The Sedona Planning and Zoning Commission voted 6-1 on Aug. 20 to grant a conditional use permit to the Cloth & Flame event venue operating at the site of the former Sedona Masonic lodge on the property of the Sedona Airport. Vice Chairwoman Charlotte Hosseini was the dissenting vote.

Public Comment

Prior to the meeting, the commission received approximately 80 written comments regarding the application. Sixty-one respondents requested denial of the application primarily on the grounds that the noise from the venue would be a nuisance to them and diminish the value of their properties. One resident also advocated denial during public comment on the grounds of noise.

Three of the written comments advocated denial based on perceived traffic concerns only, while one recommended denial solely on the basis of perceived fire danger.

Ten comments argued that as a commercial operation, an event venue would not be an eligible use for a parcel zoned as community facilities.

Three comments recommended approval of the application as a benefit to the community or an appropriate use for the site.

Only two comments recognized that Cloth & Flame had already been holding events at the site under temporary permits.

Multiple comments used the term “assault” to refer to the potential legal operation of a permitted business in compliance with the city’s noise ordinance. One comment, from former 2024 City Council candidate Katherine Todd, made reference to “our right of quiet enjoyment,” variants of which phrase appeared multiple times in the remainder of the written comments, as well as in resident comments on other recently-proposed projects. Neither the United States nor Arizona constitutions make any mention of such a right.

One respondent described his objection to the perceived potential noise as “a selfish one.”

Noise

Applicant Matt Cooley told the commission that Cloth & Flame has already held 36 events at the location beginning in 2022. For the last six of these events, all held in 2024, the venue received temporary use permits from the city following resolution of jurisdictional confusion over whether the city or county was the responsible permitting authority.

“We’ve never actually had a complaint during an event time,” Cooley said. “We canvassed the neighborhood twice. Knocked on every single door … We met with multiple residents and a lot of them let us into their houses and onto their back patios, where we used our decibel meter and recorded these videos of these conversations, where we said, ‘Can you hear anything at all?’ They said, ‘Absolutely not.’ We said, ‘We’re blasting music up there way louder than we ever would just to show you that we can’t hear it down here.’”

“Sixty-two decibels on the edge of our property is what we found translates to 43 decibels in the neighborhood, which is the sound of birdsong,” Cooley said.

Sedona code sets a maximum volume of 65 dB for outdoor noise; a 62-dB sound is 50% quieter than a 65-dB sound.

To further mitigate noise, Cloth & Flame’s policies require that bands perform indoors, and the organizers prefer to book solo or duo acts.

“We don’t allow drums, we don’t allow bass guitars, because it upsets the community,” Cooley said.

All outdoor activities will end at 9 p.m. and the operators will not add permanent speakers to the facility.

“I’ve found more noise coming from Posse Grounds than from this venue,” resident Dave Swartout said during public comment.

Commissioner George Braam described the applicants’ measurements of noise levels using sound meters as “anecdotal.”

“There have been zero complaints,” resident Mike Schroeder wrote in a comment. “In fact, most people don’t know that many events have already been held … The hysteria is mindboggling.”

Zones of Interest

Commissioner Kali Gajewski expressed confusion over the legal requirements for permitting a commercial use in a district zoned for community facilities, an issue also queried by three speakers during public comment.

“I believe it does meet the code definition,” City Attorney Kurt Christianson said. “The table of allowed uses in the CF includes things such as a club or a lodge … assisted living facilities … conference and meeting facilities … funeral facilities, religious assemblies, private schools, professional offices, just to name a few.”

He added that while “fancy dinner parties” are not explicitly listed in the code, the community development director can determine a new type of qualifying use.

Sedona Airport Manager Ed Rose told the commission that per Part 163 of the Federal Aviation Regulations, “event centers are an appropriate use” for airport property, and pointed out that the airport needs the revenue generated by the facility for infrastructure updates, as the Federal Aviation Administration requires airports to be self-sufficient as far as possible for compliance with grant assurances.

Sedona Planning Manager Cari Meyer noted that the CUP was being applied for to cover “the outdoor use of the property,” as the interior of the building is already permitted as a meeting facility.

Traffic

Residents raised questions over the perceived risks of additional traffic accessing Airport Mesa, with Sedona resident Ann Kelley stating the installation of a speed table and more enforcement could “double the income to the police department.”

“They’re not adding additional traffic … anything of that nature that from the fire code perspective that would increase activity that’s not already been planned to be there,” Sedona Fire District Fire Marshal Dori Booth said.

“From their traffic generation statement, it didn’t cross our threshold for requiring additional improvements,” Assistant City Engineer Hanako Ueda said. “More traffic goes to that trailhead already during a shorter amount of time.”

“As a civil engineer, I never want to see speed bumps,” Braam said.

Commissioner Sarah Wiehl described speeding as being related to the airport problem rather than one related to the venue.

Cooley outlined that average attendance at events that Cloth & Flame has held so far has been 89 people, with the largest event attracting 150 guests. Of the 36 events, 13 were weddings and 15 were community dinners.

While the applicants and city staff initially proposed an upper limit of 120 events per year for the CUP, the commission amended the permit at the last moment to a maximum number of 80 events total throughout the period of the CUP, to which Cooley agreed.

“No way we’re going to have that number,” Cooley said of the 120-event limit. “We simply won’t be able to sell that amount.”

The formal ending date for the permit will be Dec. 31, 2025, but Cooley said that Cloth & Flame expects to apply for renewal early, perhaps in October 2025, to allow it to take future bookings with confidence.

“We want to bring people together on the property,” Cooley said. “We’re going to put together three events a year for the neighborhood immediately adjacent to us free of charge. We’re just going to host them so they can come up and enjoy this spot.”

“If you stay within the lines, you will probably get a renewed CUP with a longer term limit,” Chairwoman Kathy Levin said, and Commissioner Jo Martin described the proposal as a good compromise.

“Good business, bad location,” Hosseini said, repeating that she felt the proposed use did not conform to the requirements for community facilities zoning before the final 6-1 vote.