Two down — 11 to go.

On Tuesday, May 24, the Sedona City Council unanimously approved the Western Gateway Community Focus Area following two years of discussion among the public, property owners, stakeholders and a citizen engagement group. The first draft plan was released in March 2015, followed by the Sedona Planning and Zoning Commission discussing the plan during six meetings from April through October 2015.

According to a city report, this Community Focus Area Plan is an addendum to the Sedona Community Plan and serves as a guide for future development of this area. The intent is to address issues that are specific to this geographic area in more detail than does the Community Plan.

There are 13 CFAs identified in the plan as locations where specific supplemental plans should be developed to bring the areas into closer alignment with community expectations and the community’s vision. A CFA plan serves as a long-range guide for future development of an area and takes into consideration citywide needs, potential community benefits and issues specific to each area, the report states.

The Western Gateway, which counts as two CFAs because of its size and importance, is made up of the undeveloped Cultural Park, Sedona Red Rock High School, Yavapai College campus and the Sedona Medical Center.

“These two areas are being planned together to address the interrelationship of circulation, connectivity and land uses between those areas. In addition, the majority of the land in each CFA is undeveloped, which is unusual in a community that is currently 75 percent built out,” the report states.

Over the last two years, the city compiled a list of priorities for the Western Gateway CFA. There was a general consensus on:

• A need for a broad mix of land uses in order to provide active public spaces and public access.
• A need for a mix of housing, lodging, conference and commercial land uses to attract and encourage resident and visitor interaction to create a more complete village.
• A need for workforce housing.
• Lodging uses that are not isolated, but integrated into mixed-use development.
• Sense of arrival as you enter Sedona from the west and protection of scenic views.
• A need for recreation opportunities.
• A need for age-in-place and assisted living components.
• Incorporation of arts and education opportunities.

No official draft plan has been submitted from the owners of the Cultural Park. But, council has previously stated its desire for a mix of lodging, residential and commercial — which is in line with what the owners have unofficially said they would like to see. However, on the south side of 89A, opinions have differed on what should be done in terms of the three acres adjacent to the Courtyard at Marriott, which is nearing completion. The owners of that project own that additional acreage and hope to build a Residence Inn.

Council said it would like to see some type of multi-family units in addition to the hotel on that property. Paul Welker, owner of the Marriott, said the Residence Inn would have 80 to 90 rooms and he hoped that since those are long-term type of rooms [multiple bedrooms and kitchen], that it would meet the city’s desire for multi-family housing.

Included within a lengthy motion following 90 minutes of discussion, council approved that, “The Western Gateway will be a sustainably developed, distinct, active, walkable and vibrant place with a diversity of land uses that attracts both locals and visitors while promoting health, wellness, arts and education, achieving harmony with the natural environment and creating a sense of arrival to the community.”