Church of the Red Rocks agreed to lease a part of its property to the city for a park and ride that will provide over 100 spots for another trailhead shuttle parking lot.
Bo b Ev a n s , t h e incoming moderator for the church board, has been at the forefront of the discussions between the church and the city.
“They’re leasing it with the option to purchase it within the time frame of the agreement,” Evans said.
The “lower parking lot” sits on Bowstring Drive, where it meets State Route 179. According to the church, with the latest updates to city parking codes, the ratio for building capacity and parking spaces was well met without the lower lot.
“We have had [the lower parking lot of the church] for a number of years,” Evans said. “We built it when we thought that we were going to have a much larger population. Long story short, we have not needed it for a long time.”
The Church of Red Rocks is a United Church of Christ establishment. The church received its latest CUP to operate a religious establishment in 2006. Currently, the church’s congregation has a large regular population. Their other parking lot has around 100 available spots used just by the church.
Around eight months ago, when the city initially talked to the church about purchasing the parking lot, and since Church of Red Rocks had been wanting to get rid of the property, it seemed like the best fit.
“It’s a little early in the game to tell how successful this shuttle is going to be. And I think that’s part of the reason that maybe the city came back and said let’s talk about a lease for a while rather than buy it outright,” Evans said. “I just got a feeling they just want to test this out to make sure it’s going to work.”
This is not the first church to offer its help with trailhead parking. Last summer, the Sedona United Methodist Church restricted the use of its parking lot due to trash, noise, illegal parking and many more problems. The lot located at State Route 179 and Indian Cliffs Drive mainly attracted hikers heading to Cathedral Rock via Back O’ Beyond.
According to former Senior Planner Mike Raber, overflow trailhead parking was allowed at any church without former review. But after the issues at the Methodist church, the city changed directions to requiring a CUP to provide parking for any trailhead parking.
But as this is a lease purchase with the city, a CUP would be necessary either way. And this is all a part of Sedona’s master transportation plan that heavily focuses on transit. Church of the Red Rocks’ parking lot will be serving as the Chapel park and ride, with the emphasis on Cathedral Rock trailhead.
“At this time the only parking areas that the Forest Service is considering closing during trailhead shuttle operation hours are Soldiers Pass and Cathedral trailheads,” the city’s Communication Manager Lauren Browne said.
The city is currently still looking at other park and ride options, specifically in West Sedona. In the past, the West Sedona School’s ballfield was in talks but was turned down due to safety concerns for students.
The public input period was from November to December, according to regulations by the city. According to the church, a few neighbors raised concerns about potential traffic issues where Bowstring Drive meets Arrowhead Drive. There will be a public hearing with the Planning and Zoning Commission at the Tuesday, Feb. 1, meeting.
The parking lot will need a zoning change by Friday, June 30, 2023, if it continues as a park and ride.
