A Flagstaff ballot referendum that would have allowed the construction of a new hospital to move forward has been rejected by voters. Proposition 480 failed by a wide margin in Tuesday’s mail-in election.
No votes accounted for more than 72% of the nearly 12,000 ballots cast.
It overturns the Flagstaff City Council’s approval of the necessary rezoning for the first phase of an $800 million hospital complex proposed by Northern Arizona Healthcare.
Critics of the plan worried it would drive up healthcare costs and say the public didn’t have enough involvement in the initial greenlighting of the project.
"This referendum showed that the people in Flagstaff really care about their community and they want to have a meaningful voice. Outcomes are only as good as the process that preceded it, and this is a perfect example of the process not working," said Celia Barotz, a former member of the city council who advocated for the no on Prop 480 campaign.
Barotz and other Prop 480 opponents are calling for more transparency and citizen engagement in such large development proposals.
NAH says a new hospital is needed because Flagstaff Medical Center has run out of space and can’t be renovated, creating long wait times and often forcing patients to be transferred.
"To keep our commitment to Flagstaff and the region to provide a modern healthcare facility capable of serving our community, we are evaluating alternative locations for a new hospital," said NAH in a statement following the vote.
The company says it’s disappointed in the election outcome and that it is assessing its options as it looks to expand.
