The Yavapai County Planning and Zoning Commission voted unanimously in favor of a zone change for the Hilton Garden Inn in the Village of Oak Creek during a meeting on Thursday, June 20.
Next up, the Yavapai County Board of Supervisors will hear the request on Wednesday, Aug. 21.
The proposed Hilton Garden Inn hotel is slated to be built at the corner of State Route 179 and Jacks Canyon Road. The original design of the hotel showed it having three stories and 165 total rooms. 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, thus a zone change would have to be granted by Yavapai County to the owners, Chandrika and Jack Patel.
The Big Park Regional Coordinating Council and its planning and zoning committee — both of which are advisory in nature and have no regulatory authority — have held several meetings this year on the topic in previous months. During the most recent Big Park planning and zoning meeting, its members voted 6-3 in favor of the project.
The BPRCC met again on Thursday, June 13, to again discuss the topic. The BPRCC ultimately voted against the proposal. At the time, large crowds turned out in opposition questioning the hotel’s height, viewshed, traffic and the need for another hotel. In addition, a group called Preserving Our Scenic Legacy recently formed and is encouraging people to attend the upcoming county meetings.
Earlier this month, Patel attorney and spokeswoman Jennifer Boblick gave an update to the Sedona Rock Rock News regarding the project.
“As neighbors, the Patels made a number of compromises on this project in direct response to community input. As business owners, they confirmed that the business model can accommodate the concessions,” she said. “Every business owner wants to have a successful enterprise and make a reasonable profit. The Patels are no different. As small business owners, the Patels use their success to give back to the local community and hope to do the same here.”
You can read the full interview with Boblick here.
For the full story about the Yavapai County Planning and Zoning Commission meeting, see the Wednesday, June 26, edition of the Sedona Red Rock News.
