The city of Sedona has issued a request for proposals from developers interested in constructing affordable housing on a portion of the Sedona Cultural Park property.
The solicitation was issued on Oct. 12 and will close at noon on Monday, Nov. 27. The request does not specify the number or type of housing units the city is seeking, but does require that they be “attractive, sustainable [and] energy-efficient.”
At least 80% of units must be reserved for households earning less than 120% of area median household income, equal to $64,440 for one person or $73,680 for a household based on current county and city guidelines. Maximum rent for such an apartment would be $1,611 for an efficiency unit, $1,842 for a one-bedroom unit and $2,070 for a two-bedroom unit.
The RFP states that “the greatest need is for units affordable to households earning more than 60% AMI, but less than 80% AMI,” which are defined as households with incomes between $32,220 and $42,960 for one person and between $36,840 and $49,120 for a household of two. Rents for those in this classification would be between $805 and $1,074 for an efficiency unit, $921 and $1,228 for a one-bedroom unit and $1,035 and $1,380 for a two-bedroom unit.
Although the RFP indicates that submissions may include freestanding microunits, “staff’s preliminary assessment of the site suggests that multiple multi-family buildings and limited parking would make the most efficient use of the area … Buildings up to three stories in height will be considered.” “Limited parking” is defined as a minimum of one space per unit.
The city does not anticipate providing any subsidy for the development apart from a below-market rate ground lease to run for either 50 years or 40 years with an option for a 10-year extension. Development must be complete within 24 months of the execution of the lease.
The section of the Cultural Park that the city has proposed to use for housing consists of 4.35 acres to the northeast of Cultural Park Drive, past Yavapai College’s Sedona Center, where the city’s recycling center is currently located. The land slopes to the northeast, facing toward the Sedona Summit timeshare development and away from the Georgia Frontiere Performing Arts Pavilion.
The Sedona City Council voted to purchase the Cultural Park on Nov. 22, 2022, and the sale closed on Dec. 8. City Council members and city staff stated at that time that public consultation would precede any decision about the future of the Cultural Park.
“There will be a lot of public participation should we move forward,” thenCouncilwoman and now-Vice Mayor Holli Ploog said. “There is no way this land will be developed without intensive public participation in the process.”
“There’s been plenty of public review and discourse on this,” Councilwoman Kathy Kinsella said. “That public review and discourse does not stop. This starts phase two. I really urge everybody to be a part of it.”
“Everybody in the audience can have a say in what’s done,” then-Vice Mayor and current Mayor Scott Jablow said. “The public outreach that’s going to be done is going to be extensive.”
“This really will be something that the public will be able to work on together,” then-Councilman Jon Thompson said.
City Manager Karen Osburn stated that the planning process for the park would need to involve “dialogue with the community about what the future land use plan should be.”
“In terms of what happens after the city owns the property, I believe it is the council’s intent — it would certainly be staff’s recommendation — that a master planning effort be pursued that would include extensive public input,” Osburn added.
During the City Council’s priority retreat in January, Osburn reiterated that deciding the future of the Cultural Park would include “a large community outreach effort.”
The city has not yet held a public meeting or conducted a community outreach effort about the Cultural Park.
The city’s fiscal year 2024 budget planning survey, which included a question on the future of the Cultural Park, did not include a question about reopening it as a performance venue. The survey showed that open space preservation was respondents’ preference out of the available options. Preservation received a weighted score of 6,129, almost double the score of 3,344 that multi-family housing received for second place. Outdoor recreation uses came in third with a score of 3,246.
Of the written comments submitted in response to the survey, 33% called for the restoration of the park as a performing arts center.
In July, Sedona Cultural Park 2.0, a group of residents who have been organizing with the goal of reopening the Cultural Park as a performance venue, released a proposal for building 75 workforce housing units on the same location that the city has selected.
