Safety, new housing development drive City Council decision
The Sedona City Council took initial steps during its March 10 meeting to make basic road improvements to Goodrow Lane.
Council directed the Sedona Public Works Department to add the project to the Capital Improvements Projects List for council consideration during upcoming budget meetings. The work would affect approximately one mile of roads originally transferred from Yavapai County when Sedona incorporated in 1988.
“I just want to thank you for doing what was practically an archeological investigation,” Councilwoman Charlotte Hosseini said. “I knew of the existence of these roads since we were doing Citizen Budget [Work Group] over 10 years ago, and it just piqued my interest then of how we could have 40 to 50 years after incorporation roads that we were just not dealing with.”
Streets known to be public but not maintained by the city include: Goodrow Lane, along with connecting Finke Drive and Schimberg Drive; Cline Road; an unnamed road near 1015 Soldier Pass Road; an unnamed road near 365 Andante Drive; Aspen Road; and Little Elf Way. Grasshopper Lane was recently added to the city’s maintained streets list.
The matter was first brought forward in writing by Hosseini during the annual priority retreat, held Dec. 16 through 18.
The council selected the more limited Option 2, a safety-focused approach addressing emergency access, sight lines, signage and drainage at significantly lower cost than the estimated $11 million full reconstruction that would have brought several roads up to current city standards with 50-foot rights-of-way, 12-foot lanes, sidewalks, curb and gutter.
Goodrow quickly emerged as the council’s top priority among the roads discussed. On Feb. 10, the council unanimously approved BCT Sedona Multifamily LLC’s workforce housing project at 60 Goodrow Lane. One of the primary concerns raised by residents during that approval was the prospect of additional vehicle traffic on an already substandard street.
“I would like to prioritize Goodrow as the highest priority because of that, and I wouldn’t want to wait until FY 28 because it’ll be built by then,” Mayor Holli Ploog said.
The initial cost for Goodrow Lane’s improvements under Option 2 range from $500,000 to $1.5 million.
“I do think we need to be looking at Option 2 with an emphasis on Goodrow and … Cline Road. I think we need to be looking at those soon,” Councilman Derek Pfaff said. “I don’t want to find out after somebody’s house burns down, they can’t get a fire truck up and down the road. Some people aren’t going to be happy with vegetation being removed, but I’m not interested in endangering a neighborhood.
“At a minimum, people need to be safe.”
A potential new connector road of Bennett Way — Goodrow Lane’s access road — to Contractors Road was briefly referenced during the meeting, with Councilman Pete Furman noting the connector road as a priority separate from the northern road improvements. Council directed staff in February to study the possible extension through the project site as a way to reduce traffic pressure on Rodeo Road, a concern raised by neighbors during the housing approval.
