It’s being touted as the only one of its kind in the United States and soon the public will have an opportunity to hear more about it. Ambiente: A Landscape Hotel is the latest hotel to be proposed in Sedona but is unlike anything the area has seen.
The project will be coming before the Sedona Planning and Zoning Commission at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, June 18.
This is a review and approval of the development proposal and site plan. The required zoning to build a project like this is already in place.
The presentation would originally take place Tuesday, June 4, but according to Sedona Assistant City Manager and Community Development Director Karen Osburn, it’s not uncommon for the city to schedule a project for P&Z consideration — which staff often do a month or two in advance — then realize certain details are still evolving and more time is needed to finalize the proposal.
“We need to ensure what is being presented is complete and contains all the details necessary for commissioners to conduct a thorough review and make a well-informed determination about the project,” she said.
The hotel is the brainchild of Mike Stevenson, who has been a business owner in the Verde Valley for many years. When emailed for comment on the status of the project, Stevenson’s daughter, Jennifer May, wrote, “We so appreciate your interest in our project but don’t have any details to release at this time about Ambiente.”
According to the developer’s letter of intent, the proposed project will be located on a vacant 3.1-acre parcel on State Route 89A. The property is directly across from the Les Springs subdivision entrance and just west of Mariposa Latin Inspired Grill.
This triangular-shaped parcel has approximately 760 feet of frontage adjacent to SR 89A and the other two sides of the parcel are adjacent to the Coconino National Forest on the north and Crestview Community Church and St. John Vianney Catholic Church to the west.
The proposed guest lodging element for Ambiente will be comprised of 40 individual guest atriums. The 576-square-foot atriums will have a small cube-shaped footprint and will be elevated off the ground by four steel piers. The use of piers will eliminate the need to grade a building’s pad site. This pier technique will allow each unit, as they are being constructed, to be rotated and individually hand placed at very specific angles to fit within the existing trees, vegetation and drainage areas, a city document states.
“The objective of this unique lodging product is to give guests the ability to enjoy close contact with nature, sustainability and a healthy life experience in luxurious surroundings,” it reads.
All travel throughout the property will be either by walking on designated permeable pathways, valet transportation via electric cart or use of mountain bikes, electric E bikes or two-person Micro Enclosed Electric Vehicles.
Despite the project’s uniqueness, Osburn said from a development review standpoint, it was pretty straightforward.
“However, engineering the site was a little more complicated than most when it came to grading, drainage and access,” she said. “For example, extensive modeling and engineering reports were completed to determine how to most effectively use the existing washes/drainages on site as part of the overall drainage plan, in order to keep as many of the natural features of the site as possible.”
Ron Eland can be reached at 282-7795, ext. 122 or by email at reland@larsonnewspapers.com
