By Kathleen Stinson | Arizona Daily Sun
The Flagstaff City Council voted 5-2 Tuesday to approve an ordinance amending the city zoning code giving developers the option to get zoning change approval without having to commit to a specific business to be constructed on the site at that time.
Prior to the amendment, developers had to submit a site plan analysis concurrently with the zoning plan application.
A site plan states the specific business and provides details about its architecture and parking, for example.
The code change now allows a developer or property owner to apply for a zoning change, state a use (which is a general term) and get approved.
Vice Mayor Coral Evans and Councilmember Celia Barotz opposed the motion, saying the change would diminish the substance of the public’s input in the process.
The subsequent site plan would not come back to the council, approved by staff at the interdepartmental level.
