Flagstaff planning staff outline three code-change scenarios to boost housing and lower emissions

City of Flagstaff planning staff on Wednesday presented a land-availability and code-concepts report that models three alternative approaches to change development standards with the goals of increasing housing supply and advancing the city—s climate targets.

Michelle McNulty, Planning Director for the City of Flagstaff, told the Planning and Zoning Commission the project pairs a land-availability and site-suitability study with a zoning code diagnostic and three code-concept scenarios intended to address the highest-priority barriers identified in the diagnostic report.

The report models three broad paths: (1) optimize existing incentives for sustainable design and affordable housing, leaving most by-right standards unchanged; (2) elevate sustainability requirements across by-right development while offsetting costs through higher allowable density and reduced parking; and (3) prioritize maximizing market-rate housing production by increasing density and reducing parking without adding new mandatory sustainability requirements. Tiffany Andahl, the city—s zoning code manager, described the scenarios as a set of trade-offs: "We're looking for feedback on what outcomes we are wanting to get to, and how exactly should we be getting there, and what makes us comfortable, and what makes us uncomfortable."

Why it matters: Flagstaff faces high housing costs and an adopted climate goal of carbon neutrality. The staff modeling tested the scenarios against prototype development cases and greenhouse gas and vehicle-miles-traveled metrics to estimate likely housing and sustainability outcomes and project financial…