Sedona.Biz – The Voice of Sedona and The Verde ValleySedona.Biz – The Voice of Sedona and The Verde Valley
    Sedona.Biz – The Voice of Sedona and The Verde Valley Sedona.Biz – The Voice of Sedona and The Verde Valley
    • Home
    • Sedona News
    • Business Profiles
    • Opinion
    • Mind & Body
    • Arts
    • Elections
    • Contact
    • Cart
    Sedona.Biz – The Voice of Sedona and The Verde ValleySedona.Biz – The Voice of Sedona and The Verde Valley
    Home » Letter to The Editor: Spring Creek Ranch and Villa Bellaggio
    Letter to The Editor

    Letter to The Editor:
    Spring Creek Ranch and Villa Bellaggio

    November 22, 20191 Comment2 Mins Read
    Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Email Reddit WhatsApp
    Share
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email Reddit WhatsApp
    Place ads on Sedona.biz

    logo_lettereditorBy Michael Yarbrough, Sedona Resident
    (November 22, 2019)

    Editor,

    I have become aware that there are two massive residential/commercial developments that have been proposed on property between Sedona and Cottonwood along 89A.  These developments would start from Spring Creek Ranch Road and would be adjacent to each other. Together these projects could add 10,000 people to the area and have a devastating impact on our ability to enjoy living in this area and also on the natural environment including our water supply and natural resources.  

    Spring Creek Ranch seeks to become a Planned Area Development with the ability to add 1900 Manufactured Home lots, 500 Recreational Vehicle sites and other rental units and assisted living.  Villa Bellaggio also seeks PAD designation and seeks to add hotel units, homes, rentals, condominiums. They also envision shops, galleries, winery, offices, lakes and parks.  

    I am not opposed to development.  This land is zoned residential and efforts have been made to develop a residential community on these parcels.  That is what the community and zoning board determined was the best use of this land. We should all voice our concerns about these PAD requests to Yavapai County as soon as possible.  It is essential to preserve our are and curtail unbridled increases in density and overuse of our limited resources.

    Place ads on Sedona.biz

    Scott mayor
    samaireformayor
    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Email Reddit WhatsApp
    Sedona.biz Staff

    Related Posts

    Letter to The Editor: Economy and climate are intertwined

    June 12, 2022

    Letter to the Editor: Short Term Rentals — Some Thoughts to Consider

    May 22, 2022

    Sedona’s Traffic/Tourism Problems Require Creative Solutions

    May 21, 2022

    1 Comment

    1. Paul Chevalier on November 25, 2019 3:24 pm

      Warning both of these projects present real probems for the Verde Valley.
      Villa Bellagio is unrealistic and not likely to go anywhere so I will focus my comments on Spring Ranch.
      Spring Ranch plan seems to be to build another town in the Verde Valley with an emphasis on manufactured homes. If you have the notion that workers will occupy most of these 1900 manufactured homes, instead of retirees, I respectly suggest that this is mere wishful thinking. Younger workers usually have families and need more space than a manufactured home. More likely these manufactured homes will be occupied by retirees on limited incomes, sometimes just social security, who wlll not likely own the land on which their homes are built. Such retirees are subject to increases in land rent. We have examples in America of such rents being raised regularly to the point where residents had to leave because they could not afford the increased cost of land rent or even have the money to relocate the manufactured home they paid for. They lost their homes. The developer, or whomever the developer sold the development to, then owned the homes as well as the land. Tne developer or his (her)successor could then resell the home to another and the cycle begins again.
      This is just one concern of several that needs to be outed.
      Paul Chevalier
      .This is not an answer to our need for affordable housing for workers and their families.

    Paid Political Ad Paid For by Samaire for Mayor
    Paid Political Ad for Samaire Armstrong
    Paid Political Announcement by Samaire For Mayor

     THE MOMENT IS UPON US

    Dear Sedona,

    The moment is upon us. The time for a united effort to shift the focus back to our community is now.

    The ability to thrive in our community, our environment, our workforce, and the tourist industry, is entirely possible because we have all the resources needed for success.

    Still, we need a council that isn’t afraid to ask the hard questions, that makes decisions based on data and facts, and through discussion, rather than moving and voting in group unison as they so regularly do.

    This is my home. I have been a part of the Sedona community for 28 years. I witnessed the road debacle, the lack of planning, the city circumventing the local businesses ability to thrive, while making choices to expand the local government and be in direct competition with private industry.

    I am a unique candidate because unlike the incumbents, I don’t believe the government should expand in size, nor in operations, nor would I attempt to micromanage every aspect of our community.

    City government should stay in its lane and allow the competitive market of local private industry to prosper. And it should defend our community from corporate takeover and infiltration of our town.

    I do not agree that we should sign onto International Building Codes and regulations by signing Sedona up to the ICC. It is imperative that we remain a sweet, rural community.

    Where are the arts? Where is this organic thriving element that we allege to be animated by. Where is our culture? Where is our community?

    The discord between the decision making process and the desires of the community have never been more clear. It has been nearly a decade in the making.

    It is time for a new era of energy to take charge. An energy that is reflective in the ability to succeed rather than be trapped in out of date consciousness.

    It has been a great honor meeting with each of you. I hear your concerns over the insane and out of control spending and I echo them. A budget of $105,000,000 in a town of 9700 residents is completely unacceptable. A parking structure (that looks like a shoe box) originally slated to cost 11 million, now projected to cost 18 million, is incomprehensible. Especially, considering there is no intention of charging for parking.

    For those who are concerned that I lack the political experience within our established system- that is precisely what Sedona needs… Not another politician, but instead a person who understands people, who listens to the voices within the community, and who will act in service on their behalf with accountability, for the highest good of Sedona. What I am not, will prove to be an asset as I navigate the entrenched bureaucracy with a fresh perspective. Business as usual, is over.

    Creative solutions require new energy.

    Every decision that is made by our local government, must contemplate Sedona first.

    • Does this decision benefit the residents?
    • Does this decision benefit the local businesses?
    • Does this decision actually help the environment?
    • Will this decision sustain benefit in the future, or will it bring more problems?

    What we have now is a city government that expands to 165 employees for 9700 residents. Palm Desert has 53,000 residents and 119 city employees. Majority of our city department heads are not even in town. I find this problematic.

    Efforts towards championing in and courting new solutions for our medical needs are imperative. We are losing our doctors. We must encourage competition with other facilities rather than be held hostage by NAH, who clearly have their own set of dysfunctions.

    We must remember that so many move to Sedona for its beauty, hiking, and small town charm. Bigger, faster, and more concrete does not, in broad strokes, fit the ethos of Sedona.

    The old world must remain strong here in balance, as that is what visitors want to experience. Too many have noted that Sedona has lost its edge and charm.

    As Mayor I will preserve the rural charm of our community, and push back against the urbanization that is planned for Sedona.

    As mayor I will make it a priority to create opportunities to support our youth.  After school healthy, enriching programs should be created for our kids, and available to the Sedona workforce regardless of residency and regardless of school they belong to.

    As Mayor, I will create an agenda to deliberately embody the consciousness of our collective needs here, allowing private industry to meet the needs of our community rather than bigger government.

    I hope to have your vote on Aug 2nd. I am excited and have the energy to take on this leadership role with new eyes, community perspective, and the thoughtful consciousness that reflects all ages of the human spectrum.

    Thank you deeply for your consideration.

    Sincerely,

    Samaire Armstrong

    Sedona elections
    Armstrong vs. Jablow: The Main Event
    Ready to Rumble

    By Tommy Acosta
    In the Blue Corner stands Scott Jablow and in the Red Corner of the ring stands Samaire Armstrong, ready to rumble to the bitter end in their fight to become the next Sedona mayor. Jablow weighs in with 1,137 primary election votes (36.13%) under his belt, having wielded his advantage as sitting Sedona City Council vice-mayor to his favor. He brings his years of serving in that capacity into the fray and waged a solid fight in his campaign to make it to the run-off. Armstrong, however withstood a blistering smear campaign from the other opposing candidates and their supporters to make it to the final bout with 967 votes under her belt (30.73%), an amazing feat for a political newcomer. Unfortunately, for the other two candidates, Kurt Gehlbach and sitting mayor Sandy Moriarty, neither put up enough of a fight to make it to the championship bout. Read more→
    Recent Comments
    • Laurenza on Armstrong vs. Jablow: The Main Event
    • Joan Mansfield on James Ratliff Gallery in Sedona Exhibits the Interpretative Art of Christine DeSpain Schroeder
    • RJ on Eeny Meeny Miny Moe!
    • Mary Wright on Eeny Meeny Miny Moe!
    • OMMITTE on Eeny Meeny Miny Moe!
    Categories
    © 2022 All rights reserved. Sedona.biz.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.