On November 8, 2016, voters passed Proposition 413 - Initiative for Greater Buffalo Park (Proposition 413), which restricted the use of approximately 300 acres of City-owned parcels on McMillan Mesa to public open space and passive recreation, except for an area reserved for a future Veteran’s Home. Proposition 413 was proclaimed law on November 28, 2016 (Ordinance I2016-02 is attached hereto as Attachment A). The ballot initiative left the properties’ current Zoning Code and Flagstaff Regional Plan 2030 (Regional Plan) designations in place. Community Development staff was asked by the City Council in January 2018 to prepare a major plan amendment and begin the process of better aligning the Regional Plan and Zoning Code with the outcome of Proposition 413. The purpose of the work session is to inform the Council about the major plan amendment process, the scope and decision space for this amendment, and provide an overview of the impact analysis and Regional Plan conformance findings.
Details of the Proposed Major Plan Amendment
The site being proposed for this Regional Plan amendment is made up of the McMillan Mesa Natural Area, adjacent City open space, and the future site of a Veterans’ Home. This amendment will also correct two types of mapping errors on a City-wide basis.
On the Regional Plan’s Future Growth Illustration, the proposed major plan amendment would reduce the “Area in white” by 232 acres, decrease the Suburban area type by 59 acres, and increase the city-wide areas of Parks/Open Space by 318 acres. The reduction in Employment/Special District area types, which are designated for research, office, business park, industrial and employment generating uses, is approximately 23 acres.
On the Regional Plan’s Road Network Illustration, this amendment will remove a “Future Access” route that would have connected Gemini and Route 66 via a new alignment of Ponderosa Parkway.
The amendment will also correct a mapping area of identical overlapping future and existing area types on the Future Growth Illustration. A significant area of error overlaps the southwest corner of the McMillan Mesa. This error has led to confusion when viewing the City’s interactive webmap found at www.flagstaffmatters.org.
Footnote: An “Area in white” is an are on the Future Growth Illustration that was designated to retain its existing entitlements and therefore not assigned an aspirational area-place type, such as “Suburban Neighborhood.”
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Major Plan Amendment Process and Schedule
The application for the McMillan Mesa Major Plan Amendments was submitted on April 31, 2018, and deemed completed on June 8, 2018. The amendment was reviewed by the Inter-Division Staff, which includes Fire, Water Services, Storm Water, Traffic, and Capital Engineering.
The 60-day public review was held from June 7 to August 10, 2018. The Neighborhood Meeting was held on June 18, 2018. During the 60-day review, the Open Space Commission reviewed the application on June 15th and the Transportation Commission on August 1st. Staff was invited to an additional neighborhood meeting hosted by residents on Pine Cliff Drive on September 11th.
Flagstaff City Code 11-10.20.020 Major Plan Amendments and New Elements require that an application for a major plan amendment must include “An infrastructure and community services impact analysis to provide the information necessary to assess the proposal’s impact on utilities, roads, parks, schools, and other community facilities and services.” This section further states that it must at a minimum include:
- Traffic analysis
- Water/wastewater analysis
- Police and fire protection analysis
- School impact analysis
- Economic development analysis
- Conformance with the General Plan’s goals and policies for public services and facilities.
These analyses were presented to the Planning and Zoning Commission at two public hearings held in September. Staff has found that the public involvement for this project has exceeded the requirements of Flagstaff City Code for notification and public outreach for a major plan amendment.
Conformance to the Flagstaff Regional Plan Goals and Policies
The adoption of the proposed amendment supports 37 goals and policies in the Regional Plan related to open space, natural and cultural resources, Great Streets and viewsheds, neighborhoods, connectivity and preservation to support employment areas, recreation, non-motorized transportation, water resources, and stormwater. There are 11 conflicting goals and policies from the Regional Plan concerning this plan amendment's impact on growth and land use, transportation and climate change. None of these goals and policies need to have their text amended because of the McMillan Mesa Major Plan Amendment. An analysis of the amendment's conformance to the Regional Plan's goals and policies is provided in the staff report.
Summary of Impacts to City Projects and Policies
Because of this amendment, several projects and policies will need to be reconsidered as part of the McMillan Mesa Natural Area Management Plan and as part of the next Regional Plan update. As a result of not constructing the future "Access" road between Ponderosa Parkway and Gemini Dr., vehicle trips on Switzer Canyon Dr., Pine Cliff Dr., Turquoise Dr., and Fourth Street are expected to increase above what was originally predicted in the Regional Plan Development Scenarios Analysis. This impact will not be easily resolved or mitigated. Water and sewer utilities in the area will need to use existing easements and surrounding available properties. This may include the redesign of the gravity sewer for the USGS campus, and avoidance of or indirect drilling to access possible water supply locations along fissures within the Natural Area.
Suddenlink, APS, and other utility companies will likewise need to avoid creating the need for new easements in the Natural Area. The City's Engineering staff is currently working with the Open Spaces program to identify all existing utility easements and determine how they can be managed in the future to allow for continued access and maintenance while minimizing impacts to the designated open space. In the next comprehensive update of the Regional Plan, the reduction in available land for housing and business park uses will need to be offset in another location. Staff will also evaluate proposals from property owners that would like to develop a business park and housing, and consider the cumulative impact of these decisions until the comprehensive update begins in 2022.
A full application, narrative and project documentation for this project can be found only at www.flagstaffaz.gov/planamendments. Complete documentation will be provided to the City Council for the official public hearing to be held on Tuesday, October 16, 2018. |
