Flagstaff unveils detailed future growth illustration for regional land use planning

The Joint City/County Regional Plan Retreat held on May 2, 2025, in Flagstaff, Arizona, focused on the future growth illustration for the region, outlining preferred land use and development outcomes for the next two decades. The meeting emphasized the importance of this illustration as a foundational tool for assessing land use variances and guiding public investment decisions.

The discussion began with an overview of the future growth illustration, which is now parcel-specific, allowing for detailed property designations. This contrasts with the previous plan, which featured generalized circular activity centers that did not align with property boundaries. The updated map aims to simplify land use categories, ensuring each property has a single designation, thus reducing confusion.

Elsa Erling from the city was scheduled to explain the color-coded categories on the map, which reflect a more logical organization of land use compared to earlier versions. The meeting highlighted the ongoing updates to Flagstaff's land development code, ensuring that future land use designations align with zoning codes.

The retreat also reviewed the extensive public engagement that informed the regional plan growth concept. This included scenario planning, where community feedback shaped four initial growth scenarios. The preferred scenario emerged from a combination of these options, emphasizing increased housing density and focusing growth in urban centers and corridors.

Participants discussed the importance of integrating various planning efforts, such as the carbon neutrality plan and the active transportation master plan, into the regional growth strategy. The preferred scenario was modeled using Urban Footprint, a tool that assesses potential impacts on housing affordability and local job housing.

Overall, the meeting underscored the collaborative effort to create a comprehensive and actionable regional plan that reflects community needs and aspirations for sustainable growth over the next 20 years. The next steps involve further refining the plan based on ongoing public input and aligning it with existing development projects.