Sedona Planning and Zoning Commission approves permit for day care at church1 min read

Church of the Red Rocks agrees to lease with the city to use their extra parking lot as a transit park and ride.

It took the Sedona Planning and Zoning Commission less than 20 minutes to approve the area’s newest day care.

By a unanimous vote on Tuesday, April 2, a conditional use permit was granted to Shandra Ryan to operate an after-school day care within the Church of the Red Rocks at 54 Bowstring Drive. This was neces­sary because that usage was not allowed under the church’s current CUP.

In a letter of intent to the city, Ryan states that Sedona Creative Child Care Club will accommo­date approximately 15 to 20 chil­dren between the ages of 5 and 12 and will use the church’s existing Learning Center when not in use by other church functions.

“Right now, it’s not being utilized during the week at all,” Ryan said.

The standard hours of operation will be weekdays from 1 p.m. or 3 p.m., depending upon the day of the week, until 6 p.m. There will be extended hours during the summer and holiday breaks.

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As the church’s peak hours occur Sunday morning and early after­noon, Ryan said that the hours of operation of the day care and any generated traffic will not interfere with existing church activities, the report states.

A letter from the church to nearby residents, which is required for a CUP, read: “We believe this program meets a critical need of working families who are seeking affordable, quality child care in our community. Presently, we are addressing all license requirements and state and local regulations. After this effort is completed, we anticipate an early fall opening.”

Ron Eland

Ron Eland has been the assistant managing editor of the Sedona Red Rock News for the past seven years. He started his professional journalism career at the age of 16 and over the past 35 years has worked for newspapers in Nevada, Hawaii, California and Arizona. In his free time he enjoys the outdoors, sports, photography and time with his family and friends.

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