Flagstaff open-space commissioners press for stronger open-space protections in regional plan review

Members of the Flagstaff Open Space Commission spent much of their meeting reviewing the draft regional plan and how the city’s forthcoming Parks, Recreation & Open Space (PROS) master plan could be used to implement open-space policies. Commissioners said the regional plan’s stated core priorities—housing attainability, equity and climate action—risk treating natural, cultural and recreational resources as secondary unless implementation language and tools provide explicit protection and leverage for those resources.

The discussion matters because the regional plan is moving through public review and the commission wants its concerns reflected in the formal public record and in implementing regulations. Commission members were told the regional-plan public hearings are scheduled in September and a city council public hearing is planned for October; staff asked the commission to submit prioritized comments in mid‑August so planners can incorporate them into…