| 1 | JWP Extension, Phase I and II - Proposed Alignments | ||||||||
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Senior Project Manager David Pedersen provided a PowerPoint presentation that covered the following: JWP EXTENSION PROPOSED ALIGNMENTS PROJECT UPDATE VICINITY MAP KEY STAKEHOLDERS JWP EXTENSION TEAM BASIS FOR JWP ROADWAY EXTENSION ROADWAY FUNCTIONAL CLASSIFICATION MAP ARIZONA NATIONAL SCENIC TRAIL (AZT) FOCUSED PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT ALTERNATIVE ALIGNMENT CONSIDERATIONS NEXT STEPS J.W. POWELL BLVD PROPOSED ALIGNMENTS The following individuals addressed Council in support of the original alignment of John Wesley Powell:
Councilmember McCarthy asked about the wildlife corridor and potential impacts. Mr. Pedersen explained that staff have met with Arizona Game and Fish and there is a wildlife presence in the area. They are at 30% design and are continuing to work with the state on further wildlife investigation going forward. Currently, there is no funding for a wildlife study. Councilmember McCarthy asked if a collector road would be put in if the alternative route was not advanced. Mr. Pedersen stated that there was planning for a collector road to be supplemental in the future, but it was not currently funded. Councilmember McCarthy stated that he did not feel it appropriate to put a road on the original or alternative route options. He would like to see another alternate consideration; the parcels are not planned yet and the road and development could be built in conjunction with each other. A major road going through a development would be an asset rather than a liability, and a more direct route meant less driving distance and less impact on the environment. Councilmember Aslan agreed. He stated that the alternate option presented the same issues as with the original alignment, just with a different group of people. Other options should be considered. He was concerned about the wildlife and stated that there needed to be investment in an environmental impact study. Vice Mayor Sweet stated that she supported staff going back to the drawing board to find some middle ground in the route. Mayor Deasy stated that when the matter was discussed back in October, they were looking for something between the bookend routes. Flagstaff needs homes, it takes developers to build those homes, and the city is mandated to build a road. He would like to see an alternative between the bookends. Mr. Clifton stated that some parameters and constraints have not been articulated. There is development occurring by-right at Canyon del Rio. That development was at a point of deciding how to develop, according to alignment in the Regional Plan or the alternative. Staff have endeavored to get an alternative design, but the window would soon close on the alternatives because there was pending development. The city could not ask the developers to stop when they had a build-by-right plan that had been approved. A decision needed to be made; either the route goes as originally planned or it does not. Staff would gladly go back to the drawing board if that was the direction, but there are constraints that go beyond what has been discussed. Councilmember McCarthy suggested an option where the alignment through Canyon del Rio was the alternative alignment and the alignment on the western side could be considered later. Mayor Deasy expressed concern about the pressure to decide because there was not an Environmental Impact Study and not enough information in general. Councilmember House stated that she was not comfortable deciding on the original or alternative. She was concerned with services not being available to those who needed it with the original alignment, and she was concerned about the wildlife impacts with the alternative. There needed to be more study done before a decision could be made. She requested more detailed information about connecting the pink line with the blue bookend line. Councilmember Salas stated that even before the plan was approved by the voters that obligates the city to deliver the project, the John Wesley Powell extension was part of the Regional Transportation Plan approved by multiple partners. The city and MetroPlan have leveraged state and federal funding to complete the extension and there was a window of opportunity with Canyon del Rio getting ready to break ground. In the interest of time, she would consider an alignment that runs through Canyon del Rio and then meet with the developers again to see if there are other options for the alignment that goes west. Mayor Deasy stated that there was so much that was not known and that the impacts to NAU need to be considered as well. Councilmember Aslan stated that he would like to give staff the opportunity to meet with the developers and see what other alternatives may be available. Councilmember McCarthy suggested a special meeting the following week. Council agreed to meet again on Thursday, July 7, 2022. |
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| Moved by Mayor Paul Deasy, seconded by Vice Mayor Miranda Sweet to continue the meeting in accordance with the City Council Rules of Procedure. | |||||||||
| Vote: 5 - 1 | |||||||||
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