Council OKs SCP 2.0’s letter asking for plans to revive 5,500-seat outdoor venue
The Sedona amphitheater is seeking a partner for a serious long-term commitment, music is a must.
The Sedona City Council unanimously approved a non-binding letter of intent with Sedona Cultural Park 2.0 nonprofit — and issued a request for information open to any interested organization — during its Tuesday, May 26, meeting. Councilman Derek Pfaff was absent.
The public request allows other potential groups to develop business plans exploring options to bring live music back to the 5,500-seat Georgia Frontiere Performing Arts Pavilion that has been shuttered since 2003.
“SCP 2.0 is not requesting construction funding, operational funding, subsidies or taxpayer dollars from the city of Sedona,” SCP 2.0 board member Jennifer May said during public comment. “Our intention is to explore whether a revitalized amphitheater could be supported through private philanthropy, sponsorships, strategic partnerships and professional venue operators.”
Both of the documents are open to any individual or group. The letter of intent is a template City Manager Anette Spickard can sign with any qualified party, and signing it is not required to respond to the Request for Information, City Attorney Kurt Christianson said.
Under the letter, which runs through the end of 2026, SCP 2.0 will research whether renovating and operating the amphitheater is financially viable and how it could be structured on up to 25 acres of the 41-acre Cultural Park that the city purchased in November 2022 for $20 million.
The remaining acreage on the 41-acre site breaks down as follows:
■ 5.88 acres of slope protection and open space in the southwest corner.
■ 5.358 acres designated as a “Public Benefit Area” in the northeast corner.
■ Roughly five acres along State Route 89A, west of Yavapai College’s Sedona Center campus, where the Sedona International Film Festival could potentially construct a new theatre complex, a use the council gave initial direction to in December, pending completion of a land survey and appraisal.
“We’re kind of in the RFI phase with SIFF, so there’s nothing set in stone yet,” Christianson said. “No promises have been made on either side.
“They have proposed some plans with Community Development, but it hasn’t made it outside of” that department yet for review.
Council gave direction to Community Development Director Tony Allender to investigate three community uses that ranked above the amphitheater from an April resident survey: A festival space, a smaller gathering space and a recreation center.
Council members indicated a potential recreation center in particular would not necessarily be located at the Western Gateway.
“When I think about a unique, attractive, daily use thing like a rec center, you don’t put it at the edge of your town, you try to put it more in central parts of your town,” Councilman Pete Furman said. “I can think of a couple in West Sedona that could be a better location for it, and so that’s got to be part of the conversation going forward.”
The RFI expires on Wednesday, Sept. 30. Staff would likely spend October preparing information, aim to present it to the council in November, and could return around January for a possible second discussion on whether to issue a Request for Proposal, according to Christianson.
