Plans to build a new parking structure in Uptown have been in the works for the past two years. But like everyone else seeking a zone change, the city has to go through its own required protocol.

Similar to a proposed 84-unit apartment complex farther north off Jordan Road, the city is in the early stages of a required Major Plan Amendment for the 272-space parking garage planned for Forest Road.

The item was discussed during a Sedona Planning and Zoning Commission work session on June 1. A public hearing on the garage and proposed apartment complex will be held on Tuesday, July 6.

The Sedona City Council approved the purchase of 460 Forest Road for $410,000 in June of last year. The city had purchased the adjacent property located at 430 Forest Road two months earlier. The proposed parking garage will straddle those two lots. The cost of the garage is estimated at $11.5 million, which includes construction and land acquisition.

Both parcels are currently desig­nated Single-Family Low Density. The Major Plan Amendment request would re-designate the subject prop­erty as commercial on the Future Land Use Map. The requested rezoning is from single-family residential to Mixed Use Activity Center.

Council directed staff to create a design for a two-story, three-level parking structure to be built on those purchased lots. The bottom story would be below ground level, or subgrade, and above would be ground level with uncovered parking on the roof, or third level. In all, it would look like a one-story structure nearly 12 feet high.

The report states that in May 2019, the city contracted with Walter P. Moore to prepare an Uptown Sedona Parking Facility Needs, Siting and Design Concept Assessment. They were to analyze the current parking conditions and parking demand and make recommendations for alterna­tives that accommodate current and future parking needs. The consulting team and staff met with the Uptown Parking Advisory Committee during the course of the study and conducted individual interviews with committee members and other stakeholders. The Parking Advisory Committee is part of the Citizen Engagement program initiated by the city. It is comprised of various business owners and city staff and was formed to advise on parking issues within Uptown.