Land Availability & Suitability Study/Code Analysis Project

The purpose of the LASS/CAP project is to understand what land is available within the Flagstaff city limits for development and redevelopment/infill and the barriers that exist, and to analyze City development codes and processes to identify what works well and where are the barriers to meeting the City's housing and sustainability goals and policies. The outcome of the analysis is to identify priority sites for residential development, as well as a list of prioritized, recommended code changes.

The last few months have been spent collecting GIS data, compiling development codes and processes, and building a policy matrix. We have also identified Technical Advisory Committees, comprised of internal City staff from multiple Divisions/Sections, for both the LASS and the CAP. This has been critical work for building the base for which the next steps will rely on and now we can roll up our sleeves and really get to work! Below is a list of what we will be working on this month.

• Developer and construction cost interviews: the consultant team will be meeting with members of our development and construction community to understand what is working well and what barriers our development codes and processes have on development projects. Additionally, they will be meeting with key firms to better understand construction costs and funding in Flagstaff.
• The Technical Advisory Committee for the LASS has two meetings scheduled. The first meeting will be to go over criteria and how to provide input on identified properties. The second meeting will be to further refine available sites and to prioritize opportunity sites for residential development. 
• Continued code and process analysis.
• Updates to the Housing and Sustainability Commissions.  
• Preparing for November 14, 2023, City Council work session to provide project update and preliminary LASS findings.