Flagstaff staff present ‘LAST CAP’ code concepts to balance housing, carbon goals; community forum set for June 13

City planning and sustainability staff on Tuesday presented high‑level code concepts for the Land Availability, Suitability and Transit (LAST CAP) project, a multistep effort to align zoning rules with Flagstaff’s 10‑year housing plan and the city’s Carbon Neutrality Plan.

The presentation laid out three scenarios that trade off density, sustainability requirements and incentive structures and asked the council to start narrowing options before the project’s next public forum on June 13.

Why it matters: The code changes under discussion would shape where and how Flagstaff grows for decades — affecting housing supply and affordability, transit orientation, parking requirements, tree and land protections, and the city’s path to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

What staff proposed: Planning Director Michelle McNulty and housing manager Jennifer Michaelson summarized a code diagnostic and three “scenario” approaches: (1) emphasize stronger incentives while leaving base zoning largely unchanged; (2) increase sustainability standards in by‑right code while also increasing allowable density and reducing parking requirements; and (3) prioritize maximum housing production by raising density allowances and reducing parking with fewer built‑in sustainability mandates.

Jennifer Michaelson said scenario 2 produced the strongest combined outcomes for both housing and carbon reduction but noted risks: “If we package increased sustainability standards with increased density and parking reductions, we can see a big increase in our housing production. But we need to be careful calibrating the density and parking reductions to ensure that our affordable housing incentives are still attractive.”

Genevieve Perthree from the Sustainability Office framed the policy choices council will be asked to make: whether to apply zoning changes citywide or target them to areas where driving is already lower; whether to introduce floor‑area‑ratio (FAR) caps to encourage smaller units and more diverse housing types; whether to create a menu or points‑based approach of sustainability options developers may choose from; whether to adopt parking minimum reductions and narrower residential street standards; and how to update the winter parking ordinance to reflect those shifts.

Staff provided technical context: reducing minimum parking is one of the most financially influential levers for making higher‑density housing feasible, the consultants’ financial modeling found. FAR caps — already used in some commercial zones — could be extended to residential neighborhoods to constrain building size and encourage smaller units. The transit‑oriented component of the analysis recommends aligning density to fixed transit routes and improving building orientation and streetscapes to make transit use easier.

Public comment and commissions: Staff said they have briefed multiple commissions and stakeholder groups and will continue outreach. Two members of the public urged broad by‑right changes to increase housing production rather than relying on incentive programs; others wanted careful attention to neighborhood impacts, historic land protections and equity. A community forum, to be facilitated, is scheduled for June 13 at Lowell Observatory; staff said more targeted meetings with neighborhood groups will follow.

Next steps: Staff asked council to review seven decision points and said they will return with a refined proposal after the June forum. The refined code concepts will lead to formal code amendment proposals and, eventually, specific zoning text changes that the council would consider for adoption.