One word came up again and again when discussing a potential resort in Uptown — “density.”
The Sedona Planning and Zoning Commission heard for the second time a proposal from LodgeWorks, which is currently in escrow to purchase 19.45 acres of land down Art Barn Road off State Route 89A in Uptown, during its Tuesday, June 16, meeting.
There was no action taken during the meeting by the commission.
The applicant is seeking review of a Conceptual Zone Change and Conceptual Development Review with the expressed intent of developing a mixed-use project, with 188 lodging units and 22 multifamily housing units.
The development would connect to N. SR 89A at the new Owenby Way roundabout.
All of the housing units are proposed to be deed restricted for affordability. During the comprehensive review, the applicant will need to provide details regarding how the affordable housing units will be restricted for affordability and from becoming short-term rentals, a city report states.
The developers said the resort itself would sit on 6 acres with the rest of the property being untouched. This is due to the fact that the remaining 13 acres sit primarily in the floodplain.
The property itself is within the creekside resort portion of the Uptown Community Focus Area, which includes the defunct Hawkeye RV park. Over the last three decades, at least three projects have gone through the city’s vetting process, and while they all received approval, none of them came to fruition. The most recent zoning approval was granted in 2006, allowing for 158 condominiums.
If the project moves beyond conceptual review, the applicant will not be able to submit for comprehensive review until the
CFA plan is adopted by the Sedona City Council. During the comprehensive review, staff will provide a complete evaluation of the project in relation to the Community Plan and the adopted CFA Plan.
If approved, LodgeWorks would be teaming with the Archer Hotel chain to build and run the resort. LodgeWorks’ website states that Archer is “a boutique collection with a focus on sincere service, curated luxuries and a dedication to details big and small. With properties in sought-after cities and emerging metros, the hotels are designed to feel like welcoming residences, each with a distinct nod to the destination they call home.”
Archer currently owns seven other hotels.
As part of its presentation, the company listed the benefits to the project, which include:
■ Innovative use of site topography and grades to hide majority of parking from view, retaining beauty of site.
■ Concentration of development on parcel ensures retention of large open spaces.
■ Retain view corridors.
■ Focus on preservation of mature trees within development.
■ Timing to align with the Uptown CFA process.
The project calls for upwards of 400 above-ground and below-ground parking spaces that would include those for the public and resort guests.
“Sedona is a really special place,” LodgeWorks President Mike Daood said to the commission in January. “People want to be in special places if they can have an experience that speaks to that special place. You talk in your CFA process about sense of place. We love adding to a sense of place with an Archer interpretation of sense of place.”
Those in the audience who spoke against the project had a variety of concerns, starting with the aforementioned density. They also expressed concerns about the impact it may have on Oak Creek, the time it will take to construct, noise, fire hazards and light pollution. They also expressed concern for the height of some of the buildings, which will be built down and less visible from the roadway.
Many of these same concerns were expressed by the commissioners, specifically the density and height requests.
“While the project takes some steps toward implementing the recommendations of the CFA plan, the project will be requesting significant increases in height over what is permitted under the Land Development Code,” the report states. “While these increases may be considered [the CFA allows for flexibility in development standards], staff has concerns that the amount of height increases being requested is not commensurate with the level of commitment to implementing the CFA plan being shown at this stage of the process.”
