By Mark TenBroek
Sedona, Az — Introduction
You may have noticed that there has been a string of new hotel proposals for Sedona. First there was the Oak Creek Heritage Lodge from the Olson Group with its proposed 70-room wedding venue development next to the Schnebly roundabout, an area known for traffic congestion. This development was evaluated and recommended for approval by the Sedona Planning Group, and was subsequently unanimously approved by the Planning and Zoning Commission.
This decision was appealed by two groups, two Bear Wallow residents and Sedona Residents Unite, to the Sedona City Council, where they listened to the evidence and voted 4-3 to deny the development because it did not meet the requirements of the Land Development Code (LDC) and the Schnebly Community Focus Area (CFA). The developer has since filed a lawsuit with the Yavapai Superior Court to reverse this decision. This legal process will likely require several months to reach its conclusion.
A second development behind the Art Barn called the Creekside Ambiente came to the City this year and the developer requested that the parcels previously part of a Planned Development put together in the late 1990s that never moved forward be reverted to commercial land use zoning. Their plan is to use this zoning to build 50 individual 1-room buildings along Oak Creek similar to the Ambiente development on 89A. The City Council essentially had no option other than to revert this site back to Commercial zoning that would allow lodging at the site. All that remains for this development to move forward are administrative steps so the developer can build “by right”.
Saddlerock Crossing
Finally there is the Village at Saddlerock Crossing development at the intersection of 89A and Soldiers Pass in West Sedona. The developer, the Baney family of Bend Oregon, proposed a 110-room hotel with restaurant and bar along with 40 multi-family housing units on the site. In this case the Planning Group made the recommendation (the first in memory) that the development not be approved. In spite of that recommendation, the Planning and Zoning Commission unanimously decided to recommend that the City Council approve a zone change to allow the lodging.
The City Council reviewed the proposed change in zoning and evaluated the development with respect to the “Community Benefits” it provides. Since the developer had not done proper public engagement during the initial development planning process, the City Council refused to approve the zoning change and asked them to gain further public input. The developer has subsequently held numerous meetings with the public and other stakeholders to help them make adjustments to their plan. The updated design they shared with residents now shows 100 rooms and 46 housing units. They highlight the value of this since they anticipate only requiring 35 staff for their workforce.
It should be noted that the similarly sized L’Auberge de Sedona in Uptown with its 90 rooms/restaurant/valet parking has stated that they have 200 full time workers for their facility. The 35 workers for the Saddlerock seems a bit low.
While the City Council is focused on the narrow question of whether the Saddlerock Crossing development provides adequate “Community Benefit” to deserve a zone change to build their 100 rooms, there is a larger question for the community to answer.
Does Sedona need more hotel rooms?
The Saddlerock Crossing developer states that their guests enter once and leave once so they do not contribute to the traffic congestion or other issues throughout Sedona. We know that everybody that visits Sedona spends much of their time traveling to trails, crystal shops, galleries, restaurants, jeep tours and other attractions. People want to take selfies at Bell Rock, Cathedral Rock, and Devil’s Bridge. They just do! During peak periods this would mean at least another 100 cars plying the streets and roads of Sedona visiting these and other attractions.
In addition, this development will likely require 200 full-time workers to staff this 24-hour 7-day a week operation in the many capacities needed to serve these guests. Where will these workers come from? Where will they live? How will they travel from where they live to the hotel? Again, these comings and goings will add to the congestion we already have in Sedona. No denying it.
At the end of the day, more hotel rooms will result in more traffic congestion that cannot be solved by building more roads and roundabouts, requiring more workers that we do not have and cannot house, and will cost everyone who lives in Sedona more to be a resident.
We already know what additional rooms can do to Sedona traffic congestion and workforce housing shortfalls given the over 1,000 Short Term Rentals that have popped up since 2016.
What can residents do?
Residents can certainly mention to their City Council members and Mayor that more lodging is not needed or desired at Saddlerock Crossing. If the City Council approves a lodging change for this development, the local residents could always take the additional step of using the Referendum process to send the question of rezoning of this property to the voters of Sedona if they disagree.
This referendum process has been used recently and if utilized in this case, the residents could settle the question by a vote of the people. This is one way to clearly see what vision the residents of Sedona have for the future of their community.
As a resident of Sedona would you support a Referendum on this lodging development? At least 600 signatures would be needed to put a referendum on a future election ballot. Would you sign a petition to make this happen?
For more information on Lodging in Sedona you can view a presentation on this topic at the following link: Sedona Lodging Vision
Editor’s Note:
Mark is a retired Professional Civil Engineer who graduated from the University of Michigan in 1977 and worked as a consulting and design engineer in the Midwest for over 40 years. He worked primarily on Water and Wastewater projects for municipalities and utilities. Mark and his spouse arrived in Sedona in 2017 to design and build a home in Uptown where they now live. He understands Sedona’s unique place as both a sacred and spiritual center. Researching how the local economy can be effectively managed to protect our quality of life, the natural world, the tourist experience, and reasonable profits for local businesses, has become his passion.
3 Comments
If there is space for more hotels in Sedona then there is most definitely space to build permanent affordable employee housing. And if the goal is to push all but a select few Uber wealthy individuals out of Sedona then more hotels is the way to go. But what you will end up with is a Disney style community void of residential housing and full of overpriced BnB’s and hotels, restaurants and stores with jacked up tourist prices etc. If you have ever been to either Disney you likely noted that this was the case and it extended for some 50 miles around the park. Even the 7/11’s have jacked up tourist pricing.
Sedona doesn’t need more hotels, resorts nor BnB’s! What it need is, more unique shops vs. dozens with the same crap, more environmentally friendly guided outdoor activities, better food and more international cuisine (for our international visitors) variety at reasonable rates in the restaurants, international signage for key locations of interest, a food truck hub or two and most importantly-permanent affordable employee housing. I’m certain I left something of importance out here but those are things I have observed to be lacking significantly here.
I would agree with the comment that we should keep it local and keep unique shops and a range of dining options. Disneyfication is not good for anyone.
Any company has the right to do with the land they own. They must follow the rules that are laid down, and adhere to them. You people want a government that controls everything?
Are problem is not hotels, its Air B&Bs!
What dont you understand? They get around zoning laws, they get around life safety rules.The make bad traffic problems worse. Look at the majority of new home being built for the lats 5 years. 6,7, or 8 bedrooms home. These are not mom ant pops trying to earn a few extra dollars. Its Venture Capitalist dumping millions into real estate, making homes even more overpriced!
Traffic is a problem because we cant control who owns one or where they put them. Its completely unregulated in the state of Arizona!
Dont blame hotels, because you cant find a room to rent. Dont blame hotels because home prices have more than doubled. Dont blame hotels based on traffic.( at least a hotel has steep impact fees they MUST pay)
Yes we have a workforce housing problem. But half the town would scream socialism if the city started building all over the place. Dont kid yourself. People dont even want a temporary safe parking lot for gods sake!