By Elisha Dorfsmith

FLAGSTAFF—Last Thursday the long awaited draft version of the Flagstaff Regional Plan was released to the public. The plan now has a 60 day public comment period before it goes to the Flagstaff City Council and Coconino County Board of Supervisors for their approval. Once the City and County approve the plan, it will go to voters in a special election scheduled for May 20, 2014.

Before the plan was released, Flagstaff City Council member Jeff Oravits and many others raised concerns that the Regional Plan Citizens Advisory Committee was not balanced and was stacked with members of groups like F3 and other organizations with an extreme agenda.

Oravits fought to get more balance on the Committee during several council sessions but the majority of the Council said no and so the Committee remained one sided.

Now that the draft version of the plan has been released, I am receiving emails from concerned residents who say wording in the plan tramples individual liberty and private property rights. Of particular concern are the comments in the plan about social sustainability.

“Environmental, economic, cultural and social sustainability ensure that present actions are the basis for future health and prosperity.”

People are taking this to mean behavior control and the possibility of a Bloomberg style nanny state coming to the Flagstaff area.

Read more at Flagstaff Liberty Blog