To say that a proposed housing development west of Sedona has garnered community interest may be a bit of an understatement.
Those opposed — and those for — a development featuring 600 manufactured homes and 50 RV spots on 171 acres have generated more than 1,100 emails and letters to Yavapai County. Now, it’s time for the Yavapai County Planning and Zoning Commission to determine whether or not it will recommend approval of Rojo Grande Sedona to the Yavapai County Board of Supervisors. The commission will meet at 9 a.m. on Thursday, Jan. 17, at the county offices at 10 S. Sixth St. in Cottonwood.
As of Thursday, Jan. 10, the county said it had received a total of 719 letters of opposition and 398 letters of support for the project.
“While we don’t normally see this volume of letters, the ratio of the letters is not unusual,” said David Williams, Yavapai County director of Development Services.
“I think it is a great testament to the open process that Yavapai County uses for zoning cases where everyone’s voices can be heard. At the end of the day, public participation is always encouraged and is integral to the process.”
Despite the fact that a standing-room-only crowd donned in red to show opposition is expected at the meeting, Williams said it will be status quo for those wishing to speak.
“We are not sure what the turnout will be for the meeting, but each interested speaker will be allotted two minutes to speak,” he said.
“This is the standard practice for public meetings.”
The development, adjacent to Sedona Pines and Sedona Shadows, proposes to rezone from its current zoning of residential single-family, to Planned Area Development. As proposed, this would be a 55-and-older development.
The developer, Equity LifeStyle Properties, owns and manages Sedona Shadows and Sedona Pines. Residents would own the manufactured home but would lease the land on which it sat for around $1,000 a month. ELS will offer five to eight model homes for prospective residents to choose from but people can bring in their own if they meet certain standards. The proposed development is located on the site of the former El Rojo Grande Ranch, which is approximately 2½ miles west of Sedona’s jurisdictional boundary.
The county requested input from the city on the project earlier this fall; Sedona City Council and staff were not in favor of it. The project would have its own wells for drinking water and a wastewater treatment plant on site. But the developers said they are not opposed to connecting to the city’s wastewater line at the developer’s expense.
Also proposed by Arizona Department of Transportation is a traffic light at the intersection of State Route 89A and Red Moon Drive. The developers have also said 46 percent of the land will remain open space but included in that percentage is Dry Creek and the floodplain.
The three existing structures on the property will be used for various purposes, including the main home, which would serve as the clubhouse.
Jennifer Derby, a Phoenix resident and critic of this project, has helped gather information and organize community meetings on the topic. She said the number of those against the development has steadily risen over the last month.
“Those opposed have not wavered in their dedication to gathering and sharing information and inspiring the community to get involved,” she said. “Planning and Zoning has received hundreds more letters from citizens since then and the turnout at our library meeting shows people are truly engaged in this process.”
