Dear Sedona Community,
I’m reaching out to personally invite you to attend the upcoming City Council meeting on April 28th, where the City will present the results of its survey on the future of the Sedona Cultural Park and amphitheater.
Right now, the City is looking at survey data on the Amphitheater. But the numbers don’t tell the full story.
People do.
What gets decided here has the potential to directly impact our businesses, our employees, and the long term stability of Sedona’s economy.
This affects all of us.
• • •
The reality is, an active amphitheater isn’t about one off events. It’s about creating consistent, planned visitation.
When concerts and events are announced, people don’t just show up. They plan ahead. They book rooms, make dinner reservations, schedule tours, and shop locally, often weeks or even months in advance.
That kind of demand gives all of us something we don’t always have enough of…
predictability.
It helps fill the slower summer months and winter dips and creates a steadier flow of business instead of the constant ups and downs.
And it’s not just about revenue, it’s about people.
More consistent visitation means more reliable hours for employees, more stable income for families, less seasonal stress, and a better chance to hire and keep great people.
If we want a strong workforce in Sedona, we need to support the things that support them.
When business becomes more consistent, everything grows.
Restaurants stay busier, shops see more traffic, tours book further out, and new businesses have a reason to open and invest here.
This is how healthy economies grow.
Steady. Sustainable. Reliable.
There’s another piece to this that matters just as much.
👨👩👧👦 The Heart of This
A stronger, more consistent economy is one of the key things that helps bring young families back to Sedona.
When parents can count on steady work, reliable income, and year round opportunity, they’re far more likely to stay, put down roots, and raise their kids here.
It also creates a true community gathering place with things for families to actually do together. When there are concerts, events, and shared experiences, it gives parents and kids a reason to get out, connect, and enjoy where they live.
That kind of lifestyle matters. It adds energy, culture, and a sense of belonging, which makes Sedona feel like a place to build a life, not just a place people visit.
That means more families living and working locally, more kids in our schools, and a stronger, more balanced community long term.
Right now, we all know that’s a challenge. This is one of the ways we start to change that.
• • •
⚠ IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND
There’s also something really important to understand about this vote in front of City Council.
This vote does NOT mean the amphitheater is automatically moving forward.
It simply allows SCP 2.0 to bring in experienced music industry professionals to gather real data, build a proforma, and complete a true feasibility study. That information would then come back to Council before any final decision is ever made.
In other words, this is about getting the facts first.
And honestly… why would we not want that information?
It would be irresponsible not to fully understand what we have in this cultural asset before making a decision that could permanently remove it.
Here’s Where You Come In
This part really matters.
⏰ Mark Your Calendar
Tuesday
April 28
4:30 PM
📍 SEDONA CITY HALL
Please be there. Your presence matters more than you know.
If you can attend the meeting, please do.
When you arrive, you’ll have the opportunity to speak for up to three minutes. But you don’t need three minutes.
You can simply walk up and say:
“I’m a member of the Sedona community, and I support the amphitheater”
…and sit back down.
That’s it.
It might feel small, but it carries real weight. Far more than emails or social media. It shows the Council that the people who live and work here see the value in this.
CAN’T ATTEND?
Please still make your voice heard.
At the very least, take a moment to email the City Council, include your name, your role, and that you support the amphitheater:
✉️ One click, one message — reaches every Council member at once.
👉 CLICK HERE TO EMAIL THE ENTIRE CITY COUNCIL
This link contacts all Council members in a single message.
Your presence or even a simple email helps show that the Sedona community understands what’s at stake, not just for today, but for the future of our workforce, our families, and our local economy.
The first step is allowing the proforma to be created and presented to the city and then if it makes good business sense, the renovation of the amphitheater would follow using music industry donations.
From there, we can build a thoughtful, sustainable model that benefits the entire community.
• • •
I hope you’ll join us Tuesday, April 28th at 4:30 PM at Sedona City Hall.
And if you’re willing to speak, even briefly, it truly makes a difference.
We all depend on this town.
This is one of those moments where showing up truly matters.
Warm regards,
| Jennifer May Board Member • SCP 2.0 |
20 Comments
Well you have some good points, but………………………….Do you want extra traffic? You want hotels and Air B&Bs filled more? So where do all these new workers live?
This is where it never adds up to me? 5,000 people means another 2,500 cars on our streets? Are you going to add full public transportation to get there and back?
Without a complete and thorough plan, clear cut and set into place. I SAY NO! And I love live music!
Dave, I hear you on this — those are good thoughts to consider.
But a couple things that might help connect the dots a little better:
First, it’s not 5,000 people showing up all at once in 2,500 cars driving through town at the same time. That’s just not how events work in reality.
A big portion of attendees are already here, they’re visitors who have booked hotels weeks or months in advance. Those cars are already in Sedona, they’re not new traffic being added that night.
For the rest, there are real solutions that don’t require reinventing the wheel:
• The City already owns large parcels like the Dells specifically suited for remote parking
• Shuttle systems are used everywhere for events like this, it’s not hypothetical, it’s standard practice
• Evening events naturally spread arrival times out, not everyone shows up at once
Second, on the workforce question, this is actually where the amphitheater helps, not hurts.
Right now the bigger issue isn’t just housing, it’s inconsistent income. Every summer and parts of winter, hours get cut across hospitality, retail, restaurants… people leave because they can’t make it through those slow periods.
This does two important things:
• It brings business during those slower months, which keeps people employed more consistently
• It creates tax revenue that can actually be directed toward building out more workforce housing
So it’s not amphitheater instead of housing… it’s one of the few tools that can actually help fund it while also helping people stay employed year round.
And lastly, the City owns the property, which means they control how many events happen, when they happen, and how they’re managed. This isn’t a free for all. It can be done thoughtfully and at a scale that makes sense for Sedona.
Totally agree with you on one thing though, it does need a real plan. That’s exactly what we’re asking the City to allow… the chance to actually build that plan with music professionals before making a final decision.
The amphitheater was already tried as a music venue designed to bring in jobs and steady income. AND IT FAILED! As Mr Dave stated, “where would all these “New Workers” live exactly? And don’t even try stating Cottonwood, Cornville or Flag because they don’t have available affordable employee housing either. This is a bad argument for very short term profits and a second ultimate failure of a music venue that is oversized and unsustainable.
Jill, I think there’s a piece of this that’s getting overlooked.
This isn’t about bringing in a bunch of new workers who suddenly need housing. It actually supports the people who already live and work here.
We’re not talking about concerts every night. This would likely be a limited number of shows, maybe 15 to 20 during the slower seasons, mostly on weekends. They’re short events, just a few hours.
That’s actually perfect for people here who want to pick up a little extra income. Valet staff, restaurant teams, hotel employees, event staff… even teachers, firefighters, or police who want to grab a few extra hours here and there. It’s not creating a whole new workforce, it’s giving our current one more opportunity.
But the bigger thing is what it does for everyone who already works here.
Right now, the real issue isn’t just housing, it’s that work isn’t steady. Every summer and parts of winter, hours get cut. That’s when people struggle and sometimes end up leaving.
This helps smooth that out.
It brings people in during the slow seasons, which keeps hotels, restaurants, and shops busy when they’d normally be quiet. That means more consistent hours and more stable income for the people already here.
And if the City wants to focus events only during slower months, they can do exactly that to support the workforce when it’s needed most.
As for it “failing before,” the live music world today is completely different than it was back then. People travel for experiences now, especially unique outdoor venues like this. Artists have to tour for their income today as opposed to 25 years ago because music is streaming now. Cell phones have changed how tickets are bought and sold the same way that they have changed travel planning, often months in advance.
Outdoor amphitheaters are popping up all over the country now because people are craving the “experience of music in a beautiful outdoor setting. It’s an incredible draw all over the US and worldwide.
So, this isn’t about short term thinking. It’s about creating a more stable, year round economy for the people who already call Sedona home.
Jill, you ask why the amphitheater would succeed today, when it failed 20 years ago?
If you told me 20 years ago, that by the year 2026 – recording artists could no longer earn a viable living by selling their music, via all media including streaming, you could knock me over with a feather. Music has essentially lost all commercial value, as compared to 20 years ago. The only way that major recording artists can maintain their “standard of living” today, is by touring and performing. Any new music releases are essentially a give-away, and are used primarily as advertising to draw people to concert venues. This economic reality has caused a giant shift in the music industry, with a gravitational pull of the entire music industry toward live performance. Filling concert venues are now the only way an artist can earn a living. This was not the case 20 years ago. Back in the 1980’s live concert touring was used to promote and sell CDs. Now they can’t sell enough of any recording to replace that sales income. So the live concert market has now exploded, being the only viable way a lifelong recording artist can continue to earn a living. This market shift can be now used to bring stability to the whole economy of Sedona.
Actually most Big name bands have begun playing much smaller venues like private clubs and bars like bands starting out in the 80’s used to do. Yes there are still massive concerts with multiple artists over a couple days time like Coachella and Oz Fest to name a few. But those will never ever happen here in Sedona.
I grew up with musicians some of them are now well known artists in well known bands. Big concerts were the Metropolitan City I grew up in bread and butter after the auto factories. But that was a major city with tons of parking that still took up to an hour to get into and out of, lodging and the concert halls were all run by permanent full time staff that had regular salaries and benefits. Security was a mix of full time venue security staff, artists personal security and the local and state PD’s.
I really don’t think those who want this realize all the problems that will arise from it. I’d rather see the money spent on workplace housing like Cottonwood has been developing the last 8 years or so now. Traffic will be insane unless there are dozens of actual officers Sedona PF does not have conducting an old fashioned traffic control point or TCP and on foot (not sitting in their cruisers). You know safety vests flashlights whistles? That’s what traffic in and immediately surrounding the amphitheater would require. Who is going to patrol the rest of the city before during and after events? Where will their salaries come from? You’ll also need officers who can respond to fights, intoxicated drivers and medical emergencies. You’re talking dozens of uniformed law enforcement officers on top of the required dozens of security officers needed to ensure venue security.
Even if Sedona hired dozens more officers and purchased the vehicles weapons and equipment they would require after paying for their academy training, they’d still have no place in Sedona to reside without more workforce housing. Most of our current officers live in Cottonwood or Camp Verde as it is because of this issue. Which tells me we don’t need this headache anymore than a swift kick in the head. There are much more important things Sedona needs to fix before they can even consider such an enormous waste of time and money.
Restaurants fail, Auto parts stores fail, grocery stores fail, but yet, the same types of businesses open up in the same locations succeed. Why? Management, operations, financing, promotion. It is a known fact that 30 board members managing the first attempt was not smart. The manager/promoter did not do his job, and the ticketing and promotional capabilities of today’s operation vs 20 years ago is night and day. Comparing apples to oranges maybe OK for you, but anyone that is paying attention knows that this does not fly.
It gets so tiring of the parroted remarks that “it failed 20 years ago so it has to fail today”. BS
Maybe 5000 is not the right number, maybe it is 3000, or 2500. Santa Fe outdoor venue is 2200 and is wildly successful. The Vina Robles Amphitheatre in Paso Robles, California, seats 3,300 people. Known for its intimate atmosphere, this outdoor venue features a mix of tiered reserved seats, VIP boxes, and lawn seating. Home run.
3000 people is 1000 to 1200 cars. Go to a Sedona Symphony performance. 750 capacity, and typically 600 people, 300 cars, and in 15 minutes the whole area is clear. And the real fact is that probably half or more of the people attending anything are locals unless you got a big name, and they are still going to be mostly locals.
And after a symphony there is NO traffic control, no special police, just the standard traffic light. It is time to stop the nonsensical fear mongering screaming that there could be a problem that does not exist.
The amphitheater is part of an entertainment complex for the culture of Sedona, which would include the Sedona Film Festival three theater complex/ball room, a possible outdoor sculpture garden, walking trails and a real community center. Whoever came up with “The Western Gateway” should resign or be fired. It is the “Sedona Culture Park”. It is who we are.
The city council and the staff have given the middle finger to the citizens by challenging the signatures for the initiative, saying they did not have enough, they did not tell the signature gathers that they increased the number required, as they can do by law, oops…not a chance… and when the right number of signatures came in they basically sued the citizens of this city. None of these people on council deserve their positions, and you must question the morality of some of the staff members going along with this charade
So, you council people running for re-election, you ignored 1500 people – votes you will not get.
Sedona is culture. Sedona is beauty. Sedona is its citizens, young and old. It is not just tourists. They will come one way or the other, and until we get a council and staff that realizes this the city will continue to decline.
Yes we will only have tiny inconsequential events at the theater and traffics will clear in “15 mins”! Sure thing! There’s zero profit in that, only financial loss and ultimate failure. Has nothing to do with the past failed venture and has everything to do with the fact that Sedona is not prepared in any way shape or form to handle concert crowds on top of tourist (who come for other purposes crowds). Santa Fe is a much larger populace than Sedona and their PF is also far bigger. Oh and they have AFFORDABLE housing for those officers. Sedona does not! It cannot even house the few officers we currently have.
Additionally, we can barely keep our trails clean and town policed now. Adding thousands more people to that will only result in disaster!
WS Dave,
you’re absolutely right! One of my bases overseas was the size of Sedona in physical size, number of full time residents and employees. Once every so often a navy carrier with 5,000 plus personnel docked in town and came to the base. Things were absolutely insane during those times. Our base wasn’t designed to accommodate 5,000 more people than it already had and Sedona is no different.
Perhaps we let them do it and when it fails, and it will! We can say their opinions no longer have any merit in any future city development matters?
They fail to understand that they have to take care of the troops first then and only then are luxuries even possible. They don’t care one iota about those currently employed here (unless they’re profiting off of their misery and inability to find an affordable home). And now they want to bring in more troops to neglect and run out of town when discovered living in their vehicles.
Damn fools!
A Navy carrier docking is a sudden drop of 5,000 people all at once with no control over timing, flow, or infrastructure planning. That’s chaos.
This would be the opposite of that.
We’re talking about planned, ticketed events, spread out over maybe 15–20 nights a year, mostly during slower seasons. Not every show is sold out, not everyone arrives at the same time, and a large portion of attendees are already here staying in hotels or coming from nearby areas.
So it’s not 5,000 new people descending on Sedona out of nowhere like a carrier pulling in.
On the “take care of the troops first” point… that’s actually exactly why people are pushing for this.
Right now the biggest issue for the workforce isn’t just housing, it’s inconsistent income. Hours get cut hard in the off seasons, and that’s when people leave.
This helps stabilize that. It brings business during the slower months so the people who already live and work here can keep steady hours and actually afford to stay.
It’s also not creating some massive new workforce that suddenly needs housing. These are short (4-5 hour) events that existing hospitality staff, retail workers, and even local teachers or first responders can pick up for extra income if they want to.
And the idea that no one cares about the current workforce… that’s just not true. The whole point is to support them so they don’t have to leave in the first place.
Housing absolutely needs to be addressed, no argument there. But shutting down every economic driver doesn’t fix housing… it just weakens the ability to fund it and keep people employed.
I think everyone here wants the same outcome, people who live and work in Sedona being able to stay. This is one piece of how you actually support that, not ignore it.
Jennifer we knew the carriers were coming and that changed NOTHING and the ships had their own Shore Police to patrol and assist in attempts to control the chaos. My example is 100% relevant!
If Sedona were to have a big name celebrity play here the issues would be the same as those created by 5,000 sailors and marines flooding a small community that is completely un prepared for such an influx of people.
You seem to think only people already staying here will attend those big concerts and that is bunk and you know it! People will drive into Sedona the day of the concert from surrounding states and cities. And that will be on top of the people who pre plan to stay here days prior to those events or the dozen or so residents who would attend them regularly.
I stand by my statements. If people here did as you state care about our workforce then there would have been zero issue allowing them temporary housing at the Amphitheater until brick and mortar housing could have been constructed. Instead this was blocked and bitched about ad nauseam which tells anyone with a heart and brain that those against it are also against providing AFFORDABLE housing for our workers who keep the city running.
Yes a concert venue would generate a lot of added income to the already ginormous income generated by our hospitality and tourism. Do we really need all the headaches concerts would bring us? What’s your plan here? To build Sedona up in size until it becomes unsustainable for our environment, electrical and water resources? My greedy father is in corporate reality down in Maricopa and he’s been down there building and building massive residential and commercial properties since the 60’s and look what’s happening there! Maricopa county is projected to be unsustainable within the next 20 years. Sure you can build and build like my ignorant greedy father has and reap the short term financial benefits of destroying yet another valuable and viable ecosystem or you can stop the nonsense and greed and accept that Sedona is what it is- a small treasure of a mountain town that people come from all over the globe to see. Sedona does NOT have a never ending flow of water nor electricity.
You didn’t answer a single question I posed about the law enforcement requirement You just say, “ let’s get this venue up and running first” off the backs of un housed employees and non existent police/security force. Rather than doing the smart and prudent work of building housing and employing and training the army of people needed to operate it. Ridiculous! That’s akin to saying, “let’s by a car without an engine , battery or even tires and buy the necessities years later as an afterthought!”
There are plenty of job opportunities in this area but zero housing. Pay is not always great but housing is the most crucial issue not more job creation. Just another veiled attempt to justify an unnecessary waste of time, monies and resources that will ultimately end up back right where we are now owning a defunct concert venue nobody will play or attend. Not long term anyway. I say build affordable workplace housing first then consider extravagances.
Housing first, concert venue last. That should be the priority not the reverse. Where are all of your new venue employees to live otherwise? Cars and tents where they get run out of town from when discovered by the police and sheriff departments? Get real!
Why would people be invited to stand up and say they stand one way or the other? Seems that was what the survey was for. Just tell us the results and let’s either build it or don’t and stop this nonsense.
Anyone who has been in Whole Foods or Safeway when a single tourist bus stops at them to allow their passengers to shop them knows JB is correct Jennifer! It’s chaos and just imagining that scaled up several thousand times and people should give anyone with common sense a view to what you are proposing.
Does anyone here remember, ” Jazz on the rocks”. It was a weekend Jazz concert held at the Verde Valley School almost 30 years ago. I attended several “Jazz on the rocks” concerts. They were well organized and a lot of fun.
When the Cultural Park was first proposed we hoped it would be a fun venue similar to “Jazz on the rocks”. It didn’t turn out that way.
The cultural park was originally funded by many Sedona residents. They donated tens of thousands of dollars. Several individuals donated over 1 million dollars to the project. I donated a small amount, and then attended five concerts at the Cultural Park. It eventually failed for many reasons.
The park was never really finished. The sound was poor the stage lighting bad. Many different groups volunteered to help, but the total organization was chaotic. The city was always hostile towards the Cultural Park. Traffic was never managed well. Parking was messy and trying to find your way back to your car in the dark was a challenge. At the time the Sedona police force was too small to deal with the event traffic. In spite of all this seeing Dave Brubeck, Gordon Lightfoot and Tony Bennett and other performers, was a real treat.
Today a concert event would be handled much differently. It would also learn from the past. I think it would be a asset for the community. Traffic could be managed. Fun events like the Sedona Film Festival and public park that could be enjoyed by Sedona residents is a good idea.
The city’s high density housing proposal for the cultural park puts more traffic on the streets every day. 485 proposed homes is one thousand people and at least 500 cars. Add to that other traffic going in and out on a daily basis. All going through one stop light on 89A. This is a much bigger problem then the occasional concert or event.
This location will never have “affordable” housing, regardless of what may be promised. The city has spent more than 20 million dollars to date on the acquisition of the property and use studies.
The city purchased the Cultural Park without knowing what it would do with it. The city’s proposal is not the best idea. 1400 Sedona voters signed a petition to put the issue on the ballot and let the voters be heard. The city is fighting this because the feel they will lose there high density proposal. Once again the city fears the will of the voters.
“Traffic could be managed”
By whom exactly? The 2-3 officers we currently have on duty at any given time? Or by paying Yavapai Sheriffs Department huge sums of money to provide security for the city which also diverts critical law enforcement assets. Sedona does NOT have the necessary law enforcement to operate big events like those being proposed. This is not the days of yore “jazz on the rocks”. It is a post Route 91 Harvest Festival mass shooter environment and that requires serious law enforcement and security not a po dunk Mayberry RFD Police department (no offense Sedona PD Officers but you are quite a small department).
People need to put their personal profit making schemes and days of yore pipe dreams aside for one minute and realize that going forward with another venue that cannot be properly secured and safely operated without first doing the work to develop safety and security first and venue last. Remember that law enforcement will not only be necessary to control traffic into and out of designated event parking (which also does not exist and would require money to develop), provide internal and external security of the amphitheater but they will also have to respond to medical emergencies in and around the event, investigate the inevitable fender benders that always occur at large scale events all while also providing the necessary patrols to keep the city covered for accidents, medical emergencies and other calls they respond to on a daily basis. And NO volunteers cannot provide Law Enforcement functions so that’s a non starter not to mention highly illegal.
Think the survey the city sent out revealed that it is not the will of the masses to build another failed monstrosity over taking care of our un housed employees.
As of late 2024–2025, the Santa Fe Police Department (SFPD) has reported a authorized strength often aiming for approximately 100 to 120+ sworn officers, though departments frequently operate below full authorized capacity due to staffing shortages. The department covers the city with officers managed under Chief Paul Joye.
Sedona PD is so small they don’t have stats showing the number of officers they employ. Best you’ll find is they recently hired “four new officers-
Based on recent, albeit limited, information, the Sedona Police Department regularly updates its staffing. As of January 2026, the department recently added four new officers to its team. Specific, up-to-date total headcount figures for sworn officers are not explicitly highlighted in the provided search results, but the department continues to train and hire personnel to serve the community.Key Details:Recent Hiring: Four new officers began training in early 2026.Training Process: New hires undergo a 16-week local training program alongside seasoned officers.
https://policescorecard.org/az/police-department/sedona
Google it for yourselves. Now tell me how Santa Fe and Sedona are and would be the same when it comes to the necessary law enforcement apparatus to safely operate such a venue.
More-
Based on City of Santa Fe ordinances, for events with alcohol, a minimum of one security officer for every 100 attendees is generally required, with the Santa Fe Police Department responsible for enforcement and determining if additional police officers are necessary for events exceeding 1,000 attendees.
City of Santa Fe, New Mexico (.gov)
Key Staffing and Security Requirements
Security Ratio: For events with alcohol, one security officer is required for every 100 people.
Police Involvement: The Santa Fe Police Department oversees security plans and determines the necessary number of law enforcement officers.
Cost Responsibility: Event organizers are responsible for paying the costs of security and, if required, additional law enforcement.
Large Venues: For large community events (like those at Fort Marcy ballpark), staffing is designed for crowds of 50,000+ people.
Alcohol Licensing: Safety plans, including security staffing levels, must be approved before alcohol service is allowed.
City of Santa Fe, New Mexico (.gov)
Staffing levels are tailored by the Santa Fe Police Department and the state Alcohol and Gaming Division based on the size of the event, venue, and whether alcohol is served.
Amen Mr. JB. What’s with all the utterly incorrect comparisons between Sedona and towns far larger than it population wise whenever the wealthy builder ants defend the amphitheater over employee housing. Is that the goal? A massive building and population increase? Sure damned seems like it and it will destroy Sedona forever if it is.