Participation Guidelines
The City of Flagstaff (the “City”) has partnered with OpenGov, a third-party online forum provider, to create a civic engagement platform that will allow the citizens of Flagstaff get more involved in City government. Flagstaff Community Forum is a forum for the discussion of proposed City projects and upcoming policy topics related to local government in the City and its partner agencies. The topics are generated by City staff, commissions, and Council for the purpose of public participation in current government decision making.
To ensure that all voices are heard and that forum participants are able to speak freely about the posted topics, participants who register to use the forum must agree to not post disruptive statements. Disruptive statements include the following:
- Statements that do not relate to the posted topic;
- Personal attacks and statements that threaten or abuse other forum participants, members of the public, City staff or City officials;
- Statements that discriminate on the basis of race, religion, nationality, gender, sexual preference, age, region, disability, etc.
- Hate speech of any kind;
- Statements containing any sort of commercial advertising or soliciting funds, goods, or services;
- Repetitive or meaningless messages (“spam”);
- A statement from a user who has falsified their registration information with the intent to post multiple statements in one topic or to misrepresent their city of residence; and
- Statements that include obscene, pornographic, abusive, or otherwise illegal material.
OpenGov, acting as the forum monitor, will remove any disruptive statements that are posted on the forum. Forum participants who post disruptive statements may lose their posting privileges.
Frequently asked questions about the participation guidelines
Why does Open Town Hall monitor for disruptive statements?
OpenGov is a non-partisan company dedicated to building public trust in government and broadening civic engagement. Many people will not participate, if the forum has disruptive statements.
Does Open Town Hall find many disruptive statements?
No. Disruptive statements are quite rare - less than one in a thousand statements on OpenGov moderated topics nationwide are disruptive.
What does Open Town Hall do if they find a disruptive statement?
OpenGov
- moves the statement to a different web page,
- describes the problem in an email to the author, and
- invites the author to change the statement.
Does Open Town Hall ever edit or delete statements?
Never. Only the statement's author can edit or delete a statement. If a statement is removed from the public website, it will still be seen by the City of Flagstaff and be part of the public record.
If I disagree with someone, can I post my opinion?
Yes. Open Town Hall encourages open dialog and debate which, by necessity, includes disagreements.
How do I know if my statement is a 'disagreement' or a 'personal attack'?
Personal attacks are disparaging remarks which impute motives to a person's action. Statements of fact, or of your own opinion are generally not personal attacks.
Here are some examples of statements which are, and are not, personal attacks.
Personal Attack v. Not A Personal Attack
He is a liar. V. He said he did X, but in fact he did Y.
She misrepresented the truth. V. I don't believe what she said.
He is greedy. V. He is making money from this project.
It is merely a power play on her part. V. She will announce her candidacy soon.
Translate
Considering the project area in the map above, do you (select all that apply):
In theory, do you agree that the City of Flagstaff should craft and adopt some basic design standards to reinforce La Plaza Vieja's character?
Why do you agree or disagree with this approach?
Flagstaff is losing its distinctiveness with all the high-rise new housing going up.Do you think one-story homes (both existing and new) should be exempt from any adopted design standards?
Why do you think exempting one-story homes is a good or bad idea?
Because current residents already maintain the character we'd like to preserve. Current residents should not be burdened with additional costs for living in the neighborhood.Do you think the character overlay should include building face variation (façade articulation) standards?
Why do you think facade articulation should or should not be included?
It is much easier to look at.Do you think the character overlay should include upper-floor articulation standards?
Why do you think upper-floor articulation should or should not be included?
No response.Do you think the character overlay should contain requirements for a change in roof profile (roof modulation standards)?
Why do you think roof modulation should or should not be included?
Much more interesting roof line.Do you think it's a good idea to NOT regulate building materials in the character overlay?
Why do you think building materials should or should not be regulated?
The variety is nice and less regulation, when practical, is a good thing.Do you think standards for window trim or recess should be included in the character overlay?
Why do you think window trim or window recessing should or should not be included?
Again, too much regulation is not a good idea. It will inhibit growth and development.Do you think the character overlay should include a covered entry roof or porch requirement?
Why do you think requirements for a covered entry or porch should or should not be included?
It definitely adds character to the building.Do you think the character overlay should restrict the location of off-street parking to areas located off of alleys or to the side of homes?
Why do you think parking location restrictions should or should not be included?
AS a practical matter, cars parking on the street are more vulnerable and restrict traffic flow.Do you think requirements for window consistency should be included in the character overlay?
Why do you think window consistency should or should not be included?
It looks more organized to have consistency.Do you think the character overlay should allow shed roofs on garages, detached accessory dwelling units (ADUs), storage sheds and similar structures? NOTE: ADUs are limited to 800 square feet by the current city code and are also allowed over garages.
Why do you think shed roofs should or should not be allowed on accessory structures?
No response.Do you think the character overlay should allow a single-family home or duplex with only a single shed roof with no other roof plane adding variety to the home?
Why do you think shed roofs should or should not be allowed on homes?
It would be more cost effective.Do you think that any allowance for shed roof single family homes and duplexes should include a requirement that the roofline integrate two contrasting roof planes?
Why do you think any shed roof standards should or should include a requirement for contrasting roof planes?
No response.Do you think the character overlay should include standards for roof orientation?
Why do you think roof orientation requirements should or should not be included?
No response.What elements of design are most important for a new character overlay to regulate in order to preserve the neighborhood character of la Plaza Vieja?
Traditionally, homes in the La Plaza Vieja neighborhood have had parking and driveways located to the side or rear of buildings. If included in a character overlay, the parking requirement would include placing off-street parking coming off of the alleys (where applicable) or to the side of homes where there are no alleys. This would allow the front porch, front doors, and windows to be visible from the street and prevent larger vehicles from blocking sidewalks or pushing back the front of homes further from the street.
Varying the face plane of a new building (facade articulation) is one of several ways to break up the massive appearance and larger scale of a building. Facade articulation refers to the surfaces of the building, whether they are flat, pushed up to the street, or pushed back. Some examples include:
The change in a roof’s visual profile (roof modulation standards) could apply to buildings longer than 30 feet with the goal of creating visual interest by not having excessively long and continuous roof lines. A variation in roof forms can add visual interest to a building by breaking up the building’s appearance against the skyline.
Roof orientation standards would require that gabled-end roofs face the street on typically narrow lots (if there are multiple rooflines, at least one roofline would have to meet this standard). In the case of a property with a shed roof, this orientation standard would also be applied in some manner.
Requiring consistency in facade windows means that all windows facing the street would have to be similarly sized, of consistent design or operation, or grouped in a way that creates symmetry and/or consistency on each floor.This would not require that any particular brand or style of window be applied but that the design of all windows be consistent across the front of the building. It would not regulate rear or side windows that are not facing the street.
The purpose of upper floor definition standards would be to reinforce the neighborhood’s character of one-story buildings by clearly defining each floor level for two- and three-story buildings. This floor defining articulation allows anyone to easily recognize the number of floors and reduces the appearance of one tall wall that has no definition or change of plane.
Many homes in La Plaza Vieja have a simple covering supported with brackets mounted to the wall. A requirement for a covered entry or porch could be scaled to require something small, like a covered entryway, or something larger such as a full porch.
A shed roof refers to a roof that slopes on a single plane. These roof types are uncommon in the La Plaza Vieja neighborhood but have become increasingly popular in new construction due to their cost-effectiveness and their ability to create sloped ceilings and abundant usable and naturally lighted interior spaces. Similar designs have been recently called “Mountain Modern”.
Windows have been referred to as the expressive eyes of a home. They can be clearly expressed or end up reading relatively flat to a wall surface. By recessing or trimming a window with a frame, shadow lines help to create a shadowed accent that more clearly defines the window.
In your opinion, are there any of the elements from the previous question that the city should NOT regulate and why? (Use one blank for each element)
Are there any other thoughts or opinions you would like to share with the project team and the La Plaza Vieja Neighborhood Association?
While I appreciate making the neighborhood aesthetically pleasing, I am concerned about over-regulation or of additional costs to current residents who are already struggling to afford housing in Flagstaff. Excessive regulation will further drive up costs for new housing as well, which is a great cause for concern.