The Sedona Planning and Zoning Commission voted 4-1 to approve a request for a zone change on a portion of the Sedona Cultural Park in order to allow its use as a homeless workforce car camping site during its meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 6.

Zone Change

Planning manager Cari Meyer explained that it was necessary for the city to request a zone change in order to use the property as a camping site because the Cultural Park’s existing planned development zoning is “specific to the plans that were approved at that point in time … you have to amend the planned development to allow this.”

Commissioner Kali Gajewski asked staff why they had not requested a conditional use permit for the property instead of a zone change. Meyer replied that the option to later obtain a CUP has to be provided for in a property’s original zoning, and the park’s existing planned development zoning does not allow for a CUP, so it would require both a zone change and a CUP.

Housing Coordinator Jeanne Frieder said that the camp would provide safety for the working homeless by giving them a place to car camp “without the risk of being moved along” by police.

“Who are our parkers?” Frieder asked. “They … spend the night hoping they don’t get disrupted in the middle of the night … We are providing an appropriate response in order to respect all members of our community, even those who live in their vehicles.”

Frieder added that the program would “provide natural surveillance” and “allow us to collect data.” Participants would be entered into the federal Homeless Management Information System database. Housing Manager Shannon Boone stated that all users will be required to enroll in a service plan with the Verde Valley Homeless Coalition. Sex offender background checks and monthly employment verification will be conducted. City Attorney Kurt Christianson said that the city will be required by federal fair housing laws to admit disabled individuals and that the only requirement the city can impose is that they show a verifiable connection to Sedona.

Frieder said that communities with existing car camps for homeless workers “were not seeing increases in crime.”

“We haven’t found any evidence that any of those things would be a concern,” Boone said.

Commissioner Will Hirst asked if calling the site a “safe place to park” would make the city liable to lawsuits if it could not guarantee participants’ safety.

“I don’t believe it provides an additional liability,” Christianson said. “It’s just a name.” He added that not allowing users to camp for 24 hours a day would eliminate the possibility they could sue the city to keep the camp open due to them having established residency.

“What happens if we have a couple having sex in their car?” Hirst asked.

Christianson replied that any visible sexual activity could be grounds for prosecution for indecent exposure.

Commissioner Jo Martin asked how an automobile could be considered to meet the Western Gateway Community Focus Area plan’s recommendations for housing in the area.

“We’re not saying that this is going to be the city’s affordable housing solution,” Boone said.

“How does that apply to the CFA?” Martin asked.

“Providing a housing option at this time until we can provide a more permanent solution,” Boone said.

Fifteen residents spoke in favor of the proposed homeless camp.

“These people are our neighbors,” Rev. Anthony Mtuaswa Johnson said, describing the camp as an opportunity to show hospitality and humanity.

“No human need is greater than the need for housing,” Michael Wright said.

“You know what it’s like to sleep and then have somebody bang on your door with a gun?” Mickey Reynolds asked.

“I’ve been homeless,” Sean Smith said. “I slept at the risk of police action, so I want to highlight one aspect of the word ‘safe’ … free from legal imbroglio.”

Patricia Brunner, of the Sedona Community Food Bank, described the camp as a place where “they won’t be rousted in the middle of the night.”

“I’ve decided I’m going to leave. I can tell there’s not going to be a future here for me because of housing,” William Esposito said. “Capitalism only works with deep ethics behind it.”

Seven residents spoke in opposition to the camp. “We should look at alternative solutions to the issue of housing,” Cultural Park architect Stephen Thompson said. “We incentivize the private sector. They always do it best … Open up flex zoning, additional height, incentives that allow the density of a project to absorb some housing … how’s housing affordable on a piece of property that cost this much money?”

“We know that this is not only proposed for two years,” Dawn Koss said. “There’s already places in town, or properties that could be used. For example, Big Park [Community] School in the VOC, it’s empty. OK, it’s not part of ‘Sedona,’ but it’s empty. Let’s use this property as a place where people can have shelter. Another idea is the shuttle parking lots. They’ve already been established. They can’t park there after dark, the people who are using the shuttles to go hiking — why not put some bathrooms and water there to have people be able to use that from dusk to dawn?”

“I don’t believe this is an appropriate location for this program,” Susan Price said. “There are other locations that have been mentioned already, like the Dells.”

“I have a lot of friends that live in their cars, and they’d love to have a safe place, but this is not that place,” Randy J. Shams said.

“I’m wondering what the pathway is to home ownership,” Heather Malloy said. “What programs have been successful in moving safe place to park residents naturally into owning property, or co-housing, or land trusts within Sedona?”

“There’s an overwhelming opposition among our neighbors,” William Noonan said. “The city has misleadingly presented this as a workforce housing solution … The city somewhat disingenuously interpreted its rules to limit the outreach to 300 feet from the parking spots, which means they really just consulted with the trees instead of the people in the local neighborhoods. So we really don’t trust people who are already so cynically manipulating that type of rule to run this car park.”

As of noon on Tuesday, 30 residents had submitted written comments to the commission supporting the camp, 19 opposing it and seven had submitted comments addressing details of the proposal without expressing support or opposition.

The commission voted 4-1 to approve the zoning change, with Martin in opposition, saying “I don’t believe this applies to the CFA.”

The proposal will be considered by City Council on Tuesday, Feb. 27. Boone also announced that the city has completed a request for proposals for a consultant to assist in the revision of the park’s master plan.