During its meeting on Oct. 25, the Sedona City Council approved the purchase of a property located at 2250 Shelby Drive for $1.5 million, with the condition that the seller be allowed use of the property for six months after purchase.

The proposal passed 5-2, with Vice Mayor Scott Jablow and Councilwoman Holli Ploog opposing all motions for the project.

“I don’t agree with the six-month allowance for the seller to be staying on the property for that amount of time,” Jablow stated in opposition.

The council also approved the transfer of $810,000 from the city’s affordable housing fund and $690,000 from the Uptown parking garage project account to make the purchase of the property. The transference of funds from the parking garage account is not expected to delay the completion of the garage itself, which is currently on hold.

The Shelby Drive property is bordered by the recycling facility to the northwest and a storage facility to the east and is currently zoned as industrial.

The purchase is in accordance with the Sunset Live/Work Community Focus Area Plan, an addendum to the broader Sedona Community Plan, which was approved by the council in 2019. The CFA plan envisions incrementally developing the neighborhood to create a sense of commu­nity and an area for residents to live, work, play and meet.

“The vision for this CFA will not be realized all at once but over time as various pieces of the puzzle are completed to create a revitalized area that better serves residents, local businesses and the community,” the plan reads.

A major emphasis of the CFA is developing afford­able housing so that the city’s workforce can live in town without commuting.

“Obviously one of the large goals in the community plan was to encourage diverse and affordable housing options,” Shannon Boone said during her Oct. 25 presentation to the council.

The requirements outlined in the CFA plan restrict days and place additional limitations on the conversion of condominiums to non-rental use.

“To exacerbate what has always been a challenge for Sedona, many long-term rentals have been converted to short-term vacation rentals, further decreasing the supply of rental units and affordable housing. This also means a lack of work­force housing, which affects the ability of businesses to attract and retain employees,” the Sunset CFA plan reads. “Additional multi-family housing is appropriate in this area as there is already a diverse mix of housing types along Sunset and Shelby Drive, including apartments, townhomes, and condominiums [all considered multi-family] as well as single-family homes.”

The city has begun conducting due dili­gence for the sale of the Shelby Drive prop­erty and hopes to close on the purchase by the end of 2022, at which time it will then begin seeking developers and plans for the project. Construction of a new develop­ment on the site is anticipated to begin by August.