Chamber Column: Much to be thankful for as holidays approach
As we close in on the Thanksgiving holiday and the end of the calendar year, we have much for which to be thankful as a business community, and some great news to share.
First the great news. Everyone knows Arizona’s success story has long been defined by growth, innovation and opportunity, and our great business triumphs create jobs, build infrastructure, expand education and fund essential public services, including police and fire. There seems to be, however, an ever-increasing antigrowth movement across Arizona that threatens our prosperity and economic momentum. Therefore, we are proudly joining the Arizona Chamber’s new “Better in My Backyard” coalition to help promote Arizona’s true story of success and continue to build stronger communities where responsible development drives opportunity. Stay tuned for more on this important statewide campaign.
Thinking about local items for which we are thankful, and right in line with our new “Better in My Backyard” coalition, we cannot thank our current mayor and Council and city development staff enough for their leadership on housing. From executing on the new state requirement for middle-housing improvements in our zoning code to the move-the-needle pilot program on resource protection, to politely declining to stop a new by-right residential housing development on the mesa in the face of NIMBYism, no Flagstaff mayor and city council to date have been more serious about implementing true housing solutions for our workforce.
We still have a long way to go. A new American Enterprise Institute “Strong Foundations” program that analyzed the national housing crisis by delving into local communities across the U.S. offered Flagstaff is more than 6,100 housing units short -- more than 8% of our housing stock -- and that number grows every day. The Chamber is thankful for our partnerships and collaboration with the Northern Arizona Association of REALTORS®, Flagstaff for Affordable Housing, and our development community who have pined away over the last year and a half on more realistic solutions that would bring more affordable residential units to market for our workforce. More to come on this important work, as well.
Finally, as we reflect on the year, it’s been busy, strong and challenging. Losing the iconic North Rim Lodge and outlying structures in the Grand Canyon National Park this summer was hard to stomach. We are thankful for the leadership of Rep. Eli Crane, who is working diligently in Washington to accelerate the reconstruction of this important piece of our regional economy. We are also thankful eight Democrat U.S. senators joined Senate Republicans and voted to reopen the federal government last week. The federal workforce was never meant to be held hostage by partisanship in Washington, D.C. There’s too much work to be done to keep this city, county, state and country moving forward. Let’s get to it.
As we look toward 2026 and our 135th anniversary in our community, we wish you and yours a wonderful holiday season full of growth and happiness.
Julie Pastrick is the President/CEO of the Greater Flagstaff Chamber of Commerce.
