The Yavapai County Land Use and Planning Department responded to numerous complaints in February by residents of the Red Rock Loop Road neighborhood in Sedona claiming that one of their neighbors, Camp Avalon, was operating a commercial campground in a residential area without proper permitting.
Planning Director David Williams made a determination that Camp Avalon was indeed a commercial campground. On June 18, the Yavapai County Board of Adjustments and Appeals heard an appeal from Camp Avalon to the county’s determination against the owners.
Camp Avalon is run by the Global Community Communications Alliance, formerly known as Aquarian Concepts Community, a “church” and “spiritual intentional community” that has been operating since 1989. Members of GCCA argued that the uses of Camp Avalon have been in accordance with its intended use as a spiritual center, not a campground.
The five members of the board unanimously ruled against Camp Avalon and the GCCA, upholding the previous decision by the planning department and finding that regardless of the spiritual intention of the group, in practice the site has been used as a commercial campground.
“There are numerous campsites across the entire property,” Williams said at the meeting, defending his office’s decision. “We’ve got tents set up out here, there’s port-a-johns, there’s fire rings set up, so that the built environment now is that of a campground.”
Williams also pointed to the camp’s website, which allows for bookings of sites on the campground, along with a suggested donation for a site. “We believe it’s a little disingenuous to call this a donation and not an actual calculated fee, which is what it is,” Williams said.
Dozens of GCCA members and supporters turned up to the meeting to defend the site. Much of the defense pointed to the religious nature of the site and argued that the GCCA was entitled to free exercise of its religion.
“Our primary use has always been the spiritual use of this property,” chief financial officer of GCCA, Catherine “Centria” Lilly said when questioned at the meeting. She pointed out that numerous uses of the property — such as drum circles — were not included in communications to the county, but did not think that was an issue. “I didn’t know that it was necessary for any religious organization to talk about their ceremonial use.”
“This is not about camping,” said Marc Hotz, a member of the GCCA community, at the meeting. “This is really about something that’s rooted in the essence of what Sedona is and that’s spirituality.”
Neighbors to the site argued that the dispute was not about the church or spirituality at all, but rather the specific difficulties of having a campground on the neighboring property.
“As a group, all of these people have been good neighbors, they’re excellent neighbors and charming congenial folks.” said Stephanie Giesbrecht, who has lived next to the GCCA property for 21 years. “They opened this campground several years ago and the reason we’re speaking is that campground is not appropriate for use in the neighborhood.
“It has caused problems when over the last many decades, there have been no problems with what they have been doing. So this commercial campground is something new and it is not appropriate for our activities and neighborhood and community down there on the Red Rock Loop Road.”
“Their right to religious exercise has not been abridged by the county,” argued Kate Joy of the Sun Cliff Sedona resort, which is next to the property. “You didn’t even apply for a permit, so you haven’t been discriminated against because the county hasn’t turned you down for the activity you’d like to do because you haven’t submitted a permit.”
Joy is involved in separate litigation with GCCA over a border dispute.
In the end, the Board of Adjustments agreed that the religious nature of GCCA did not prevent them the group needing to abide by the zoning and permitting requirements of the county, and ruled against them. “This is not about whether we support the religious views or not,” board member Al West said. “I think the religious activities that are taking place have benefited many people and will continue to do that in the future. The question that’s before us is were the rules followed and should the rules be followed.”
The ruling against Camp Avalon leaves its status in flux. Williams said that the county intends to work with GCCA to figure out what can be allowed on the property. Camp Avalon could apply for a permit to operate a commercial campground in the residential area, but would have to face its neighbors in a public hearing.
Jon Hecht can be reached at 634-8551 or email jhecht@larsonnewspapers.com
