Flagstaff commission launches PROS master-plan process as consultant begins data collection

The Flagstaff Open Space Commission moved forward with the first phase of a new parks, recreation and open space (PROS) master plan, hearing from city staff that the consultant has begun collecting inventories, budgets and related documents as part of an early data-dump and public-engagement setup.

Rebecca, a city parks and recreation staff member, told commissioners the consultant held a preliminary check-in before contract finalization and an official kickoff about a month earlier, and has requested inventories of parks, courts, recreation centers and five years of revenue history to inform the plan. “We have been working to gather all of that into one location,” Rebecca said, adding that the team has set monthly check-ins beginning next week to keep the consultant on schedule.

Why it matters: Commissioners said the master plan should do more than create an aspirational list. They asked staff and the consultant to identify clear, actionable priorities, cost estimates, phasing and an assessment schedule so the document can guide implementation and, where appropriate, be structured as an enforceable specific plan.

During the discussion commissioners pressed several policy issues they want the consultant to address, including whether developer-impact fees can be used for open space, how to measure 10-minute walking access and whether to adopt a level-of-service metric (acres per population) or a land-value rating to prioritize acquisitions. Commissioner Nat White asked whether state law removed the ability to use impact fees for open space; staff clarified the city currently does not have development impact fees for parks, recreation or open space and that the city is continuing work on impact-fee policy.

Commissioners also emphasized the need to define commonly used terms such as “passive recreation,” to avoid inconsistent expectations across sites like Observatory Mesa. Robert, open-space staff, said the consultant is scoped to do benchmarking (including NRPA-style comparisons), to analyze funding opportunities and to develop an inclusive public-engagement strategy that uses in-person pop-ups and targeted outreach to reach underrepresented neighborhoods.

Rebecca and staff stressed partnership-based outreach: the consultant identified partners such as the Flagstaff Trails Initiative and other regional trail organizations for focused engagement. The consultant name appears in the transcript as “Kemley Horn”; staff and the commission referred to a firm spelled in the materials as Kimley Horn.

Next steps: staff will upload inventories and budgets to a shared site for consultant access, begin weekly or monthly check-ins, and return to the commission with public-engagement timelines and draft priorities. The commission asked that the consultant explicitly identify where recommendations are enforceable under state and local law and to provide supporting rationale for major policy proposals.