Coconino County begins 60-day public review of Envision 2045 comprehensive plan update

Coconino County planning staff on May 28 opened a 60-day public review of the county's Envision 2045 comprehensive plan update and described how the draft would move to public hearings later this year.

"60 days starting May 19, it will conclude on July 18," said Melissa Shaw, the county's long-range planner, summing the public comment window and announcing open houses in Fort Valley and Tuba City and an online webinar in July.

Shaw told the Planning and Zoning Commission the draft reorganizes the plan into three sections'Quality of rural lifestyle, Stewards of the natural environment, and Diverse communities and services'and trims the number of policies while adding implementation detail. The draft highlights recurring public concerns: housing availability and affordability, water supply and drought, wildfire and community wildfire-response, rural infrastructure and roads, broadband access, impacts of tourism and support for local businesses.

Shaw said the draft introduces a prioritized implementation program with 50 action items and identified the top action as a countywide housing needs assessment to guide subsequent housing strategies. "The first action item is to conduct a countywide housing needs assessment that would inform a housing plan to address housing needs and to recommend housing solutions," she said.

Staff described changes made after an April regional retreat with the City of Flagstaff and earlier 60-day review input, and said the City will hold its own hearings in September and October. The county expects to schedule its hearings after the county plan process advances; staff said that sequencing is intended to avoid confusing overlapping public hearings.

Shaw and other staff shared maps and appendices added to the draft, including a countywide "existing land use pattern" map produced with the assessor's office showing how private lands are currently used (ranching remains a major land use on large private parcels), a water-demand projection required by Arizona law, community assessment reports, and an updated set of goals and policies at the end of each chapter with cross-references to implementation actions.

Commissioners asked for more time and clearer briefing materials as edits accumulate. Commissioner Best said the May 2 retreat materials had changed substantially since an earlier packet and asked whether commissioners would get another round of review before public hearings; Shaw said staff will coordinate additional briefings as needed. Commissioners also pressed for clarity in the plan's housing terminology and for consistency with the Flagstaff Regional Plan glossary.

Why it matters: The county comprehensive plan guides land-use decisions, zoning changes and subdivision approvals on private lands across Coconino County. The draft's priorities and the implementation schedule could shape housing policy, wildfire planning, and infrastructure investments for the next two decades. Public hearings and the 60-day comment period are the formal next steps before the board of supervisors considers adoption.

What happens next: The 60-day review runs through July 18. Staff will collect comments, may reconvene advisory groups, and intends to bring the draft to public hearings in the fall. Staff posted the draft and invited public input at open houses in Fort Valley and Tuba City and at a webinar; printed copies are available in county libraries.