Flagstaff Development News

[AZian]

As a former citizen of flagstaff, I must say, the beauty of the place is only skin-deep. It is a nice place to visit with all the cool mountain air and infinate outdoor activities, but it is isolated, crowded, and economically depressed. Poverty rates are high, division of socio-economic classes is staggering, and much of the commercial districts consist of endless strips of old, ugly motels and liquor stores. It is not a great place to LIVE in the least. Yet again, neither is phoenix!

[-Corey-]

nice pictures Good Job!

[MasonsInquiries]

Originally Posted by 12231989

DAMN this view looks creepy....LOL!

like tarheelsclubs, i also just got back from flagstaff. VERY beautiful place. i would recommend anyone to visit there. plus, the people are SUPERnice which is something i'm not used to.

[kaneui]

The proposed conference center and hotel at NAU could start construction by the end of summer, with the hotel completed by fall 2007, if current negotiations are successful:


Conference center talks in final stage
Arizona Daily Sun
02/12/2006

Negotiations between developer Drury Southwest and Northern Arizona University over a ground lease for a hotel, conference center and parking garage are in their final stages.

And none too soon, said NAU President John Haeger at a breakfast for community leaders on campus Friday. "It's critical that we start construction by the end of the summer," Haeger said. If the project start is delayed beyond then, it will incur eight months of additional costs that might not be affordable, he added.

Haeger said the 150-room hotel and 400-space parking garage could be ready as early as fall 2007 if the lease is signed soon. The conference center, which would accommodate between 500 and 800 people, would follow in summer 2008.

The complex is slated to be built on the site of the current North Parking Lot along Butler Avenue at South Milton Road. Students from the School of Hotel and Restaurant Management will have a hand in the facility's operations, Haeger said.

The president added that NAU is not in the venture to make money -- the conference center will need to be subsidized for the first three to four years. The main aims of the project, which is being undertaken in partnership with the city of Flagstaff, are to enhance the HRM program and expose NAU and the city to a wider range of visitors, estimated at up to 53,000 a year.

[kaneui]

Although the narrow victor in a bitterly-fought voter referendum last year to allow Supercenters in Flagstaff, Wal-Mart is treading lightly as it designs a store that blends in with the community's sensibilities, including green design and other sustainable elements:


Supercenter set for Huntington Drive
By RACHEL PETERSON
Arizona Daily Sun
Friday, February 24, 2006

A Wal-Mart Supercenter will be built on Huntington Drive near Interstate 40 and Outback Steakhouse. The company closed on the parcel last week, and it has been surveying the land more extensively to determine its capabilities for Flagstaff's proposed store. A supercenter combines a supermarket with a discount retail store.

Like most parcels in town, the corporation and Flagstaff citizens will need to account for rocky soil conditions in the design, said Don Moseley of Wal-Mart's building design team in Bentonville, Ark.

The design team is working to find the balance between Wal-Mart's standard supercenter design and what would be acceptable in Flagstaff, he said. Members of the corporate team and architectural consultants have been meeting with community groups for the past few months and studying other architecture in Flagstaff to develop a design that would be welcomed by Flagstaff's citizens.

This community needs special consideration because of the negative feelings generated by the big-box retailer last year during the Proposition 100 election, said Wal-Mart community affairs manager Keith Morris.

During the election the Wal-Mart-funded committee Protect Flagstaff's Future published ads depicting a Nazi-era book burning and stating the proposition that restricted big-box size was an infringement on American freedoms. The ad produced a strong backlash by local residents and garnered national attention from the Anti-Defamation League, among others.

The Wal-Mart team spent Wednesday studying various building designs, including the sustainable buildings at Northern Arizona University. "It's obvious from looking at other developments in the community that the fabric and expectations of the community is changing, and we want to be appropriate," Moseley told a group of six business leaders who had gathered to listen to possible options for Flagstaff.

One of the biggest concerns is the "sea of concrete" that often comes with any big-box store. In more densely populated areas, Wal-Mart has put parking atop their buildings, built parking garages, and built parking below the store, which were seen in a video presented at the meeting by the Wal-Mart.

The video also showed some multi-level Wal-Mart buildings that blended with their surroundings, and sustainable design efforts, including solar and wind power. "If you are to bring a supercenter to Flagstaff, you are going to need that same creative strength," Bill Ring, a Flagstaff land-use attorney, told Wal-Mart after seeing the video.

Moseley said the ideas for Flagstaff's store are still being fine-tuned through a series of community meetings, but this is a "project of opportunity." "We're still in a mess of concepts right now. We're going to try to make sure you're not offended by what we do when we get done," he said. But population density is a major consideration, he added. "That affects what you're able to do. What you need to do. What you can afford to do."

Because Wal-Mart is still trying to feel out its position in the community and determine what type of design would be feasible on their property, there is not currently a timeline for building, Moseley said. "I don't know the (Flagstaff) market well, but I can assure you we'll do the right thing," he said.

The design process, which will produce the first renderings of what Wal-Mart officials have in mind, is expected to begin this spring.

[612bv3]

This is a great thread, I can't believe I just found it. Great job kaneui.

[Don B.]

Here's some more Flagstaff pics I took last summer:

http://photobucket.com/albums/v22/do...August%202005/

A few samples:











--don

[kaneui]

A few more Flagstaff and NAU photos:


Passenger terminal at Flagstaff's Pulliam Airport, scheduled for runway expansion over the next few years:




Recently completed and under construction buildings at NAU (Northern Arizona University):

new College of Business Adminstration Building (2005)



remodeled and expanded Engineering Building (2005)



Advanced Research & Development Building (Spring 2007 completion)



Biology & Chemistry Lab Building (Spring 2007 completion)

[kaneui]

Presidio in the Pines will be a mixed-use "urban" village in west Flagstaff with 785 housing units:

Clustered homes


Garden homes


Commercial/retail village


For more information: http://www.perlmanarchitects.com/pro...idio/index.htm, and http://doucetteflag.com/communities.htm


Presidio developers fined $160K
By CYNDY COLE
Arizona Daily Sun
Wednesday, March 1, 2006

Some of the builders, developers and real estate agents behind Presidio in the Pines are being fined by the state for allegedly selling lots illegally in the past two years. The Arizona Department of Real Estate fined five people and several businesses a total of $160,000 for selling 225 lots in the development off Woody Mountain Road without giving buyers the latest reports on what they'd be getting, according to legal documents. Buyers have the option of receiving refunds on their deposits, which was already the case. They'll receive letters in the mail.

The mistake is a technicality that's all the state's fault, countered Shawn Campbell of Tierra Ridge Real Estate. The builder and developer who caught the mistake and ultimately reported it to the state ended up getting burned in the end, she said.

Presidio is a 91-acre master-planned community off Woody Mountain Road developed and sold by Tierra Ridge. The project will incorporate clustered development, cottage-style housing, granny flats, and commercial and retail development. In all, it will contain 785 housing units.

Campbell, Tierra Ridge Real Estate, Timothy Campbell, Tom Krause, Mason Lundell, TGC Homes, Tom Doucette, Doucette Flagstaff and Premiere Acquisitions agreed to the fine after Lundell and Campbell reported some potential buyers might have out-of-date public reports. "We submitted everything to the Real Estate Department," Campbell said. "They failed to review it," citing lack of staff.

Apparently, the lots were sold to buyers who hadn't received the latest public reports, according to legal documents. That's a legal document which outlines what buyers get, and what they potentially risk in buying a particular homestead. "The sellers did not have authorization by law to be doing what they were doing," Department of Real Estate investigator Bill Day said.

The fines won't delay development, but Presidio is already three months behind schedule because of deep boulders slowing sewer line construction, Shawn Campbell said. Rocks up to 30 feet in the ground are being blasted to make way for sewer lines. The ground wasn't expected to be this hard, according to soil analysis.

Roads are supposed to have been paved and electrical lines laid by now, according to the report to buyers. At this rate, about 100 homebuyers should be into Presidio homes by the end of the year, Campbell said.

[kaneui]

This proposed development is out in the middle of nowhere, on the barren high desert halfway to Winslow. With the housing bubble deflating, I can't imagine they'll have many buyers if prices start around $250k. This proposal is no solution to Flagstaff's high housing costs, and certainly not in alignment with Flagstaff's new Regional Plan. (Plus, I doubt many folks would want a 30+-minute commute into town in snowy winter weather.)


Panel backs 660 new homes at Twin Arrows

By CYNDY COLE
Arizona Daily Sun
Thursday, March 2, 2006 9:55 AM CST

After two hours of testimony and questions, Coconino County's Planning and Zoning Commission recommended approval of a 660-home subdivision 20 miles east of Flagstaff off Interstate 40 Tuesday. The Coconino County Board of Supervisors will ultimately decide whether Padre Canyon Trails fits with voters' intentions as part of a regional plan that was tailored to prohibit sprawl outside greater Flagstaff.

On one side, the developers have promised sustainable building, low light pollution, native plants, few fences, "affordable" housing and lots of open space. On the other, the staff found two ways the development might not fit with the voter-approved Regional Plan.

The commission approved Padre Trails 5-2, with the two dissenters warning that it wasn't what voters wanted. "For 20 or 30 years it's going to move development way beyond the city of Flagstaff," commissioner Janis Crosman said in voting against it. Staff recommended its approval, saying it was more in line with what voters intended on the whole than incompatible.

More than 35 people stayed until 10 p.m. to hear the final vote, including the Drye ranching family that sold the 660 acres for the development. One in the audience was Daniel McDonald, who's had a home on the edge of Padre Canyon since 1983. His homesite is the picture of solitude, separated from the nearest highway by the steep 100-foot walls of the canyon. He takes a 15-mile drive to the nearest paved roads on gnarly primitive roads about daily. Now he could be getting more than 600 new neighbors.

"I've lived out there a long time, and I think that any one of you would feel the hurt in my heart that this brings," he told the commissioners. "But I realize this is not something for the heart, but something we have to think through with our heads." He backed the development, on the condition the developers allow him access to his land.

The developers, two brothers from Tucson, eventually intend to add commercial development in the Twin Arrows area to provide basics services like milk and bread. Lawyer for the developer Tony Cullum said the intention was to sell lots and homes at Padre Trails for the price of just a Doney Park lot. The developers had previously estimated the prices at between $250,000 and $300,000 for a 1,600 to 1,800 square-foot home on lots less than an acre in size.

They wavered on whether the development was intended for buyers of second homes or Flagstaff locals. If the development is approved, ground could be broken in less than a year.

[datilguy]

Flagstaff is a nice little city, and growing moderately. But any big construction projects are at a slow pace. Very expensive but beautiful, and Mt Humphreys is so imposing!

[kaneui]

A boost for new business start-ups in Flagstaff:


Business incubator building slated for McMillan Mesa
Arizona Daily Sun
Thursday, March 9, 2006 9:56 AM CST

The Northern Arizona Technology and Business Incubator is expected to make its home as part of the U.S. Geological Survey campus on McMillan Mesa.

The incubator was originally slated to fill 20,000 square feet of Northern Arizona University's Applied Research and Development building, but the increase of construction materials caused the university to scale back the project to half its originally planned size. That dropped space for the incubator to 5,000 square feet.

Instead, NAU now is asking to transfer part of its federal Economic Development Administration grant to the city of Flagstaff to build a separate building to house NATBI.

The proposed building will be 10,000 square-feet, including office cubicle space, two conference rooms, 2,000 square feet each of wet and dry lab space, a locker room, break room and computer room.

This week, the Flagstaff City Council approved a resolution for an EDA application for $2.57 million to transfer the grant from university to city coffers. It's rare that these grants are transferable between agencies, but the EDA is willing to consider it in this case because of employment statistics and the inclusion of an incubator in NAU's original plans, said Michael Kerski, community investment director.

NATBI has been a project of the Greater Flagstaff Economic Council and funded by about $50,000 annually from the city since 2001. The incubator is designed to help business and technology entrepreneurs launch their ideas. Most frequently it has enabled graduates and professors from NAU to take their research to the applied stage, creating new businesses and job opportunities within the city.

For instance, Tim Vail, assistant professor of chemistry and biochemistry, has recently used NATBI to take his university research to the applied stage and now has a patent pending on a water testing device. Without incubator support, it's likely he will relocate his upcoming business and the job created with it to China, the home of his business and research partner, Vail said.

If the grant transfer is approved by the federal agency, the city will need to match the fund with $1.1 million, and pay $215,000 in annual facility operational costs. But the community payoff is expected to outpace the monetary investment, Kerski said.

Statistics from incubators nationwide show 87 percent of startup businesses that use the service are alive after three years, while about 50 percent of those who don't are no longer afloat. Having a location to house what is currently a virtual incubator is expected to extend those statistics to Flagstaff, as well as create 500 high-paying jobs in bioscience and technology for Northern Arizona.

"NAU provides lab (space.) This provides hand holding," Kerski said. In addition, the communal space of the facility acts as a think-tank for the clients in further developing and advancing their ideas through mutual support.

[kaneui]

High housing costs in Flagstaff, as well as the possibility of a new theme park nearby, have attracted investors and home buyers to Williams, a small town 30 miles to the west:

Real estate agencies triple in Williams
By PATRICK WHITEHURST
Arizona Daily Sun
March 25, 2006

WILLIAMS -- Theme park speculation seems to be the reason so many new real estate offices have appeared in Williams in recent months, though the fate of the theme park itself remains to be seen.

Three real estate offices opened in January alone. According to John Rushton of Bankers Real Estate, this brings the total number of agencies in Williams to 13. Rushton said there were only three or four real estate offices in Williams three years ago. Bankers Real Estate has been in Williams for 24 years, but now they find themselves (along with established businesses such as Junipine Realty and Pouquette Real Estate) having to compete with the likes of Century 21 and Russ Lyon Realty, both of which recently opened offices in the community.

"When they made the announcement about the theme park, things went absolutely nuts," said Lisa Paffrath of Century 21. Their office on Grand Canyon Boulevard opened six weeks ago and will soon be open for business seven days a week. They are currently closed Tuesdays.

Paffrath said a lot of developers are looking to Williams because land prices in Flagstaff are too high. Paffrath said Century 21 sold $10 million in real estate out of Williams in 2005. "A lot of people are taking advantage of the market right now," said Paffrath. According to a Northern Arizona Association of Realtors report, 160 single-family residential homes were sold in the Williams area in 2005, with a median sales price of $159,000 -- about half the median price in Flagstaff.

Debi Zecchin is with Russ Lyon Realty, which recently opened a new office on Route 66 in order to sell manufactured homes as part of the Iron Horse Crossing development. She also attributes land interest to the proposed theme park, but has seen a lot of interest from people looking to build seasonal homes in the area as well.
"Our second-home market is booming really," said Zecchin. "It seems like most of our buyers are from Phoenix, Lake Havasu, and California of course." Golf course properties, she added, have "skyrocketed".

"It just seems like everything's taking off," said Zecchin. She said a lot of land buyers, sparked by the idea of a theme park, looked to properties north of Williams."I think a lot of people thought it would be closer to Valle," said Zecchin. Debbie Campbell of 1st Continental Realty, located next to the Century 21 building on Grand Canyon Boulevard, said the theme park has contributed much to land speculation in the Williams area as well. Their office also opened for business in January. She added that many Flagstaff buyers are turning their attention to Williams, too.

"Just because it's gotten so high up there (in Flagstaff), I think," said Campbell. She said a lot of buyers are also looking to relocate to cooler climates from California and Arizona border communities, such as Lake Havasu. According to many of the Realtors the median price for a home in the Williams area now ranges from $150,000 to $250,000. John Rushton said Flagstaff buyers are starting to take notice of the Williams area and do not seem to mind the 30-mile commute to work in Flagstaff.

"They are starting to recognize that it's a little bit of a better deal," said Rushton. He said many of the speculators are investors or second-home buyers "looking to get out of the heat."

The downside to land speculation, said Rushton, comes in the form of property taxes, which are on the rise in the area. He said a number of homeowners in Williams and surrounding areas have complained about the rise in property values, as it has affected taxes on their land and made it almost impossible to live in the area.

Rushton said Realtors who prove themselves in the community are the ones that will stay for a while. "It's really about service, who can provide the all around service," said Rushton.

[kaneui]

The expansion of Flagstaff Airport's runways are essential to accommodate the newer, larger passenger planes and support more local air travel:


Flagstaff Pulliam Airport terminal



Flagstaff airport project delayed

Associated Press
Apr. 10, 2006 07:10 AM

FLAGSTAFF - A golf resort's opposition to extending a runway at the city's airport is delaying the project.

The Pine Canyon golf resort continues to request extensions for the environmental assessment comment period, which will push the project several months behind schedule.

The last extension was granted March 26, with the closing date now April 24. If the assessment is then approved and no lawsuits are filed, the design phase is expected to begin by June.

The project was expected to begin its design phase about two months ago. Pushing the design phase back will result in the project going to bid later in 2007.

Public Works Director Bill Menard said he's worked too long on this project to see it fail because of a legal technicality.

Barbara Lichman, Pine Canyon's attorney, said ensuring that the project's details are sound is all her office is after.

"My job is to ensure all the legal I's are dotted and T's are crossed," she said. "Our comments are aimed at the inadequacies of the environmental assessment for this."

[kaneui]

Although Flagstaff desperately needs more affordable housing, many local business leaders and politicians think the city's involvement should be kept at arm's length:


Chamber opposes housing proposition
By RACHEL PETERSON
Arizona Daily Sun
April 16, 2006

Flagstaff's land trust, which will provide more workforce housing, is finally coming online after more than two years of research and development. FOREST Homes -- Flagstaff Owner Resource and Equity Sustainable Trust -- is expected to pass muster before the Flagstaff City Council and be put into place Tuesday.

The program puts land into a trust, selling only the properties built atop it. This significantly reduces the cost of owning a home because it doesn't include the value of the land. But in order for the trust to function effectively under city management, voters must approve a charter change next month that would remove affordable housing from a $1 million spending cap placed on the city for all projects that aren't individually voter approved. Currently the only projects not subject to the cap are for public safety and infrastructure.

This change, called Proposition 404, isn't favored by some members of the business community, including the Flagstaff Chamber of Commerce. The chamber, which represents 1,200 member businesses, currently is circulating information about its opposition to the charter change in its monthly membership newsletter.

It states: "The Flagstaff Chamber of Commerce cannot support Proposition 404 as a sound solution to the business community's need for affordable housing." The chamber isn't opposed to developing housing that can be afforded by Flagstaff's wages, the newsletter states. It's because the majority of the chamber's member businesses don't find workforce housing to be a "traditional or an essential municipal service" like police, firefighters and road maintenance.

In addition, the charter change "focuses too much attention on subsidized housing with city tax dollars, rather than creating incentives and removing barriers in the city's development policy to increase the private production of affordable housing." The chamber's newsletter also voices concern that Proposition 404 isn't accompanied by an adequate "program of work" or "strategy for implementation."

But city staff have said Proposition 404 is on the table because the city's expenditure limit could prohibit the land trust from being carried out effectively. The system will require land acquisition, and possibly some land development, far beyond the $1 million limit per project, according to city staff. Another concern about the land trust is how the program will be managed in the long term. The City of Flagstaff's housing department will bring it online because of the city's resources, but many have stated the program might function better if turned over to a non-profit after established.

Councilman Joe Haughey, a Realtor who also is up for election, has said repeatedly he's concerned with the city "getting involved in the housing business." Councilman Libby Silva, also currently campaigning, echoed Haughey's sentiment at a campaign forum earlier this month. "I don't think the City of Flagstaff needs to be in the housing business," he said. "The city needs to be involved to a certain level, but not totally or completely."

Council candidate Scott Overton, a local builder, said the city should have a hands-off approach to the land trust. "The city cannot function well as a property manager," he said. "Give it to an organization such as BOTHANDS and (the money) will be better spent." BOTHANDS is a non-profit organization already providing home buyer assistance. The forum where candidates voiced their views was sponsored by BOTHANDS.

In addition to a waiting list of interested buyers, FOREST Homes already has one land trust project, called Schultz Pass Meadows, going through development review. Villaggio Montana developers also have promised 4 acres of land to be donated to the trust.

[kaneui]

The Coconino County Board of Supervisors gave a thumbs-down to a residential development 26 miles east of Flagstaff as unaffordable sprawl (halfway to Winslow, no less), but surprisingly approved a similarly-priced project 10 miles north of Williams (30 miles west of Flagstaff), which apparently is supported Williams city officials and local business people:

Supervisors split on housing plans
By CYNDY COLE
Arizona Daily Sun
April 20, 2006

Torn between preventing sprawl and creating cheaper housing, Coconino County Supervisors approved a subdivision north of Williams but denied a 660-home subdivision 26 miles east of Flagstaff.

Supervisors voted down Padre Canyon Trails, north of Twin Arrows and Interstate 40, on a 2-2 vote at 1:40 a.m. Wednesday. It would've been the first major subdivision along Interstate 40 east of Flagstaff. They did, however, approve Spring Flower Ranch, 10 miles north of Williams 4-0.

Padre Canyon's developers have yet to say whether they'll try for their development again, sit on the land or sell it. "If I'm agreeable to this, it would be for the affordability principle, and yet if I do that I'd be saying I'm OK with growth all the way from here to Winslow," Supervisor Deb Hill said before voting against the plan. The 660-home development along the edge of its namesake canyon was pitched as being friendly to wildlife, full of parks and open space, somewhat solar-efficient and a solution to high housing prices.

Staff recommended approving the development, as there is no comparably sized chunk of private land open for development anywhere closer to Flagstaff. All supervisors present said that with lots and homes ranging from $225,000 to $350,000, it wouldn't be affordable, and land nearby would only appreciate in value. The Navajo Nation has proposed a casino a few miles away.

Supervisors Carl Taylor and Matt Ryan voted in favor of the development, though Taylor expressed doubt that the homes would stay reasonably priced. "I think the affordable housing thing is bogus," Taylor told the developer's attorney, Tony Cullum. Hill and Liz Archuleta voted against, with Archuleta saying she'd support the development if it promised local businesses, parks, open space more friendly to wildlife and fire protection. Supervisor Louise Yellowman was absent.

Only one person objected to Padre Canyon Trails -- Calvin Johnson of Tolani Lakes. He raised questions about archeological sites, trash blowing onto the adjacent Navajo Nation, trespassers and ATV riders on tribal land and lagoons that would process sewage with the end product possibly flowing into Padre Canyon. "It's too dense," Johnson said of the 1-acre homesteads.

The Leupp chapter of the Navajo Nation passed a resolution calling for the subdivision to provide tribal members continued access to the reservation, water, police services and protect archeological sites, chapter president Thomas Cody said.

Spring Flower Ranch 10 miles north of Williams received support from real estate agents, locals, homebuilders, Williams City Councilman Don Dent and Phoenix-area residents looking to buy second homes. The majority of speakers Tuesday night were supportive of the development, which is expected to sell homes without water or sewer starting at $350,000.

Judy Small and her husband were not among them. They moved out to the unfenced, forested area to retire in peace, never expecting to see development, noise, neighbors or fences next door. "I'm going to stay there and make their lives miserable," Small said. "I'm seriously considering hogs, goats and sheep."

[kaneui]

This major highway interchange improvement will not only accommodate additional traffic generated by the current expansion of the nearby Flagstaff Mall, but also improve access for pedestrians and bicyclists:




Biggest-ever road project begins
By SZABOLCS KORDOS
Arizona Daily Sun
04/29/2006

Although the groundbreaking ceremony will take place today, minor construction work has already begun on Flagstaff's biggest single road construction project ever: the $30 million East Flagstaff Traffic Interchange Project. The project includes the construction of a "T" intersection at Highway 89 and Country Club Drive and the widening of both those thoroughfares to three lanes in each direction. The existing railroad overpass will also be replaced.

Construction will continue during the summer, shut down temporarily in the winter, then resume next spring, with completion expected in the late fall of 2007. Traffic detours and lane closures are expected, but not this year. The summer of 2007 will be more difficult for motorists in east Flagstaff. The Arizona Department of Transportation and Vastco Inc., the contractor, will try to minimize the impact on local traffic, but some delays can be expected.

The purpose of the project is to serve regional and local transportation needs to relieve congestion on local roadways, enhance the multi-modal facilities and serve the growing needs of the area -- especially the expansion of the Flagstaff Mall.

[kaneui]

Development of 150-room hotel for new NAU Conference Center advances

A ground lease with hotel developer Drury Southwest was approved at the Arizona Board of Regents meeting on April 27-28, which will allow construction of a new 150-room hotel as part of Northern Arizona University's new conference center to begin.

NAU is continuing to move forward with its plans for a conference center and hotel on the north end of campus, now that the city of Flagstaff has decided against a new downtown conference center/hotel as too costly for the city. (However, local hoteliers are complaining that the proposed 150-room hotel is not large enough to create a new market niche, and will only compete with existing hotels).

NAU officials are hopeful that construction on the hotel will begin this summer. Drury Southwest currently owns and operates 117 three-star level hotels throughout the Midwest.

For more information: http://www.abor.asu.edu/1_the_regent...nn_agenda.html

[urban_phx]

Hey someone who has mod powers should make this thread a sticky since it has more posts then the phoenix develoment thread and thats a sticky

[kaneui]

A new master-planned community, Juniper Point, is proposed for 325 acres in Flagstaff, with 1,500 housing units priced from $200,000 to $500,000. Construction could begin in 2008, with buildout in 5-7 years:

1,500 more homes planned
By LAURA CLYMER
Arizona Daily Sun
05/06/2006

Another master-planned community, this one with as many as 1,500 housing units, is in the works for Flagstaff, and the public is invited to weigh in on the proposed project. Developers of the 325-acre subdivision, named Juniper Point, have hired urban planning firm Dover, Kohl & Partners. Representatives will be on hand at three town hall-style meetings to gather ideas from the community about how to design the project. Planning meetings will be today from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Tuesday from 6 to 8 p.m. and Thursday from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the duBois Center at Northern Arizona University

Juniper Point will be located on a parcel of land located south of Interstate 40 and north of J.W. Powell Boulevard between Coconino Community College on the western boundary and State Trust Section 26 on the eastern boundary. The investment group closed on two private parcels -- one at 100 acres and the other at 225 acres -- in October and January. The combined parcel straddles the Bow and Arrow wash, which eliminates about 100 acres of the 325 acres from development because of steep slopes. The tentative density will be seven units per acre.

Michael Naifeh of the investment group PBHIII and Flagstaff PBH, which is behind the project, said the development will follow the principles of traditional neighborhood design. Traditional neighborhood design calls for higher density of housing units, multi-modal links such as access to urban trails and mass transportation, and a diversity in the types of housing units.

Naifeh said housing types will include large and small single-family lots, row houses, townhomes, condos, apartments and "integrated commercial units," which are commercial units with housing flats above. Walkability and connectivity are keys to traditional neighborhood design, he added. He also said building "workforce housing" is another priority of the developers and planners. Housing units could range in price from $200,000 to $500,000. "I saw a severe need for mid-band housing," said Naifeh, who also runs an appraisal company based in Tucson.

Naifeh said he's already been making the rounds and talking with representatives from the Flagstaff Chamber of Commerce, Friends of Flagstaff's Future, school district officials, city officials and private businesses, such as W.L. Gore. He said he understands public concerns about affordability, second homes and traffic. "I don't think this gets accomplished without us being committed to a quality development and workforce housing," he said. "We want public input."

The developers will present an amendment to the Regional Plan, which they hope to have approved on Dec. 15. Then, the parcel will have to be rezoned. Construction could begin in 2008 with buildout in five to seven years, bringing 200 to 400 units on line each year. Naifeh said the project, if approved, will be built out proportionally. "You can't put in all the workforce housing at first, nor build out all the single family first," he said.

Juniper Point is the third large master-planned community proposed for Flagstaff since passage of the regional plan in 2002. Earlier this year, the city council approved Villaggio Montana, the largest-ever master planned development for the city with 3,600 housing units on a 1,000-acre tract. Already approved and under construction is Presidio in the Pines, with about 900 housing units.