Project Updates

Project Update – August 31, 2022

The City Council held a follow-up Council meeting on 7 July 2022. This meeting included a staff presentation to answer questions the City Council requested at the 28 June meeting. Furthermore, this meeting allotted more time for public comment from the property owners along the proposed corridor and ultimately the City Council selected the alternative alignment, which avoided crossing smaller properties, as the Council approved alignment. Preliminary engineering on the Council-approved alignment was available for review as part of the meeting. Further design and study of this alignment and initiation of the specific plan are the next steps.

Past Project Updates

Project Update – July 5, 2022

City Staff gave a presentation to City Council on 28 June 2022. This presentation and discussion can be viewed on this website: Jun 28, 2022 City Council Work Session - Flagstaff, AZ (swagit.com). You can skip to the JW Powell agenda item by clicking on Item 12 on the agenda, or by skipping the video forward to 3 hours and 33 minutes of the meeting.

Project Update – June 16, 2022

Dear Community Members:

Since the last communication City Staff has had several meetings and discussions regarding the timing and design of an alternative alignment. As stated previously, the team was originally planning to go back before City Council sometime this fall; however, under the direction and support of City Leadership, the team will be presenting an update to City Council on 28 June 2022. This meeting will have several objectives but two of paramount nature.

First, City Staff would like to update the Council on the alternative alignment work to date including information from meetings with the large-parcel (≥80 acres) property owners. The last time the team shared an update with City Council was October 2021. At that time the team shared an alternative alignment which was proposed through the middle of the large parcels. At this same meeting, the smaller parcel owners in attendance shared their opinions on the proposed alternative alignment. After many meetings and discussions, City Staff is ready to move forward with a final alternative alignment (see map below). The large-parcel property owners have given their support of the alternative alignment, and to move forward with a 30-percent design.

Secondly, is to ask City Council if they support the alternative alignment. The team had planned to submit an alternative alignment later this fall, but restrictive timing has prompted a final alignment decision to help expedite construction. As previously stated, City Council will ultimately decide the final alignment for the J.W. Powell Boulevard Extension Project.

City Staff would like to encourage you to participate in this Council meeting and share your thoughts and comments on the alternative alignment. Attendance can be either in-person, at City Hall, or virtual via the City’s website: https://www.flagstaff.az.gov/1461/Streaming-City-Council-Meetings

Thank you for your time and participation in this exciting addition to our community.

With Appreciation,

JWP Specific Plan Team

David Pedersen || dpedersen@flagstaffaz.gov

May 13, 2022 - JW Powell Specific Plan Update

Thank you for your patience while the JWP Specific Plan Study Design Team continues to work on the project design and planning.

For the past six months, the design team has been continuing to make progress in Phase I of the JWP Specific Plan Study. This time has been spent meeting with all the large-parcel (80 acres or more) property owners. These meetings have and continue to take time to schedule and, in some cases, require follow-up meetings.

The design team is working with these large-parcel property owners on an alternative alignment that would cross many of the large parcels. This proposed alignment has required numerous meetings to find a supportive consensus among the large-parcel property owners. Once this support is garnered, the design team will proceed with a 30-percent design of an alternative alignment. The goal of this 30-percent design will be to have an equal comparison between an alternative alignment and the original alignment. Both alignments will be presented to City Council, likely in fall 2022, at which time the City Council will approve the preferred alignment for additional planning and design. The current alternative alignment work is currently scheduled to be completed by the end of October 2022.

It is through the expressed concerns of the small-parcel property owners and new opportunities with the large-parcel property owners, that the team is investigating an alternative alignment through the large-parcel properties. It should also be stated the original alignment, previously presented and discussed with this group back in January 2021, could still be the final roadway alignment. This decision will ultimately be made by City Council through the Regional Plan Amendment (Specific Plan) process.

If you are interested in learning more about the current alternative alignment work, please watch the City Council meeting on 5 October 2021. The meeting is available on the City of Flagstaff website at https://flagstaffaz.new.swagit.com/videos/141192. (Once on the webpage, please click on item number 12, or fast forward the video to the 54-minute mark, to go straight to the agenda item.)

This update has been shared via email and will also be mailed to those without access to email or prefer being contacted via postal mail.