Flagstaff holds joint training on planning, zoning and public-process rules

Flagstaff City held a joint training session for the City Council and the Planning and Zoning Commission on June 30, 2025, where city planners and the city attorney reviewed the legal framework for land-use decisions, rules on ex parte communications, and how the commission’s recommendations move to Council for final action.

The training, led by planning staff and legal counsel, reviewed where the Planning and Zoning Commission’s duties are set in City code, how the Regional Plan 2030 and specific plans are applied, the content of the zoning (Title 10) and subdivision (Title 11) codes, and the process for making written findings that tie facts to legal standards.

“My name’s Alexandra Puccarelli. I’m the current planning manager at the city of Flagstaff,” said Alexandra Puccarelli, who opened the session and framed the training as background for both commissioners and council members. Sarah Duchter, the city’s comprehensive and neighborhood planning manager, summarized the city’s guiding policy, saying the city “is currently under the Regional Plan 2030,” which staff described as the community’s legislative framework for…