Flagstaff, Arizona

years ago, the number was 5,000 units that were being proposed over the next number of years. There is a lot of demand for more housing, and it seems to be on the way,” reports Saltonstall. Community development plans also include responsible management of resources. “In the high desert where we are, water is always something that people express concern about. We’ve got some numbers that indicate that, right now, we are using as much water as we did almost 30 years ago, even though our population has grown immensely. That’s primarily due to the sustainability; to the mindset of the community, and of our organization to responsibly manage our water as well as they have,” says Saltonstall. Along with water management, the surrounding forest also creates a risk for fire. Proactive planning, along with a 10-million-dollar bond, allowed the community to work at forest thinning and management, making fires that do occur easier to handle. Saltonstall adds, “The values at risk in this community have been managed very well, based on long-term thinking, and the ability of the community to learn how to live in its environment as effectively as we have.” Attracting new businesses to the city is more difficult in the current times. Fitchett admits, “Normally we’d be going out to larger trade shows and having face-to-face meetings with potential businesses that see themselves in this community. Right now, that had to shift. We’ve had to develop different ways to keep those lines of communication open, but also continue to market Flagstaff as a great place for businesses to come to.” The city has introduced five new programs to provide incentives for growth and development within the community. These include financial incentives for existing small businesses to move into vacant space, and incentives to stay and grow in Flagstaff. New businesses that meet the requirements can also take advantage of two new Business Attraction incentives. Additionally, to strengthen the automotive industry, the city has also introduced a Sustainable Automotive Sales Tax Rebate