much of the Southside National historic district.	Move the activity center, because this will clarify and reduce the conflict related to new housing projects in the eastern portion of the Southside neighborhood
The Regional Plan needs to be clearer about our expectations for connectivity in Activity Centers. The public believes there should be stronger historic preservation language in the Plan	Amend policies HOH.2.7, 2.8, and 2.9 and all the policies under the Historic Preservation goal directly to the Regional Plan under the Activity Center goal LU.18 and Community Character Goal CC.1. Clarify that HOH.2.9 refers to pedestrian and not vehicle access Reference these new goals and policies in the HOH Plan
Height, bulk, mass and scale of HOH in areas where these projects are currently allowed is something that concerns the public.	Add the following implementation strategies: Amend the Zoning Code to lower the building height in the conventional Community Commercial (CC) zone to 45 feet and see if there are any requests for waivers or claims. Amend the Zoning Code to set a maximum density (units and bedrooms) for all high density and mixed use buildings. Add step backed or “wedding cake” Amend the Zoning Code to change how building height is measured to ensure height limitations are interpreted correctly. Add a policy or implementation strategy to continue evaluating height as part of area and corridor plans.
The Regional Plan, Zoning Code, and Parks policies misaligned in terms of creating park and civic spaces in activity centers.	Direct the Parks department to update the policy to not accept parks smaller than 2 acres and in the future allow for the acceptance of smaller parks under certain conditions and along with a discussion of parks funding impacts and mechanisms. Route this policy update to Planning and Zoning Commission, Public Arts and Beautification, Historic Preservation Commission and the Parks and Recreation Commission. Consider also how linear parks are park-like spaces that are organized along roads, streams and alleys can serve these areas. Put this as a short-term priority rather than long term.
In order to attract new HOH projects to the Future Activity centers, we need to incentivize their development to full potential	Add an implementation strategy about the importance of investing in in the infrastructure to support development of new activity centers that can support HOH, especially in the JW Powell and Butler Ave. area.
More clarity is needed in the illustrations	Add photos to show real world examples of old and new construction side-by side and where we think the elements of the Hoh Plan been implemented within the community Add people to the 3D illustrations for scale purposes Show a few building scale examples of density, bedrooms, and FAR within the larger illustration
Emphasize the Historic core protections that plan is adding.	Organize or highlight the policies that keep large scale HOH out of the central historic core and make their important and relationship clearer.

 
 

Problem Statement	Direction
The Sawmill (U2) activity center overlaps too much of the Southside National historic district.	Move the activity center, because this will clarify and reduce the conflict related to new housing projects in the eastern portion of the Southside neighborhood
The Regional Plan needs to be clearer about our expectations for connectivity in Activity Centers. The public believes there should be stronger historic preservation language in the Plan	Amend policies HOH.2.7, 2.8, and 2.9 and all the policies under the Historic Preservation goal directly to the Regional Plan under the Activity Center goal LU.18 and Community Character Goal CC.1. Clarify that HOH.2.9 refers to pedestrian and not vehicle access Reference these new goals and policies in the HOH Plan
Height, bulk, mass and scale of HOH in areas where these projects are currently allowed is something that concerns the public.	Add the following implementation strategies: Amend the Zoning Code to lower the building height in the conventional Community Commercial (CC) zone to 45 feet and see if there are any requests for waivers or claims. Amend the Zoning Code to set a maximum density (units and bedrooms) for all high density and mixed use buildings. Add step backed or “wedding cake” Amend the Zoning Code to change how building height is measured to ensure height limitations are interpreted correctly. Add a policy or implementation strategy to continue evaluating height as part of area and corridor plans.
The Regional Plan, Zoning Code, and Parks policies misaligned in terms of creating park and civic spaces in activity centers.	Direct the Parks department to update the policy to not accept parks smaller than 2 acres and in the future allow for the acceptance of smaller parks under certain conditions and along with a discussion of parks funding impacts and mechanisms. Route this policy update to Planning and Zoning Commission, Public Arts and Beautification, Historic Preservation Commission and the Parks and Recreation Commission. Consider also how linear parks are park-like spaces that are organized along roads, streams and alleys can serve these areas. Put this as a short-term priority rather than long term.
In order to attract new HOH projects to the Future Activity centers, we need to incentivize their development to full potential	Add an implementation strategy about the importance of investing in in the infrastructure to support development of new activity centers that can support HOH, especially in the JW Powell and Butler Ave. area.
More clarity is needed in the illustrations	Add photos to show real world examples of old and new construction side-by side and where we think the elements of the Hoh Plan been implemented within the community Add people to the 3D illustrations for scale purposes Show a few building scale examples of density, bedrooms, and FAR within the larger illustration
Emphasize the Historic core protections that plan is adding.	Organize or highlight the policies that keep large scale HOH out of the central historic core and make their important and relationship clearer.

Problem Statement	Direction
The Sawmill (U2) activity center overlaps too much of the Southside National historic district.	Move the activity center, because this will clarify and reduce the conflict related to new housing projects in the eastern portion of the Southside neighborhood
The Regional Plan needs to be clearer about our expectations for connectivity in Activity Centers. The public believes there should be stronger historic preservation language in the Plan	Amend policies HOH.2.7, 2.8, and 2.9 and all the policies under the Historic Preservation goal directly to the Regional Plan under the Activity Center goal LU.18 and Community Character Goal CC.1. Clarify that HOH.2.9 refers to pedestrian and not vehicle access Reference these new goals and policies in the HOH Plan
Height, bulk, mass and scale of HOH in areas where these projects are currently allowed is something that concerns the public.	Add the following implementation strategies: Amend the Zoning Code to lower the building height in the conventional Community Commercial (CC) zone to 45 feet and see if there are any requests for waivers or claims. Amend the Zoning Code to set a maximum density (units and bedrooms) for all high density and mixed use buildings. Add step backed or “wedding cake” Amend the Zoning Code to change how building height is measured to ensure height limitations are interpreted correctly. Add a policy or implementation strategy to continue evaluating height as part of area and corridor plans.
The Regional Plan, Zoning Code, and Parks policies misaligned in terms of creating park and civic spaces in activity centers.	Direct the Parks department to update the policy to not accept parks smaller than 2 acres and in the future allow for the acceptance of smaller parks under certain conditions and along with a discussion of parks funding impacts and mechanisms. Route this policy update to Planning and Zoning Commission, Public Arts and Beautification, Historic Preservation Commission and the Parks and Recreation Commission. Consider also how linear parks are park-like spaces that are organized along roads, streams and alleys can serve these areas. Put this as a short-term priority rather than long term.
In order to attract new HOH projects to the Future Activity centers, we need to incentivize their development to full potential	Add an implementation strategy about the importance of investing in in the infrastructure to support development of new activity centers that can support HOH, especially in the JW Powell and Butler Ave. area.
More clarity is needed in the illustrations	Add photos to show real world examples of old and new construction side-by side and where we think the elements of the Hoh Plan been implemented within the community Add people to the 3D illustrations for scale purposes Show a few building scale examples of density, bedrooms, and FAR within the larger illustration
Emphasize the Historic core protections that plan is adding.	Organize or highlight the policies that keep large scale HOH out of the central historic core and make their important and relationship clearer.

 

Problem Statement	Direction
The Sawmill (U2) activity center overlaps too much of the Southside National historic district.	Move the activity center, because this will clarify and reduce the conflict related to new housing projects in the eastern portion of the Southside neighborhood
The Regional Plan needs to be clearer about our expectations for connectivity in Activity Centers. The public believes there should be stronger historic preservation language in the Plan	Amend policies HOH.2.7, 2.8, and 2.9 and all the policies under the Historic Preservation goal directly to the Regional Plan under the Activity Center goal LU.18 and Community Character Goal CC.1. Clarify that HOH.2.9 refers to pedestrian and not vehicle access Reference these new goals and policies in the HOH Plan
Height, bulk, mass and scale of HOH in areas where these projects are currently allowed is something that concerns the public.	Add the following implementation strategies: Amend the Zoning Code to lower the building height in the conventional Community Commercial (CC) zone to 45 feet and see if there are any requests for waivers or claims. Amend the Zoning Code to set a maximum density (units and bedrooms) for all high density and mixed use buildings. Add step backed or “wedding cake” Amend the Zoning Code to change how building height is measured to ensure height limitations are interpreted correctly. Add a policy or implementation strategy to continue evaluating height as part of area and corridor plans.
The Regional Plan, Zoning Code, and Parks policies misaligned in terms of creating park and civic spaces in activity centers.	Direct the Parks department to update the policy to not accept parks smaller than 2 acres and in the future allow for the acceptance of smaller parks under certain conditions and along with a discussion of parks funding impacts and mechanisms. Route this policy update to Planning and Zoning Commission, Public Arts and Beautification, Historic Preservation Commission and the Parks and Recreation Commission. Consider also how linear parks are park-like spaces that are organized along roads, streams and alleys can serve these areas. Put this as a short-term priority rather than long term.
In order to attract new HOH projects to the Future Activity centers, we need to incentivize their development to full potential	Add an implementation strategy about the importance of investing in in the infrastructure to support development of new activity centers that can support HOH, especially in the JW Powell and Butler Ave. area.
More clarity is needed in the illustrations	Add photos to show real world examples of old and new construction side-by side and where we think the elements of the Hoh Plan been implemented within the community Add people to the 3D illustrations for scale purposes Show a few building scale examples of density, bedrooms, and FAR within the larger illustration
Emphasize the Historic core protections that plan is adding.	Organize or highlight the policies that keep large scale HOH out of the central historic core and make their important and relationship clearer.

Issues discussed but not resolved, that may move on to additional City Council Work Sessions:

•Mapping the desirability of HOH with the community
•Reclaimed water in HOH projects

The Joint Work Session of the Flagstaff City Council and Planning and Zoning Commission held November 8, 2017, adjourned at 6:50 p.m.