Special Event
Mobile Workshop 
| THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29 | |||
6:45
– 8:15 A.M. Move the morning legs in the crisp mountain air on this popular non-motorized, multi-use Rails-to-Trails project! This easy hike is six miles round trip. View the 125 acre Watson Woods Riparian Preserve (established through the efforts of a Prescott College student) with its cottonwood and willow trees, wildlife, Watson Lake, and the artistic 1.4 billion year-old Granite Dells Pre-Cambrian rock formations next to the 13 million year old Glassford Hill - an extinct volcano. The winding trail, once the route for the Santa Fe, Prescott and Phoenix railroad, was affectionately named by old-timers as the ‘Peavine’ for its many twists and curves through the terrain. A $498,000 Federal ISTEA grant in 1996 paid for the first 5.5 miles of the trail. Get back in time to shower before the sessions begin! Eric Smith, Prescott Trails Coordinator, will be your guide. 9:00
– 10:15 A.M. Famous for its Victorians, the tree-lined Mt. Vernon Avenue reflects the late 19th and early 20th Century social and architectural history of Prescott. These three blocks of the East Prescott National Register Historic District include several styles of Victorians, Bungalows, Revival styles and a few early Vernacular buildings. This walking tour, conducted by Prescott’s Historic Preservation Specialist, Nancy Burgess, will include a discussion of the architecture of the neighborhood, part of which is located within a historic preservation overlay district, and some of the issues within the neighborhood related to zoning and infill. 9:00
– 10:15 A.M. There are planning issues that suggest that the density comfort zone of 3.5 dwellings per acre may not be in the long-term interest of our cities, counties and Arizona. Density may actually be our saving grace and not the subversive activity of money hungry developers. This presentation will review some planning issues that may make you rethink density and design. The session will also explore the difficulties of development within or adjacent to historically significant neighborhoods and its impact on the existing urban fabric. Height and massing of new buildings in proximity to these areas may block views, impede access or introduce aesthetic components that are incompatible with the preserved area. This study describes the development of an Arcview-based multiple viewshed model to help a specific cluster of neighborhoods analyze the qualitative and quantitative impacts of changes to its building height restrictions. Another affront to aesthetics is the monotonous look-a-like home communities with garage-dominated streetscapes. More and more cities are adopting residential design guidelines that encourage architectural diversity and innovative design characteristics. The findings of a statewide survey, which documents the variation in adopted ordinances and standards that encourage streetscape diversity in production home communities, is included in the session. Examples of projects will be provided to show how these planning and design issues are being addressed with some success. Moderator: David Prescott,
VP of Land, Siena Development, LLC. TRANSPORTATION ALTERNATIVES – THE PAST
BECOMES THE FUTURE! (Wheels of Fortune!) Ride a bus; catch a train? Sounds like the past; or is it the future? Learn how opportunities for culture changes in our society’s mobility are being made. Since the 1986 formation of Valley Metro/Regional Public Transit Authority (RPTA), bus service has increased in the region by more than five million annual miles. Valley Metro/RPTA currently funds 51 percent of all express bus service and 12 percent of all weekday local service in the region. The agency’s origins and its evolution as it moves forward to implement the transit investments of Proposition 400, approved in November 2004, will be described in this session. Included is an overview of the Phoenix Metropolitan Region’s Light Rail Transit (LRT) development program, identifying construction progress to date of the initial 20-mile METRO LRT project, which will connect central Phoenix, Tempe and west Mesa. Plans for future LRT system expansion for an additional 37 miles will also be discussed. In contrast to the Phoenix Metro Area’s public transit endeavors, the Mountain Line Transit system will be presented. The MLT serves the Flagstaff Metropolitan Planning Area. It is an example of successfully creating culture change in non-metro-urban areas. Its origins and funding will be described, along with public transit planning in Verde Valley communities (hear about CATS and Roadrunners!). Moderator: Mike Willett, Transportation Planning Engineer, Yavapai County. Presenters: Stuart Boggs, AICP, Manager of Transit Planning, Valley Metro/RPTA; Wulf Grote, PE, Director of Project Development, Valley Metro Rail; Jeff Meilbeck, Transportation Services Director, Coconino County. 9:00 - 10:15 A.M. Moderator: James Holt, Senior Project Manager, Big Chino Ranch, City of Prescott. HISTORIC
PRESERVATION – PARTNERSHIPS: HERITAGE, CIVIC TOURISM AND STUDENTS
10:30
– 11:45 A.M. Many communities are faced with the challenge of ensuring that adequate housing is locally available for, and affordable to, the workforce. The challenge is exacerbated by skyrocketing construction and infrastructure costs, limited public transportation, and diminishing land supplies. Add the mix of viewpoints and solutions from elected officials, neighbors, social service providers and developers, and the challenge often erupts into controversy. This session will explore this challenge from various perspectives and help you to find a potential solution for your community. Moderator: Martina Keuhl, Manager, Kuehl Enterprises LLC. Presenters: Jim Lamerson, City of Prescott Councilman; Lindsay Bell, Contracts Administrator, West Yavapai Guidance Clinic; and Jean Richmond-Bowman, Executive Vice-President, Northern Arizona Builder’s Association. TRANSPORTATION AND TRAFFIC CULTURE CHANGES: THE POWER OF ASKING “WHAT IF?” Hassayampa Inn Marina B Auto-centric
cities are the result of layer upon layer of little decisions made without asking
“What if?” “What if somebody wants to get here on a bicycle,
or on foot?” “What if I want to maintain mobility Moderator: Dava Z. Hoffman, Rural and Urban Planner, Dava & Associates, Inc. Presenters: Betty Drake, Drake & Associates Planning and Urban Design, Scottsdale Vice-Mayor; Debbie Wick, P.E., P.T.O.E., Wick Engineers, Inc.; K. Kelly LaRosa, P.E., A.I.C.P, Assistant City Traffic Engineer, City of Peoria. SECURING & CONSERVING MUNICIPAL WATER
SUPPLIES (Brother, can you spare an Evian?) Implications of population growth on limited water supplies and the development of municipal water systems will be explored in this session. The role of imported water to augment water supplies within active management areas will be discussed. Finally, the role and mission of the Arizona Statewide Office of Water Conservation will be probed. Moderator: John Munderloh, Water Resource Manager, Town of Prescott Valley. 10:30 -
11:45 A.M. A lively discussion begins with approaches, incentives and performance standards to create a vibrant and successful downtown. Planners from two very different communities share their planning stories. Tucson’s Downtown Revitalization Rio Nuevo project to revitalize downtown is past the planning process now. The master plan is being realized through myriad of projects and implementation plans. The amenities, the incentives, design guidelines, a residential market analysis and a retail feasibility study are keys to making real projects happen. Prescott Valley’s new Town Center, designed by noted urban Planner Peter Calthorpe, is being built from scratch with surrounding businesses, restaurants, Civic Center, Entertainment Center, Main Street and health care facilities, including the new regional hospital. Presenters: Sarah More, AICP, Planning Administrator, City of Tucson; Richard Parker, Community Development Director, Town of Prescott Valley. | NOON -1:45 P.M. Gourmet Lunch a la Gourmet One-Act Play at Prescott’s Historic Elks Opera House. Relax and enjoy a gourmet box lunch as you are entertained by Jody Drake, Founding Director of the Blue Rose Theater, in an original one-act play. Hear Grandpa Elks recall how the Elks Opera House was built, while Lacka Money, the villain, plays his mischief in this delightful melodrama, created for the Arizona Planning Association. Laughter is great medicine and aid to digestion, so get ready to laugh down your lunch! For dessert, our own witty Grady Gammage, Jr. will be awarding (and roasting) the lucky (or unfortunate) planners whose outstanding work have secured them an Arizona Planning Association award. Let the roast begin! 2:00 – 3:15 P.M. Hear about spectacular growth in two of Arizona’s rural counties. The Phoenix metropolitan area is rapidly extending into Pinal County, and an effort has begun to plan 270 square miles of state land-Superstition Vistas. Pinal County expects to reach one million residents in twenty years. In Mohave County, construction of a new Colorado River bridge and a shortage of available land in Nevada are causing Mohave County to be viewed as the next Las Vegas suburb, with a number of very large master planned communities proposed .Moderator: David Kuhl, Planning and Development Director, Pinal County. LAND
USE AND DEVELOPMENT ON NAVAJO AND HOPI TRIBAL LANDS This session will examine how planning and development occurs on tribal lands from both a tribal and non-tribal perspective. Participants will address such topics as how federal oversight impacts tribal land-use decisions, state-tribal collaboration efforts, local governance and land use controls, and streamlining permitting systems to promote public and private development. Moderator: Brian Gilbert, AICP, Cellular One. Presenters: Ivan Sidney, Administrator, Sichomovi Village, Hopi Nation; Michael Anderson, Manager, Antelope Point Marina, Navajo Nation; Representative of Navajo Nation Land Department, Sichomovi Village, Hopi Nation; Corey Cox, Arizona Department of Commerce. NATIONAL
& STATE WATER ISSUES (Big Brother versus Little Brother versus
the Rest of Us) This session will highlight an update of Indian water rights settlements, an extremely important topic when discussing Arizona water supplies. Colorado River and Central Arizona Project issues will also be explored. The impacts of potential changes to the classification and administration of lands held in State Trust will also be discussed. Finally, aquifer recharge and groundwater replenishment topics will be explored. Moderator: Grady Gammage, Jr., Esq., Gammage & Burnham, P.L.C. AWARDS
PRESENTATIONS Want to know more about this year’s State Planning Award winners? This is your opportunity! New to this year’s conference, we are holding a session for short presentations from our State Planning Award winners! This is your chance to get a more in-depth view of their award winning work. Moderator: Matthew Spriggs, Senior Planner/ Redevelopment Specialist, Yuma Crossing National Heritage Area & Riverfront Development. 3:30 –
4:45 p.m. “Rural character” is overused and means different things to different people. This session will look at two different approaches to preserving a rural way of life. The first will be the Diablo Canyon Rural Planning Area where collaboration between Coconino County, two large property owners, and the Diablo Trust resulted in a plan designed to sustain ranching and keep the ranches intact. The second will be about a citizen-written plan for Cornville in Yavapai County, with the goal of preserving that small community’s way of life. Moderator: Bill Towler, AICP, Community Development Director, Coconino County. COMMISSIONS AND BOARDS This session is designed for planning commissioners and those who appear before planning commissioners. The basic legal framework within which the planning commission operates will lay the groundwork for the balance of the session. How to conduct an effective meeting, “Dos” and “Don’ts,” the Open Meeting Law and conflicts of interest will be covered. A must session for anyone who works in this arena. Moderators: Kevin Kugler, AICP, AzPA Vice President Professional Development, RBF and Associates; Douglas A. Jorden, Jorden Bischoff McGuire & Hiser, P.C.; Len Scamardo, Prescott Planning Commission. CLIMATE VARIABILITY & WATER
SUPPLY Climate and drought both play significant roles in our ability to successfully manage limited water supplies. Frequently rural communities are more highly vulnerable to the negative impacts of drought than are larger metropolitan communities. The rate at which lands are converted to municipal and subdivision purposes may be influenced by drought as well. These climate-related topics will be considered in this session. Moderator: Gregg Garfin, Ph.D., Program Manager, Climate Assessment for the Southwest (CLIMAS), University of Arizona. Presenters: Timothy Collins, Dept of Geology, ASU and Bob Bolin, School of Human Origins and Social Change; Gary Nabhan and Catherine Freeman, Center for Sustainable Environments, NAU. DEVELOPING
GUIDING PRINCIPLES FOR PLANNING IN ARIZONA As Arizona nears its Centennial, the Governor has directed the Growing Smarter Oversight Council (GSOC) to embark on a grassroots public outreach effort to develop a set of statewide guiding principles that promote a cohesive vision for Arizona. Such principles could encourage communities, regions, and state agencies to coordinate planning and land use decisions in support of better-managed growth and preservation, and provide a general direction and measurement for local planning efforts in the next cycle of general and comprehensive plans. Please join in this continuing conversation by sharing your ideas and suggestions for developing locally and regionally responsive guiding principles and indicators to promote and measure quality growth in Arizona. Moderator: Kristen Busby, AICP, Senior Planner, Community Planning Office, Arizona Department of Commerce. Speakers: Debra Z. Sydenham, AICP, Assistant Director, Community Development, Arizona Department of Commerce; Growing Smarter Oversight Council Members. 5:00 - 6:30 P.M. Get to know your fellow planners and our great conference sponsors and exhibitors as you tour the lobby, the scenic Arizona Room and the cozy 1927 Room of the lovely Hassayampa Inn. Enjoy light refreshments (don’t want to spoil your appetite for the delicious bar-b-que later), a cold drink and the music of “Anne James and Bill Burkett and Friends.” You may even win a door prize as you play Exhibitor Bingo! 6:30 - 8:45 P.M. Stroll, bike or trolley-ride to Granite Creek Park, the Central Park of Downtown Prescott...on a small scale; a very small scale! Enjoy plenty of bar-b-que and other vittles, washed down with beer and beverages, as you chat with friends and associates in the cool, cool, cool of the evening (better bring a jacket). Do some high altitude stargazing while listening to the “Crawdaddies Band” playing funk rock and blues. Want a change of pace? Ride the Prescott Trolley from your hotel to the BBQ on Thursday evening and wave to your fellow planners! Departure times will be posted. 9:00
P.M. -?? Hosted by the Nominations CommitteeThe Nominations Reception/Jam Session will be a chance for past board officers and candidates to meet with persons interested in running for board positions next year or at a future date. The reception will include a no-host bar, snacks and music provided by Bill Burkett and the Prescott Jammers. The reception will begin with a welcome and overview of the nominations process. There will be information provided and an interest sheet for potential candidates to state their interest in future board of director positions. This will be followed by a jam session with acoustic musicians playing everything from blues to bluegrass. Planner musicians are invited to bring their guitars, banjos, mandolins, harmonicas, pianos, sticks, spoons, bass guitars, and basically anything that makes a pleasing sound and join in. | ||
Communities
often view historic preservation as a “cut and dried” process that
frequently interferes with plans to recreate a neighborhood or commercial district.
What is actually happening in historic preservation is exciting, innovative, and
often very different from commonly held beliefs. Speakers will demonstrate how
historic preservation is being utilized for economic development, neighborhood
stabilization, and regional development in three ways: heritage tourism, civic
tourism and student involvement.Moderator: Barbara Becker, Professor, Geography
& Regional Development, University of Arizona.
and
fitness when I can’t drive a car any more?” “What if driving
has become an unpleasant and often dangerous experience?” Because these
questions are rarely asked, our cities keep growing into shapes and patterns that
in many cases discourage walking, make bicycling difficult, and promote road-rage.
Culture change is needed! This presentation will discuss mainstream and guerrilla
strategies for effecting change in the interest of expanding transportation and
traffic control options. It will give examples and ideas about ways to increase
bicycling and walking as viable transportation modes; it will explain roundabouts,
and traffic-calming methods that have beneficial uses for the community besides
the safety and traffic operations components. Examples of the development of user-friendly
traffic calming designs that are easily understood by roadway users with standard
installations to meet internal staff needs will be presented from the City of
Peoria’s Neighborhood Traffic Management Program. This session will be fun
and stimulate thinking about what every single one of us can do to help make things
change.
