County planners brief commission on Flagstaff regional plan and Envision 2045 comprehensive plan updates

Coconino County long-range planning staff updated the Planning and Zoning Commission on March 26 about two concurrent planning efforts: the Flagstaff Regional Land Use Plan update and the county comprehensive plan update (Envision 2045). Melissa Shaw, long-range planner, and staff summarized timelines, public feedback and how the two documents relate.

Shaw said the Flagstaff Regional Land Use Plan’s 60-day public comment period closed in December with about 2,400 comments; city staff prepared a summary of those comments and a spreadsheet of the raw submissions for review. Shaw told commissioners the county and City of Flagstaff are coordinating on the regional plan update but noted a legal and procedural difference: the Flagstaff regional plan will appear on the ballot for City of Flagstaff voters where applicable, while the county’s comprehensive plan update will proceed through planning hearings and Board of Supervisors approval without a ballot measure.

Staff urged commissioners to review the public-comments summary ahead of a joint retreat scheduled for May 2 and a work session with the Board of Supervisors on April 22 (staff said lunch may be provided at the April 22 session). Shaw said internal edits are ongoing to clarify “implementation strategies,” a new element in the regional plan intended to describe specific actions or work-plan items that could move policies toward prescriptive code or program changes. She said many implementation items are being trimmed and clarified in response to public feedback.

For the county comprehensive plan update staff said draft organization will be grouped into three broad sections organized around shared community values: quality of rural lifestyle; stewards of the natural environment and sustainability; and diverse communities and services. Shaw said the drafting phase is nearly complete and staff hopes a 60-day public review will start in late spring or summer, followed by public hearings and adoption steps.

Commissioners asked about when revised chapters will be available (Shaw said updated chapters are expected before the May 2 retreat, subject to final internal review) and about a new “implementation items” section; Shaw and other staff clarified that implementation items are intended to be actionable work-plan items linked to goals and policies and may be prioritized in an implementation plan. The updated comprehensive plan will include an implementation plan, an existing conditions appendix, and a proposed framework for countywide sustainability and resilience planning.

Commissioner Best raised several points: seeking more prominent, consolidated “goals and policies” desk guides; clearer definitions in the glossary for terms such as “attainable housing” and “market-affordable” (Shaw said the comprehensive plan glossary will align with definitions in the Flagstaff regional plan); and concern about doing two major plans simultaneously — staff said the overlap is challenging but provides opportunities for coordination between city and county staff.

On health-care concerns, Best asked whether the plans address regional hospital issues; staff said the comprehensive plan recognizes health and human services roles and the importance of a regional trauma center but does not, and should not, attempt to adjudicate specific hospital operational decisions.

Shaw said advisory-group review is ongoing (an April 3 advisory-group meeting and a planned April 14 review of the full draft before a 60-day public review). Commissioners were encouraged to study the public-comments summary and plan materials in advance of the April 22 work session and the May 2 retreat.

No formal commission action was required for the briefing.