If all goes as planned, residents will soon have a new place in Sedona to gather to learn how to live and connect in a more conscious way.

Following four hours of discus­sion and debate on July 7, the Sedona Planning and Zoning Commission voted 6-1 to allow a Conditional Use Permit for Sedonya Conscious Living Center. This will allow for the opera­tion of a club/lodge, which will be within existing buildings on two acres at 120 Deer Trail Drive — formerly Osho Academy. The buildings were previously used as a legal noncon­forming church/religious facility.

Commissioner George Braam was the dissenting vote.

Sedonya’s owner, Sonya Belisle, spoke at the hearing, which was conducted via video conferencing. There she discussed the need for a facility like the one she’s proposing.

“In this time, with what’s going on with COVID-19, it’s important that we support each other,” she said, noting that for now classes will be much smaller and additional precautions will be taken. “We want to offer a safe place where people can get together and go through all of this together and maybe Sedona can become a model for the whole world. That would be my hope.”

According to a city report, Sedonya Conscious Living Center is planning to operate as a nonprofit, member­ship-based gathering space offering conscious living resources such as classes, workshops, panels and training for Sedona’s citizens and guests. The commission approved its hours of operation from 7:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. They will have three to five classes per day, with content including, but not limited to, yoga, tai chi, qigong, healing energy instruc­tion, cooking classes, mindful move­ment meditation, art discovery and therapy, community panels, sympo­siums, films, community dialogues, and organizational and board member meetings.

In her proposal, Belisle wrote that she plans to make the center acces­sible to visitors and all members of the community by offering different membership levels at varying costs. Individual memberships will be avail­able, as well as those for families, seniors or organizations. Belisle said her goal is to make it accessible to anyone that is interested in living a more conscious lifestyle.

“We are excited to offer a new opportunity for 120 Deer Trail Drive accessible to the Sedona community and to support the city’s long-term vision for our community,” Belisle wrote. “We are committed to main­taining the quiet, beautiful feel of the area through the creation of a commu­nity center designed to foster a culture of peace and have Sedona recognized as a learning community for peaceful conscious living.”

As part of the user permit, the permit holder must ensure that the use is operated in compliance with the Land Development Code defini­tion of club/lodge, including, but not limited to, being operated by a private nonprofit or noncommercial organiza­tion. The permit holder shall provide proof of nonprofit or noncommercial organization status upon request from the city. This permit does not allow use of the property for commercial operations, including, but not limited to, catering operations.

On Monday, July 13, Belisle, who has owned the property for three years, said she is very grateful for the commission’s decision.

“Sedonya is about supporting ourselves, our families, our neighbors and all of humanity,” she said. “This is my life’s purpose. As a conscious center we will be opening in a very careful and methodical way. I’m not certain how many classes we will begin with or when, though they will be carefully planned out. At this moment we are planning how to best proceed with caution.”