A woman in the audience may have summed up the feelings of most there. “I don’t want to see the Village of Oak Creek become ‘Vegas of Oak Creek,’” she said, receiving a round of applause.
The comment came during the Thursday, Feb. 14, Big Park Regional Coordinating Council meeting. A Hilton Garden Inn is being proposed at the corner of State Route 179 and Jacks Canyon Road. The meeting, held at the Sedona Fire District’s Station 3, was standing room only. In fact, SFD Fire Marshal Jon Davis had to ask that 35 people leave because the meeting room exceeded capacity.
As expected, the vast majority of those who were in attendance oppose the hotel, which is currently designed to have three stories and 165 total rooms. A zoning change is being requested and will be heard before the Yavapai County Planning and Zoning Commission on Thursday, March 21, in Cottonwood.
The zoning for that piece of property has remained the same since 1968. Under the current zoning, only two homes could be built on the 4.74-acre lot. Following more than 90 minutes of presentations and public input, the BPRCC voted unanimously to deny recommendation to the county to allow the zone change. The council is not a governing body but rather an advisory one to the county. BPRCC’s planning and zoning committee also unanimously recommended denial.
Like the BPRCC, the zoning committee is also not a governing body and can only offer recommendations to the county.
Hilton spokesman Corey Mitchell said he appreciated the concerns of those in the audience but the company is always trying to be a good neighbor wherever one of their hotels is built.
“It’s Hilton’s goal to fit into the community, try and do things with the community and have a design that incorporates local elements,” he said. In a recent interview with the Sedona Red Rock News, attorney Jennifer Boblick, who represents land owners Chandrika and Jack Patel, said the site presented numerous design challenges. This was due to its irregular shape, easements and flood plain issues, but the primary design challenge was to preserve the red rock views.
“That was the driving force behind the building’s shape and placement on the property far back from the street,” she said last month. “A lot of early preliminary designs were left on the table.” Of the more than 25 people who spoke against the project, most echoed one another in terms of their concerns. Many had an issue with the three stories and questioned whether the VOC needs another hotel. Others were concerned about traffic, water, sewer, impact on the quality of life, it being in contrast to the Yavapai County Comprehensive Plan and blocking of the viewshed.
VOC business owner Lenore Hemingway said the idea that the hotel would help local businesses is not the case.
“Because of the hotel’s size, as well as the additional traffic, it would be more of a hindrance and hardship compared to any benefits that would come from it,” she said.
