SEDONA, Ariz. – Today, the Yavapai County Superior Court ruled against the city in the lawsuit, City of Sedona v. Save Sedona Committee, concerning the proposed Cultural Park Preservation Act initiative.
City Council will review the decision in an executive session on Tuesday, May 12, 2026 at 3 p.m. in Council Chambers at City Hall. Note: discussion during executive sessions is not open to the public.
For more information on the lawsuit, go to https://www.sedonaaz.gov/Home/Components/News/News/6760/473.
19 Comments
The City of Sedona needs a new City Attorney!!!! The current City Attorney has regularly in the past given the City poor legal advice. The problem has been that the City Attorney’s poor advice has rarely been tested in courts. When it got into court this time, the City Attorney lost! This loss is merely another reflection of the poor advice the City has been given by the City Attorney.
Do you have examples of other losses the current city attorney has incurred? Or is one loss in court a condemnation of an attorney? Not even sure this is a loss as the details of the decision have not yet been made public.
He has regularly given the City lousy advice!!
Lousy advice is not the same as failed in court legal advice. Advice you dislike does not mean it was “lousy” advice. Just means you personally disagree with it.
Sounds like a lawsuit designed to prevent affordable workforce housing that would profit our workforce while permitting the “heritage site” to be revamped into a mega concert venue that will profit only a few wealthy investors. Pretty ridiculous! Can’t wait to see what the MAGA Judges of Yavapai county have decided? The usual MAGA mantra of profit over people or will they side with people over profit?
Businesses need to make a profit and people need to be heard. Of course, you wouldn’t be able to comprehend any of that as a good Socialist with no sense other than your ultra liberal elitism. I would have loved to have seen you debate Georgia Frontiere who funded $1 million for the Cultural Center only to see it flop. Do you mind that she was wealthy enoiugh that she could give the City of Sedona $1 million to waste through their incompetence? Affordable housing is largely a pipe dream in Sedona because of land cost and an ability to make a return on investment, but you wouldn’t understand those concepts either.
Bruce,
No need to be rude! If you can’t debate someone you disagree with without resorting to name calling you probably don’t have a valid point.
Having bee here for 40 years and observed Sedona’s uncontrolled growth (some call it progress) including the attempted but failed Cultural Park. People with good intentions failed. People with good intentions ofttimes fail, but at least they are trying.
Affordable housing is a subjective term. What is affordable to one is not the same as another. With that said, there are examples of employment housing where the worker has the pride of ownership rather than paying a subsidized rent – graduates can afford to stay, employers retain loyal workers and spend less money and time training new employees.
I may have a different opinion on the Cultural Park debate from you or Jill, but I won’t resort to name calling because I can’t find the right words to support my arguments.
As far as Jill’s lack of knowledge of lawsuits the city has lost – they are too numerous to mention, BUT not all lost by the same city attorney. To the attorneys’ credits, the opposition pays their lawyers a hell of alot more than a city attorney is paid and they did not initiate any of the suits on their own. They represented the city.
DOGE illegally and unlawfully put hundreds thousands of low/ middle income workers out of work and for absolutely nothing other than sheer incompetence and ignorance by their own admission. No money was saved only debts increased. DOGE created government instability and inability leading up to our steadily increasing unemployment, inflation and fuel costs.
Guess some folks just like stoopid government over smart government?
Congratulations to the Save Sedona Committee who have been fighting for the residents to be heard and allowed to vote on important issues! This is a win for the People. Now it’s time to Vote No on Home Rule and to Vote in a new City Council and Mayor in order to really Save Sedona’s future.
I am glad they won but voting no on home rule is idiocy.
@Cara, no one has won a thing. Lets see who reaches out to take over things. It will take a few million and a few years to even get this off the ground. I am all for it, but if no one steps up, move forward!
Pro home rule just tells everyone you dont want anything fixed in Sedona! The thought of 100s of millions being collected and sitting in a bank must make you happy? If you think you know how government should work run for a position.
@Dave, do you mean anti home rule?
Cara running for office? It is easier for her to be part of the problem than part of the solution. She will not run.
Where does it say a decision in favor of for profit investors has been made? It doesn’t! Think you’re jumping the gun.
Absolutely terrible decision! I’f you don’t own a business where you need employees and then you do not understand. We need to park but we need housing desperately.
The city’s purchase of the Cultural Park property was a poor decision. The city stated that the purchase was necessary to “stop developers”. The city went into debt to pay for the purchase and has paid millions of dollars in interest to date. Then they spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to propose a high-density housing development. The city became the developer they wanted to keep out. The city has a history of making poor decisions regarding this property. Now they spent $100,00 trying to fight a public vote. They have wasted millions of taxpayer dollars on this property. The voter initiative is the “highest and best” use for this property. The city has the newly acquired 3000 acres to worry about. That is the logical place to find a site for affordable housing without going into high density on expensive real estate.
So I guess you want Sedona to expand like Phoenix and Prescott have rather than keeping Sedona open and natural?
‘Blue Dot Fever’ Is Spreading — And It May Be Behind Your Favorite Concert’s Sudden Cancellation
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/blue-dot-fever-concert-cancel_n_6a107f3ce4b084c012e5b7cd
Sounds scary 😱. And it’s likely to be the virus that befalls any attempt to revive the dead on arrival amphitheater a couple select local wealthy private investors are hoping to profit from should it somehow garner the necessary votes to proceed.
Yes Jill, it is true. In this day and age live music is how artists make money. But the tours and the extravaganza that goes with it has a high price. If the Amphitheater ever goes through most people will be shell socked at the price of one ticket these days!
Mr Dave, I don’t see anyone who has a following playing the Sedona Amphitheater. Even if they did, just like movies today most would rather enjoy the show in their own homes on the cheap rather than forking out a couple hundred dollars an hour for a show. There are a small handful of musicians I would pay to see live if prices were reasonable but they most definitely are not reasonable anymore. Heck most artists don’t even do live shows anymore and if they do they do so in small venues like private bars and clubs. If this fantasy venue ever gets off the ground I’m betting it will hold interest and last less time than it did in its past life and sad reality death.