In 2016, after 24 years in Flagstaff, I reluctantly moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico. I’ve never felt that Santa Fe does Flagstaff justice. I’ve often thought that I might like to move back to Flagstaff. I recently returned to Flagstaff to explore rental options, both residential and commercial. I spent several days cycling around town looking for vacancies and visiting various rental properties.
What an eye opener! Flagstaff has changed! Was I gone for five years or was it 50? I was particularly shocked by the huge apartment blocks in West Flagstaff. How did such indecently large projects get through the planning and development and the city council? The widespread developments on McMillan Mesa were also terrifying.
I was also surprised at how little East Flagstaff has changed, especially when compared to West Flagstaff. The biggest change on the east side seems to be the spread of sandbags. Surprisingly, the east side remains largely dusty, dilapidated and dilapidated. But I also suspect that it is on the cusp of a major transformation.
My strongest impression was of a city that is growing explosively and is bursting at the seams, with sky-high rents and almost no rental options.
Years ago there was a locally popular bumper sticker that said, Don’t PHX FLG. That fight is clearly lost and the developers at Phoenix have won. The war is over and many of the anti-growth activists have been evacuated to other places where they have a chance of financial survival.
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