Flagstaff staff propose decoupling site-plan requirement from rezoning to speed housing approvals
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Summary
Planning staff proposed removing site-plan-level detail from rezoning applications to reduce up-front costs and accelerate housing development; council backed immediate changes to application checklists and asked staff to return with implementation steps tied to the regional plan.
Planning staff presented a multi-pronged proposal on Feb. 10 to streamline Flagstaff's rezoning process by decoupling full site-plan requirements from the rezone approval stage and by making other administrative changes aimed at reducing time and cost for applicants.
Michelle McNulty, planning and development services director, told the council that the city's land-availability analysis found more than 2,300 acres of developable land zoned estate or rural residential, and that a cumbersome rezoning process is one of the barriers to achieving housing and climate goals. McNulty outlined two existing tracks (a direct-to-ordinance rezone tied to a fully approved site plan and a concept rezone tied to a concept plan) and offered six opportunities to streamline, including: simplifying the concept rezone application checklist, prohibiting concurrent site-plan submissions that duplicate concept review, changing applicability language to allow more administrative flexibility, phasing impact analyses so certain assessments (traffic, water/sewer) occur later in development, aligning zoning with the draft Regional Plan 2045, and creating clearer policies for exactions and development agreements.
McNulty warned that a recent state ordinance requires rezones to be completed within 180 days once accepted, which complicates timing for impact studies, but said staff sees several immediate "low-hanging fruit" changes, notably reducing duplicative application checklist items.
Developers and housing advocates at public comment supported the approach. Charity Lee of Capstone Homes urged "modifying the application requirements" to reduce upfront costs that currently deter rezoning applications. David Hayward and Tyler Dunham of Flagstaff for Affordable Housing said streamlining would make rezoning more attractive than by-right development and could yield more housing opportunities.
Councilmembers asked how the changes would preserve the city's ability to negotiate community benefits and remain confident about infrastructure capacity (traffic and water). Staff said a phased/ piloted approach is possible: start by changing application requirements immediately, monitor outcomes, and then pursue code amendments tied to the regional plan and incentives work stream. McNulty noted the incentives recommendations from the LastCap project will come later and would be coordinated with rezoning reforms.
Council signaled support to begin with immediate application changes as an informational action for council and the public, and asked staff how council wants to be involved going forward. Staff said they would move forward with application changes and provide informational updates to council.
Next steps: staff will begin streamlining the concept-rezone checklist and return with informational reports and proposed code amendments as parts of the Regional Plan 2045 process; incentives work will continue in parallel.
