Open House: April 30, 2024 @ Fort Valley Campus
Open House at The Fort Valley Campus | April 30, 2024
Community input, food, raffle. that was the Open House. We were happy to host the community and give everyone an update as we continue moving forward in the drafting processs!
County Fair at the County Fairgrounds
County Fair at the County Fairgrounds in Fort Tuthill Park | September 1st – 4th, 2023Public participation from all geographic areas of the county is key to creating a successful plan, and county staff was at the Fair! We engaged with about 800 fair-goers and talked about the Envision 2045 process. Many took an intercept survey, signed up for the mailing list, played with the puzzle map, or just learned about the Comprehensive Plan. Thanks to everyone who visited our booth.
Check back frequently for updates on future events
Public participation from all geographic areas of the county is key to creating a successful plan. We need to hear from you! Look for the Envision 2045 Banner and talk to staff for more information about the plan, activities, and surveys.
What We Have Learned - Surveys and Focus Group DiscussionsDuring the fall of 2023 and winter of 2024, county staff traveled across the county to conduct over 29 small focus group discussions with invited community members. During the focus group we've learned about ideas for the values, vision, needs, issues, trends for the future, and solutions that could be considered in the Envison 2045 update. During February, 2024, a community wide survey was conducted to test the relevance of the focus group discussion summary data and generally found that residents living in unincorporated Coconino County share the same values, vision, needs and issues identified during the focus groups.
Review the Community Survey Report, Focus Group Summary Report, and the notes from each focus group discussion here, where you may add your comments.
High School Focus Group Notes: The final summaries of what we learned at our various High School Focus Groups across the County can be found here: Fredonia HS | Page HS | Ponderosa HS | Tse Yaato HS
Stay informed about what documents have been developed for this project and how they will be used going forward.
What is a Comprehensive Plan?
The Comprehensive Plan serves as a roadmap for the future by establishing a long-term county vision along with goals and policies to guide land use decisions, direct growth and community programs responsibly, identify solutions, and improve the quality of life for county residents.
Why does the County need a Comprehensive Plan?
Arizona Revised Statute 11-804 requires that all counties must adopt, or readopt, a comprehensive plan which shall be developed so as to conserve the natural resources of the county, to ensure efficient expenditure of public monies and to promote the health, safety, convenience and general welfare of the public.
Does the County already have a Comprehensive Plan?
The current Comprehensive Plan was adopted in 2015. State statutes require that a County’s Comprehensive Plan be updated every 10 years. This mandated timeline benefits the community by ensuring that the Comprehensive Plan remains responsive to changing conditions, new trends, issues, and unforeseen influences. Planning for the future based on a shared vision for the physical, economic and social development is good for the county community, it benefits residents, sets priorities for county budgets and work plans, and identifies implementation actions that guide the County’s future.
What topic areas does the Comprehensive Plan cover?
The Coconino County Comprehensive Plan includes the following topic areas, described as "Elements" in the Plan, each with its own chapter.
What is the difference between the County's Comprehensive Plan & the Flagstaff Regional Plan?
Both are long range planning documents that contain goals and policies used to guide our community toward achieving a vision for the future. The Coconino County Comprehensive Plan is the twenty-year vision for the future of the entire county and is the county’s primary reference for making land use and other decisions. It is supplemented by detailed area plans and other planning documents that are adopted as amendments to it. One of those is the Flagstaff Regional Plan.
The Flagstaff Regional Plan compliments the County’s Comprehensive Plan. The Flagstaff region is home to the majority of the County’s population, and, like an area plan, the Regional Plan provides a more granular and specific level of detail for the greater Flagstaff (metropolitan) area than the Comprehensive plan. The two documents work together to provide a vision and direction for future development.
The Regional Plan is currently being updated, and County Staff is working with City Staff on the update to this shared document. For more information about the Flagstaff Regional Plan, visit the website here: Flagstaff Regional Plan 2045 (arcgis.com).
What does it mean if my community has an Area Plan?
An Area Plan is an official amendment to the Comprehensive Plan approved and adopted by the Board of Supervisors that pertains to a specific geographically defined area be it a community, specific neighborhood, or a rural area. Similar to the Comprehensive Plan, an Area Plan reflects the local resident’s vision for the future, contains goals and policies for development and provides guidance for decision makers at a more detailed and granular level. Area Plans are created through an extensive public participation process.
How can I get involved?
Sign-up for emails to get notifications about upcoming events and to receive news about the project. Visit the Comprehensive Plan booth at public events to talk to staff about the project or attend an Open House Event to share your thoughts with us. Stay informed by visiting the project website frequently, and contribute by responding to survey questions posed throughout the project.
How does my input make a difference?
In order to know what to maintain, enhance or change, the county needs your input to provide direction. Improving the quality of life for our residents, communities and the natural environment that we all share and value is the reason to get involved in the development of the policy document that guides the County’s future land use, social and economic decisions.
