Staff presented the updated Flagstaff Regional Land Use Plan as an amendment to the county comprehensive plan at the planning commission’s Oct. 29 study session.

Melissa (staff member) told commissioners the document is intended to function as a joint general plan for the city of Flagstaff and as an amendment to the county plan. “This is an amendment to the county’s comprehensive plan to adopt the updated Flagstaff Regional Land Use Plan,” she said during the presentation.

The plan identifies two core priorities—housing attainability and equity, and climate action—and four complementary priorities including walkable mixed‑use communities and natural and cultural resource stewardship. Staff emphasized the plan’s parcel‑specific future growth illustration, which maps urban center, suburban center and rural center designations and shows an urban growth boundary and airport overlay intended to guide future development and infrastructure decisions.

Melissa said the city council adopted the plan Oct. 9 and will submit it to voters in a ballot initiative scheduled for May 2026. The county’s review timeline includes a Planning & Zoning Commission hearing Dec. 3 and a Board of Supervisors hearing tentatively scheduled for Jan. 20, 2026. Staff also noted the city will publish an interactive parcel‑level map to aid public review.

Commissioners asked questions about the regional boundary (the plan follows the Metropolitan Planning Organization boundary used for transportation funding), how the urban growth boundary affects potential developable land, and how illustrations in the plan should be read when considering neighborhood character and parking. Staff said some slides are conceptual and that detailed safety and setback requirements would be determined during permitting or rezoning cases.

Staff also identified implementation actions in the plan, including coordinated city‑county work on housing and a chapter recommendation to establish or pursue rural transit service in coordination with Mountain Line and other agencies. Staff said a final, city‑adopted version will be provided to the commission before the Dec. 3 hearing.

What’s next: the commission will hold a public hearing on the regional plan Dec. 3 and forward a recommendation to the Board of Supervisors, which may adopt the plan before the city’s voter action becomes effective for city residents.