Several new business and lodging proposals are continuing to make their way through Sedona’s planning and zoning process, with some scheduled to go before the Planning & Zoning Commission.
Alkemista
During the commission’s most recent meeting on Tuesday, June 6, Sergio and Ofelia Goma of the Village of Oak Creek received approval for their proposed Alkemista Brew and Coffee on 0.87 acres at 2144 W. State Route 89A and 40 Goodrow Lane. The project has been in development for the last three years.
Alkemista will consist of a 5,000-square-foot mead brewery and coffee roasting facility with separate tasting rooms and a 1,300-square-foot warehouse. The proposal drew praise from the commission members for including 15 long-term apartments for employees, whose rent would be adjusted for affordability, the owners and others.
The brewery is designed with an upper level featuring three living units and the warehouse with two living units. Two additional buildings will house the remaining 10 apartments, which will consist of a two-bedroom unit for the owners, two studio units, and two one-bedroom units for employees with the remainder at market rate. The project’s four buildings are expected to be completed within 18 months.
The three existing buildings at the site are dilapidated and will be demolished, with Habitat for Humanity recycling any usable materials.
The Gomas are also planning to open a separate malting facility, Sinagua Malt, in Camp Verde at 284 N. Homestead Parkway.
One neighbor raised concerns over the possible smell from the coffee roasting process. Goma explained that they will only be doing medium roasts at the site, which do not produce fumes. Since the current alignment of SR 89A and Goodrow Lane is not optimal for deliveries and parking, the project “will relocate the parking area off of SR 89A to the rear and center of the new buildings.”
Jordan Townhomes
Miramonte Homes’ proposed 24 rentals will be located on a 2.06-acre vacant parcel at 630 Jordan Road adjacent to Navahopi Road in Uptown.
Miramonte had requested a zone change for one of two adjoining parcels of land for Jordan Lofts, a 84-unit apartment project with workforce housing, which Miramonte withdrew in August 2021 due to “robust opposition … mounted by residents in the Jordan Road area, who organized Facebook pages and YouTube videos to stir up opposition.” As one of those parcels is already zoned multi-family, Miramonte now plans to develop it with 24 townhomes. The new project was initially submitted on Jan. 10, 2022, and resubmitted on March 16 of this year.
“There are only 257 apartment units and 211 singlefamily attached units or townhomes in Sedona … 87% of housing units in the city are single-family detached units and mobile homes. The plan also states there is a current housing shortage of 1,260 units in Sedona, which will increase to over 1,515 units within the next five years due to an anticipated increase in jobs,” according to the city’s Housing Needs Assessment and Five-Year Housing Action Plan cited in the project’s letter of intent.
Average unit size will be between 1,500 and 2,000 square feet. The Jordan Townhomes could generate 230 total vehicle trips each weekday; there are currently 1,000 vehicles per day using the road according to a November traffic study.
Unlike the proposed Jordan Lofts, which included workforce housing, the townhomes will be priced at market rates. They will not be deed-restricted to prohibit short-term Rentals.
The project does not propose to have any retaining walls About 46% of the area will be conserved as open land with native plants. The units will be equipped for electric vehicles by installing an electrical panel with a branch circuit and a continuous raceway connectingit to the EV parking spots in the garages. The units adjoining the proposed Harris Court street will have shared driveways; all other units will have private driveways.
The project is undergoing staff and agency review. Miramonte hopes to begin construction in the fall.
Oak Creek Heritage Lodge
R.D. Olson Development has proposed the construction of the Oak Creek Heritage Lodge on eight parcels totaling 11.58 acres at 115 Schnebly Hill Road, adjacent to Bear Wallow Lane. The hotel will consist of 70 rooms within 75,057 square feet of development and include a pool, spa, meeting space and four workforce housing units. As of April 2022, the conceptual review for the development listed 22 buildings, 14 of which would house guest rooms. These small buildings would be clustered to preserve the Schnebly Hill Road frontage and the floodplain adjoining Oak Creek as open space.
“The building typology and materials are inspired by the local historic and neighboring structures, such as the Gassaway House, Farley Homestead Cabin, Schnebly House, Bennett-Purtymun Cabin, Pump House, and the Jordan Ranch,” the project’s letter of intent stated.
The development is currently undergoing staff review.
Village at Saddlerock Crossing
The Baney Corporation has proposed a mixed-use lodging and multi-family residential development on 6.36 acres at 82 Saddlerock Circle on land it purchased in 2006. It will consist of a 110-room Oxford Suites-branded hotel and a 40-unit residential community. The guest rooms will be divided among three two-story buildings, while the residential portion of the project will include 28 workforce housing units in two buildings and 12 market rate units in two separate buildings.
“Guestrooms for the hotel are divided among three main two-story buildings with 38 guestrooms each and a series of 8 ‘treehouse suites’ surrounding an existing 75-foot-tall pine tree,” according to the letter of intent.
The hotel area will also include a restaurant and rooftop terrace with bar.
“Between the two multi-family components is a 174-space parking structure that will provide the majority of required parking for both the multi-family and lodging components of the development,” the letter of intent also stated.
Sunset Lofts
The MK Company’s project to construct the 46-unit Sunset Lofts complex on 2.22 acres at 220 Sunset Drive remains on hold while the developers are working to secure federal financing to cover the cost of the project, although they have now applied for building permits for the development.
Additionally, the developers will share half of the project’s yearly net operating cash flow with the city, which will reduce the loan balance.
Public comments on the project have been largely opposed, with residents raising concerns over the development’s effects on flooding, the potential effect on neighbors’ views and its potential to alter habitat.
The commission will hold a hearing on Sunset Lofts on Tuesday, July 18, at 4:30 p.m.
Bowers Subdivision
Sefton Engineering Consultants have applied for preliminary plat review to subdivide a vacant 2.65-acre parcel at 471 Forest Road into a four-unit single-family subdivision. The parcel, which is owned by the Bowers family, is split in half by the S-shaped Forest Road extension project; the proposed subdivision would create two lots on either side of the curve, with an average lot size of 24,664 square feet.
Canyon Vista
The Austin, Texas-based firm of CV Development Sedona has applied for preliminary plat review to subdivide 5.72 acres at 463 Brewer Road into an eight-unit single-family subdivision. While the city approved a subdivision for the site in 2006, “the owner chose not to proceed with construction citing the Great Recession,” according to the letter of intent.
The project letter of intent proposed an average lot size of 27,264 square feet, with the largest lot being 38,258 square feet and the smallest 20,013 square feet.
Chapel View Terrace
Sefton Engineering is also undergoing final plat review for a six-unit single-family subdivision on 3.3 acres at 10 Sky Line Drive.
“This project received unanimous approval with one additional stipulation: The sidewalk along Sky Line Drive can be gravel and terminate at the emergency access point,” according to a May letter to the Department of Community Development.
Planning and Zoning Commissioner Lynn Zonakis is not seeking to continue serving beyond her term, which expires this fall, meaning there will be a vacancy that needs to be filled.
