[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6221304,"mediaKeyId","3614560-46365a4a46eeca87e1aef6eb6809721f","parentId",3614560,"title","Planning and Zoning Commission approves Mountain Line maintenance facility conditional-use permit","audioSeconds",1712,"startMs",2307000,"endMs",4019000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3614560-46365a4a46eeca87e1aef6eb6809721f&start=2307&end=4019","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3614560-46365a4a46eeca87e1aef6eb6809721f/thumbnail_2307000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6221304/Flagstaff-City/Coconino-County/Arizona/Planning-and-Zoning-Commission-approves-Mountain-Line-maintenance-facility-conditional-use-permit","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6221304-d980080623e8312b2cc4b636e2394271/orig.mp4?Expires=1775147181&Signature=llCKQuapqhU4rF~buwB-5sYFSB1ao9avUIQiqyAL~vov-N2tVVnnJNuGFk-tc8PKHBrs~T-1LENkHWhYXdTRXD-lszHY0Geyd~zPlEwgRNwWQls66heuTuHchR~NGRNO8yQ3O3zyOQkTGqFBXVhi~lyrcVLJHgdYH51oVP3v2udd-NQQV~~PcNEV91s2lvdwXExUuYkhpOjzbSVfIiys~Xh0xJo3Hhe42CdNY~yf~3qGk4ptvLSxEUg4BkDkn70JdTs9EfHKxpVQAMFnmNI3DaDnzNxTFHR4tBH2Q1KK~wTrbdhLHtErvaEp4jQIUNHDT3FcgKKUcE05j9m7aAM7Xw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City of Flagstaff, AZ","date","2025-05-29T21:49:46Z","article","The Planning and Zoning Commission on May 28 approved a conditional-use permit for Mountain Line to redevelop property at 3773 and 3825 North Casper Drive into a new passenger-transportation maintenance and storage facility.

Ben Mejia, senior planner with City of Flagstaff Planning and Development Services, told the commission the redevelopment replaces an existing roughly 20,000-square-foot facility with a proposed 63,463-square-foot building, to be built in two phases. Ben said the final condition shown in the application is the basis for the conditional-use permit so the applicant would not have to return for a second CUP when phase 2 is built.

Rachel Smith, planner with Norris Design, and Anne Dono, capital development manager for Mountain Line, said the new facility consolidates maintenance bays, indoor storage, fueling, offices and a training room. Dono said employees currently work in wet conditions at the existing site and that the new building is intended to allow maintenance to occur indoors; she added the training rooms and some office spaces would be available for community reservation on a facility-use basis.

The proposal reduces the number of driveways along Casper Drive from three to two to provide more controlled access, increases the street-front landscaping and relocates front parking to rooftop parking. The rooftop parking is not currently planned to be covered; Dono said solar could be added in the future if funding is secured. Commissioners asked about snow removal; the design team said the rooftop ramp has a snow-melt system and maintenance access so equipment can clear the top deck.

Ben said the northern parcel falls inside the Resource Protection Overlay and must preserve 30% of forest resources; the proposal preserves 43% on that parcel. The applicant exceeded minimum neighborhood outreach by notifying property owners within 825 feet and held a neighborhood meeting on Jan. 26, 2025, with nine attendees; staff reported no substantial concerns at that meeting.

The CUP findings in staff’s report concluded the use is consistent with the Highway Commercial (HC) zone intent, would not be detrimental to public health and safety, and is reasonably compatible with surrounding uses provided conditions in CUP PZ-23-00161-05 are met. Staff recommended approval with the condition that development substantially conform to the plans submitted with the application. The commission moved to approve the CUP with that condition, seconded, and passed by voice vote.

Key open items noted in the hearing include the timing and funding of phase 2 (additional bus parking), which is not funded at present, the Linda Vista extension (a separate future roadway action), and final permitting for lighting and signage.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Flagstaff Planning & Zoning Commission Meeting - May 28, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","The commission approved a conditional-use permit for Mountain Line to replace existing maintenance facilities at 3773 and 3825 N. Casper Drive with a new 63,463-square-foot, phased passenger-transportation facility; phase 1 (maintenance) is funded, phase 2 (additional bus storage) is not funded and would require later approvals.","taxTitle","Flagstaff City, Coconino County, Arizona","taxId",4650,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6221308,"Planning and Zoning Commission backs 3-year Forest Resource Pilot to prioritize wildfire resilience",1857,468000,2325000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3614560-46365a4a46eeca87e1aef6eb6809721f&start=468&end=2325","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3614560-46365a4a46eeca87e1aef6eb6809721f/thumbnail_468000.jpg","/articles/6221308/Flagstaff-City/Coconino-County/Arizona/Planning-and-Zoning-Commission-backs-3-year-Forest-Resource-Pilot-to-prioritize-wildfire-resilience","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6221308-4532a7280987cd01ca25bcb73914a189/orig.mp4?Expires=1775147181&Signature=MJC5YO~d0kWCjIAVKrwLt9M93OUVGxNfqQcOIDw80geYjt16xEbQJJqxoCBWFTb3aQH7wIll4xuORYFgXEDYysaeTZQ-pZZ1hsExlRizq3NpdHTYUnouBoZtNMX8KbcktcDDOtbyuMxGzM0njyDGG2QqyfD~vBdH~qYj1HGvkhS6EuxMvsTLoEbZObmIeZhn9g8ojC7C8gFPb1ZEPL4mbigA5lzZg26P~rXZop7aJIxSu7Uso8zLZrnUlDSs90-zmowG6aBWYPvGqXsAGewMPdH~ilrRqyp1MbFCN4yaUyFpbsg6LN1gJNQAw98tv18LDaesEQFlv8Id42xnVMbmpw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Planning and Zoning Commission on May 28 recommended that City Council approve a three-year Forest Resource Pilot Program that would alter Flagstaff's resource protection overlay to prioritize wildfire resilience and to use lidar and other remote-sensing data to guide tree-retention decisions.

The pilot, presented by Tiffany of city planning staff and Neil Chapman, wildland fire captain with the City of Flagstaff Fire Department, would create an alternative forest-resource preservation methodology that relies on high-resolution data to model individual trees and optimal retention scenarios before site grading. Tiffany said the program would create a “3 year limited term pilot program” and that the code changes would “prioritize wildfire resilience” alongside preservation goals. Chapman said the lidar dataset would let staff and developers “model tree retention before we cut a single tree.”

The pilot would apply to both developed and undeveloped properties within the resource protection overlay and is intended to coordinate planning and fire objectives so neighborhood layout and tree retention are decided in parallel rather than sequentially. Staff said the city already holds lidar data they could share with developers, reducing extra costs for applicants. Chapman described a process of “individual tree segmentation” from lidar that would identify tree height and diameter and allow staff and developers to test retention scenarios on large sites.

Commission discussion focused on implementation limits, workload, and development trade-offs. Commissioners pressed whether the pilot would permit mass grading (staff said the city does not allow mass grading and that the overlay also preserves slopes and floodplain limits) and how cuts and fills near tree drip lines would be evaluated. Tiffany said the program includes a draft agreement to be signed by the developer and the planning director; the agreement gives staff control to terminate the pilot for a project if outcomes do not meet the code’s goals and would let a developer revert to conventional code approaches if the pilot is ended.

Staff emphasized the pilot is experimental and that if the program cannot produce products that meet the code’s purposes, the amendment would not be adopted beyond the pilot. Tiffany said the pilot would “not be about deforestation” and that staff do not intend to set a base, one-size-fits-all standard immediately because the city lacks sufficient evidence on optimal outcomes for different densities. Commissioners were told staff and fire will take on additional workload early in the pilot; city IT has committed time to processing lidar data.

The staff report ties the amendment to Flagstaff’s regional planning documents, the city’s forest management plan and the city’s carbon neutrality and housing plans. Tiffany noted possible interactions with affordable-housing incentives that rely on resource-protection reductions and said staff are trying to account for that in the pilot agreement. The proposal also includes transparency measures: staff said they will show planning and zoning examples and check in with the commission as projects come through even when administrative review applies.

The commission moved to recommend the proposed city code text amendment to City Council; the motion was seconded by Commissioner Ian Sharp and passed by voice vote. Staff requested that City Council consider the amendment and invited the commission to future work sessions and demonstrations.

Implementation details left open in the meeting included the exact lidar vintage (staff referenced “2019 or 2023” data), the final form of the developer-staff agreement, and how the pilot’s lessons will be incorporated into permanent code if successful. Tiffany said staff would return with visual demonstrations and refined draft agreements as the pilot proceeds.

Looking ahead, staff said they expect to test the pilot on a range of project types (residential, commercial, affordable housing) and to return to the commission and council with findings, examples, and any recommended permanent code changes.","The Flagstaff Planning and Zoning Commission recommended approval of a three-year pilot that would alter the city's resource protection overlay to prioritize wildfire resilience using lidar-based tree inventories and developer agreements; staff emphasized the pilot is limited-term and contingent on meeting goals and developer participation.","actionData","errors"]

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Planning and Zoning Commission approves Mountain Line maintenance facility conditional-use permit

Planning and Zoning Commission backs 3-year Forest Resource Pilot to prioritize wildfire resilience