The red shirts are expected to again be on display as a show of support against a proposed hotel in the Village of Oak Creek.
The Yavapai County Board of Supervisors will now hear the matter on Wednesday, Nov. 20, at 9 a.m. at the county complex in Cottonwood.
The meeting was originally scheduled for Wednesday, Aug. 21, but on Wednesday, Aug. 15, after this story was printed, the supervisors announced the meeting had been pushed back to the November date.
Up for discussion and vote is a zone change request of a parcel at the intersection of Jacks Canyon Road and State Route 179. This is the site of a proposed 154-room Hilton Garden Inn on 4.74 acres of vacant land.
On June 20, at least 125 people — many wearing red in solidarity — came out to oppose the project before the Yavapai County Planning and Zoning Commission. By a 10-0 vote, the commission recommended approval of the zone change requested by Chandrika and Jack Patel, who have owned the land since 1992.
Attorney Jennifer Boblick, who represents the Patels, said after that meeting that her clients were very pleased with the vote.
“They were very happy,” she said. “This has been a long process and Chandrika and Jack made a lot of changes in their plans to address community concerns. Having their efforts recognized by the Planning Commission meant a lot to the Patels.”
“When you peel away the emotional layers of this project, you are left with a very basic rezoning request,” Boblick added. “This is a vacant site that has seen a community grow around it. The site needs proper zoning that matches the nature of its location, not a placeholder district that was never
intended to remain in developed areas. The Patels are exercising their right to request appropriate zoning and development of their property just like that afforded every other property owner in the Village of Oak Creek.”
As part of the recommendation to approve, the commission added several stipulations. Some of these included that if a hotel is built, the maximum height shall be 34 feet measured from the natural grade including the parapets. The maximum height for the elevator, stairwell and shade structures will be 44 feet. If something other than a hotel is built on the property, the maximum height will be 30 feet. And, a building permit application
must be submitted within five years of approval of the supervisors or the requested zoning of C2-1 [commercial, general sales and services] will revert back to the current zoning of RCU-2A [residential, rural, two-acre minimum lots].
Those not in favor of the project have said it is due to a variety of reasons. Some of those included the proposed hotel being too big, traffic congestion, too many hotels in the Sedona area already, evacuation concerns at the intersection of Jacks Canyon Road and State Route 179, impact on the quality of life, decreased property values, increased emergency service response time, lack of housing for employees and impacted viewshed. At the June meeting, the county said it received more than 1,000 letters, emails and signatures in opposition to the project — most of which came from the VOC. They received seven letters of support.
During the planning and zoning meeting, more than 75 written comments in opposition from those in attendance were added to the record. A brief synopsis of their concerns were read to the commissioners by Development Services Director David Williams. The Big Park Regional Coordinating Council voted overwhelmingly against the zone change request after its planning and zoning committee voted 6-3 in favor of it the week prior.
Ron Eland can be reached at 282-7795, ext. 122 or by email at reland@larsonnewspapers.com
Editor’s Note: This story has been updated to reflect the new date of the meeting on Nov. 20.
