Vote Yes on Prop 483

Dear Neighbors:

We would like to share why we strongly support a Yes vote on Prop 483.

A Yes vote on Prop 483 would uphold the zoning change for 5 acres in the northwest corner of the Cultural Park/Western Gateway and provide temporary overnight parking for Sedona’s unhoused workers and possibly for a small number of retired and disabled people. A program such as Safe Place to Park is as much about us as a caring community as it about our workers who need it.

We are living in new times, in which many workers making a modest income in Sedona’s tourist economy have few options for housing.  Surrounding areas have supported our burden and will continue to do so.  It’s time to acknowledge that many of our workers are quietly parking and living in their vehicles until housing is available.  To be clear, this is not and never will be considered housing.  It’s a bold temporary idea that says to our unhoused workers, “We support you until workforce housing is built.”

We all wish we could offer permanent housing to our workers now, but until we can, workers deserve a safe and well monitored space.  We are living in a new reality, one in which the gap between wages and housing costs have never been wider and Sedona has lost 1100 homes to vacation rentals.

Sedona has been and continues to be a caring community.  However, we understand that some caring, compassionate residents are worried about possible problems with this idea.  Sedona City leaders and staff have deeply researched this project.  We expect them to adapt to any possible issues and post regular public reports about the status of the program.  More importantly, we can trust our own collective abilities to prevent unfortunate outcomes that some have said may arrive.  We have helped shape the program, now we can monitor it.

Let’s not get lost in the weeds of minutiae and endless concerns. This project is too important to those who are waiting. More information can be found on sedonaaz.gov/safeplacefaq.  Please join us in voting YES on Prop 483 and give our unhoused workers a safe place to park as soon as possible.

Sincerely,

Linda Martinez

Deacon Ron Martinez, St. John Vianney Catholic Church

Rev. Anthony Johnson, Sedona Unitarian Universalist Fellowship

Bishop Kirk Smith, St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church

Rev. Dr. Elizabeth LeMaster, Sedona United Methodist Church

Rev. Dr. Guillermo Marquez-Sterling, Church of the Red Rocks

Re. Julie Gerrish, Christ Lutheran Church

Cheryl Barron, President of the Sedona Lodging Council

Sandy Moriarty, Mayor of Sedona, 2014-2022

Catherine Southwell

Andrew Brearley

Mary Garland

Sean Smith