Many in the Verde Valley may have been surprised to hear within the last few weeks of not one but two proposed planned communities in the area between Sedona and Cottonwood.
Villa Bellaggio, an Italian-style village made up of houses, apartments, business area and wineries, is currently being proposed off State Route 89A and Oak Creek Valley Road. The purchase of the land is contingent on the project receiving the needed zone changes.
Owner-developer Doug Adams, of Mesa, said he is on the Thursday, Dec. 19, Yavapai County Planning and Zoning Commission agenda in Cottonwood. That’s the same date the proposed Spring Creek Ranch is set to be heard by the county.
“We were looking for a project that would offer affordable housing close to Sedona,” he said. “We had this idea before we even heard about the project north of us [Spring Creek Ranch]. And by having an Italian village feel to it, it offers something different and not simply row after row of houses.”
Within his letter of intent to the county it lists the different amenities proposed for the project. Some of those listed include:
- Italian style piazza
- 24 studio hotel suites
- Ruth and John Waddell sculpture gallery
- Split-level shops
- Church
- Fire station
- 500 unit [plus or minus] condo concourse
- Custom homes
- Two-story, 25,000-square-foot winery
- 200-room hotel
- 50-room creekside hotel
- Office space for lease or sale
- 200-unit senior living facility
- Vineyard with lakes
- Three-story terrace apartments
- 100 to 210 creekside condo/apartments
- 113 patio homes
- School site
- Custom, high-end home lots
- Camp area for mentally and physically disabled
- Water storage tank
Because of its location, Adams said there is just one family within 1,000 feet of the proposed project. This is one of the reasons why his project is requesting to have five-story buildings on the land. He said these would be limited to the proposed apartments/condos and not any hotels.
“You won’t be able to see anything from State Route 89A or from anywhere else for that matter,” he said. “So whether it’s one or five stories, what’s the difference? I don’t want people to think everything that’s built will be five stories. We would plan to have a nice mix of buildings of varying heights, again similar to that of a hilltop Italian village but in this case, in a valley.”
Adams said they knew that if they pursued a project outside of Cottonwood city limits there would be the additional cost for water and sewage. In addition, in talking with fire officials, their concern is that their fire ladders are not long enough to handle a fire at a five-story building. So, he’s offered to donate the money needed for a fire truck with a five-story ladder or purchase it outright as well as build a fire station on site.
Because of costs like sewer and water and a new fire truck, Adams said in order to maintain the plan to offer affordable housing, density — such as a five-story apartment complex — is needed. He added that the taller buildings may include a first floor for retail or restaurants, the second floor possible office and the remaining floors residential.
“The plan right now would be to sell pieces of the property off to other developers or for us to have joint ventures with others,” he said.
On Nov.25, Yavapai County Board of Supervisors Public Information Officer David McAtee released a statement that read:
Villa Bellagio will NOT be heard by the Planning and Zoning Commission on Dec. 19, 2019.
Yavapai County Development Services would like to clarify that the application for Villa Bellaggio is not scheduled for public hearing at this time. This application is still in the preliminary phase, which requires the applicant to reach out to community groups to measure citizen interest and garner involvement and input from the community.
The application for Spring Creek Ranch is scheduled to be heard by the Planning and Zoning Commission at 9 a.m. on Dec. 19, 2019, at 10 S. Sixth St., Cottonwood.
Comments regarding these projects can be sent to Yavapai County Development Services at planning@yavapai.us.
