Coconino supervisors review draft comprehensive plan, add broadband to priorities

The Coconino County Board of Supervisors received a work-session briefing on the county's draft comprehensive plan update, hearing from Community Development long-range planner Melissa Shaw about structure, public outreach and next steps.

Shaw told the board the update is organized around shared values — preserving rural lifestyle, stewarding natural resources, and supporting diverse communities — and that the plan follows statutory requirements for chapters such as water resources and open space. She said the Planning & Zoning Commission held a public hearing on Sept. 24 and recommended approval to the board, and staff will present a public hearing draft to the board on Nov. 18. An open house is scheduled Oct. 30 in Thomas Auditorium.

Why it matters: the comprehensive plan provides the county's long-term policy framework for land use, transportation, water and preservation decisions. Shaw said the draft lists 50 implementation items, categorized as 11 high priority, 16 medium, 6 low and 17 ongoing; high-priority items include a countywide housing needs assessment, multimodal connectivity planning, forest fuels reduction, and exploration of a transfer-of-development-rights program.

Board discussion centered on clarifying who the plan covers and on adding broadband. Supervisor Jeronimo Vasquez pressed for a population breakout for unincorporated areas and the Flagstaff region; Shaw cited 2020 census totals (county ~145,697; Flagstaff ~77,000) and said a detailed slide with the breakdown, including census-designated places and tribal enumerations, would be provided. Several supervisors asked staff to add the BEAD broadband effort to the implementation list; Shaw said broadband is called out in the policy chapters and agreed to add it to the implementation items.

Shaw also summarized written comments staff received from the Arizona State Land Department and the town of Tusayan and discussed how those were addressed in the draft. State Land sought clear language distinguishing trust lands from public lands; Tusayan expressed concerns about new development's impact on emergency services and requested coordination; staff sent formal response letters and incorporated clarifying text where appropriate.

What's next: staff said the public hearing draft is online and the board's Nov. 18 public hearing will provide a formal opportunity for public testimony and possible edits before adoption. The board asked staff to provide the requested demographic breakdown, and to add the broadband implementation item for future prioritization.