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?
In general, I'm not a proponent of architectural restrictions because it takes away flexibility in design and usually the results look like an attempt to recreate something, and it adds cost.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?
Not sure what the breakdown is of one story vs multi story homes. Disincentivizing multi story development in one of the few truly walkable neighborhoods in town could be the result.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?
Using the articulations certainly looks better but it can also substantially increase the building cost to the point that building may not be an option.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?
Banding an covered porches are probably the cheapest way to achieve the desired effect and will likely be the route most builders will go if given the option.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?
Again, the roof modulation looks much better but also adds to the expense.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?
Having flexibility for unique finishes is a great 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?
Another one of those things that looks better but may increase costs substantially.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?
The cantilevered cover in the top photo is a cool Flagstaff thing but once again, it does increase cost.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?
This seems like it would really limit the site flexibility, especially with a lot of narrow and deep lots it could create some issues with design and setbacks. Plus people will probably park on the street in front of house anyway.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?
Do most the buildings in the neighborhood currently have the purposed window layout? It seems like this standard would take away design flexibility.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?
Yes, as pointed out, there is a reason this style of roof is popular with new builds.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?
Yes, even with the shed roof there are options to make it unique.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, not restricting the roofline allows for more flexibility.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?
This requirement takes away from the design flexibility and could lead to some odd layouts.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?
No response.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?
It seem like an ideal area for multi family housing as it is one of the few neighborhoods within the downtown area and NAU that land is "affordable". If the idea is to reduce vehicle use then density in areas that are walkable needs to increase substantially. I'm guessing there is interest from builders and developers for these reasons, and why this overlay was developed. Just want to reiterate that it's tough to build here already so more red tape doesn't help get us housing, and any additional cost to build will be passed on to the end user.