Flagstaff Proposed New Name: Abundance With A View

[mhouse2001]

I would love to live in a mountain town but Flagstaff never gets my consideration. In my opinion, the city is a mess. The streets don't make sense, the south entrance into town is a disastrous mishmash of businesses and stoplights, and the proliferation of hotels and motels is a turnoff. It's as if the city's population couldn't make up its mind on anything. Surely, it could be argued that its growth could be considered manageable. But what's up with locating businesses in such haphazard fashion? It has a wonderful downtown area that smacks of small town America but once you leave that area, it's all downhill. It's overpriced, underemployed, and tougher than it needs to be. I'd love to consider the area, but it needs to get its act together. Wonderful opportunities wasted, in my opinion.

I had never heard of "Poverty with a View" but I can't say I like it. I also don't like the alternative "Abundance with a View" because I don't see how abundance defines Flagstaff.

[CCCVDUR]

[quote=mhouse2001;9352548]I would love to live in a mountain town but Flagstaff never gets my consideration. In my opinion, the city is a mess. The streets don't make sense, the south entrance into town is a disastrous mishmash of businesses and stoplights....."

Great comments. Coming from I-17 into town on Butler is an issue with traffic, but it's not anything compared to the mess in Boulder, Colorado! In the last Flagstaff city council campaigns, Al White (and perhaps others) wanted to build another railroad bridge (like 4th street) to eliminate congestion on Butler and through downtown.....Morgan Hagaman wanted to extend the Lone Tree corridor (running essentially paralell to Butler). And perhaps others had other suggestions, I don't remember....

"...and the proliferation of hotels and motels is a turnoff..."

That's a common complaint in smaller towns since they are often also tourist towns. Same is true in many other Mountain towns including Durango, CO; Albuquerque, NM along rt. 66, Santa Fe, NM along Cerrilos Rd...Sedona is perhaps an exception to this one...

The main problem for all of these cities is huge amounts of traffic going THROUGH the downtown ... in order to get to the OTHER side of town. Look at 28th street or Broadway in Boulder as a comparison. The solutions include 1) more bicycling 2) more public transit, and most importantly, more roads that BYPASS the CENTER of town (such as railroad bridges in Flagstaff, the Lone Tree corridor, or, perhaps a North-South route along the Reservoirs in Boulder County).


"...It's as if the city's population couldn't make up its mind on anything. Surely, it could be argued that its growth could be considered manageable. But what's up with locating businesses in such haphazard fashion?

That's a common complaint, it's due to the Geography among other factors. Switzer Mesa / Switzer Canyon divides the town into the downtown / Woodlands Village / University area, and 2) the Eastside Sunnyside / Country Club area ... And, the distance from Albertsons (at the base of Switzer Mesa) to I-40 is about half a mile, restricting all traffic flow east to west like a funnel in that area (and, dividing the town into the westside and eastside). However I think this makes the town more interesting, rathern than a town with a standard square grid layout such as Boulder or Ft. Collins...

Can others add insight to the historical development of Flag, and why businesses are located where they are today?

"It has a wonderful downtown area that smacks of small town America but once you leave that area, it's all downhill."

What do you mean by "downhill?" The Flagstaff Mall and auto mall w/ the new Best Buy / Home Depot shopping complex on the east side look very nice, as does the Woodlands Village area on the westside .... It would be nice to have some chain restaurants and coffee shops near the mall, or near the Best Buy / Home Depot complex .... There could be more places for young professionals to hang out (internet cafes, coffess shops, etc.) in the mall area ....

" It's overpriced, underemployed, and tougher than it needs to be."

"Tougher" meaning in what way?

" I'd love to consider the area, but it needs to get its act together. Wonderful opportunities wasted, in my opinion."

Absolutely. It's a great town when the economy is OK. What development would you propose, what franchises would you suggest, and given your previous comments about the town layout, where in town?

I had never heard of "Poverty with a View" but I can't say I like it. I also don't like the alternative "Abundance with a View" because I don't see how abundance defines Flagstaff.

The Naturopatic Doctor who proposed "Abundance With A View" is very smart, I know someone who saw her. Another name could be "The City By The Peaks"