By Steve Segner, Sedona resident
Sedona, AZ — Dear citizens of Sedona,
After years of research and consideration, the city council will vote on the construction of a new parking garage in Uptown Sedona on Tuesday, May 14th at 4:30 PM. This is a significant step towards addressing the issue of traffic congestion in our town.
The packet with information on the garage starts on page 55 of Tuesday’s meeting: https://www.sedonaaz.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/51479/638507822590147736
Studies have shown that inadequate parking spaces contribute significantly to traffic congestion, particularly on weekends and holidays. The proposed parking garage will not only alleviate traffic but also help to solve the issue of crowded street parking in the neighborhood.
The proposed garage is located on Forest Road, just 100 yards from the city’s Visitor Center and will be accessible via the new Forest Road connection to 89A. Delaying the construction of the garage any further will only increase its cost. If built when first envisiohned over 15 years ago, it would have cost a lot less.
We recognize the importance of finding a reliable parking solution in Uptown that can accommodate the ever growing tourism in Sedona. While there have been discussions around alternative solutions, every study has shown that building additional parking spaces is necessary.
We understand that some may have concerns about the cost of the project, but it is important to consider the long-term benefits of investing in our town’s infrastructure. And remember, 77% of the cities’ funding comes from revenue created by visitor sales an bed taxes, not local resident taxes.
We invite you to attend the meeting on Tuesday and share your thoughts on this matter. Your input is valuable to us, and we appreciate your support in finding solutions to address the traffic congestion issues in our town. The Uptown Garage will be discussed later in the evening since the agenda is extensive.
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9 Comments
Stunning waste of money- It will
offer very few parking spaces, at an astronomical cost per unit. The spin that it will be “self-funding” going forward is a howler. It will do nothing to address the car/traffic problem Uptown. But of course you’d support it, because I you think it might benefit your boutique tourist lodge . Project was an ill conceived sop to a few Uptown business owners from the outset. The City should pull the plug, sell the land to recoup the price they paid…
Biggest challenge will be managing traffic flow into and out of the structure. Will it be free for residents during off peak season?
Residents will not receive free parking during off-peak season. Sedona citizens cannot be treated differently from visitors under state law. The new uptown garage and Forest Road connector will benefit uptown residents. Tourism is essential to Sedona, and parking is a necessity. The issue of traffic congestion in Uptown is complex. While some may argue that the new infrastructure will be self-funding, it may not fully address the car/traffic problem. Pricing is up to the city council, and they should decide. Sedona’s tourism is growing, and reducing car usage is part of the solution. The new transit system will help move people around Sedona, but parking is still necessary. We must learn to live with weekend and high seasons traffic congestion. Minor adjustments will help, but there is no magic fix for traffic. Tourism is the lifeblood of Sedona.
Point was that traffic will not easily flow into and out of the structure and will end up congesting the normal flow of traffic unless entry and exit points are strategically located in such a manner as to have dedicated lanes flowing off of and onto the main thoroughfare.
I’m all for a smart structure that is smartly designed. Seen too many that are not and the solution becomes more of the problem.
I hope businesses don’t think employees can be treated differently. Discounted parking for employees can’t be a thing either!
RE: Delaying the construction of the garage any further will only increase its cost.”
If user fees pay for the garage why do residents care what it costs? We can wait many years while we common sense approaches to parking management. City wants to bring in a parking czar. Staff want to defer non-garage issues to that person. The garage itself should also be differed to that person!
Staff seems to have misinterpreted “parking guidance technology” to be just tech inside the new garage structure. This is not right. All of Uptown needs parking guidance in place including electronic signs showing what is open where (after lot consolidation). And we need zone permit parking to keep visitor *and employees* from parking in the neighborhoods. The city should do a land swap with the Fire District then raise the current station and get up to 25 parking spots. The police can site their substation on the property the Fire District builds it’s new station on. The property selected for the garage should be a surface lot.
Only after we run with all of the above in place for a few years, we can do proper demand forecasting and see if a garage structure can be in place. Only then with all or most all parking getting fees can we see if the assumptions about a $3/hr fee in the garage holds water.
Passed 7 to 0 last night. The city also approved funding for pickleball courts. Something for visitors and residents good job,
Sean, maybe if you followed P&Z, Council, and the SIM project you would know a little more than you regurgitated? Do you know there is plans to make some streets in Uptown one way to help the flow of traffic? Do you understand if the city builds a parking structure for exiting out of uptown to west Sedona they could use the new Forest road extension? That reduces about 1/3 of all traffic going through the Y.
Did you know the city has been paying for parking spaces for years in uptown?
Do you not think the city knows what expansion is coming up in tourism?
So let me get this strait, dont plan on the future, wait for problems then address them? Didnt we do that already? After the crash of 2008, all those councils didnt worry about traffic. Waited to do a comprehensive study and low and behold by that time we were in gridlock! They kicked the can on public transportation now everything is close to 10 years behind.
So shall we wait till uptown is bursting at the seams, then think about addressing parking? Think they get built overnight? Think they get cheaper?
See Sean, if you actually followed what the city was doing you would know as much as me……..and Im a nobody, but I care, and see whats going in around here!…..Maybe you should try it sometime?
Well said