Nearby residents came prepared with their questions and concerns while the developers were ready with the answers.
In the end, both sides seemed to find middle ground regarding a proposed 30-lot subdivision west of Bristlecone Pines Road and north of State Route 89A in West Sedona.
About 30 people turned out on Thursday, May 24, at the Sedona Community Center for a 90-minute presentation from the developers followed by questions and answers.
More than a decade ago, a planned subdivision was nearing the end of the city approval process when things came to a halt. The cause: The Great Recession. Diamond Ventures is looking to subdivide and develop a 32-acre parcel through Sedona’s land use process. Hillside Vista Estates would consist of 30 single-family one-story homes with an average 45,415-square-foot lot size. The subdivision is being proposed under existing residential zoning, so no zone change is required, Community Development Director Audree Juhlin said last week. The property has been in this zoning district since prior to the city’s incorporation.
Developers Mark Weinberg and Dave Grounds — who have partnered on projects together in the past — as well as engineer Scott Lorentzen discussed the project, its history and when they hope to proceed if approved by the city.
“Many of you live adjacent to this property, and we realize this is your neighborhood, this is your home,” Grounds said. “Our goal is to fit in and to complement what’s already there. We’re not looking to come in and try and outthink that or disrespect that.”
He said the plan is to use the original plan as proposed a decade ago, keeping one-acre lots with high-end luxury homes starting at around $1 million. Grounds said they want to work with adjacent residents in terms of keeping them informed and to even walk the site to ensure to the best of their abilities that views will be obstructed as little as possible.
“This is the beginning of a journey to hear all your comments, meet with you and proceed from there,” he said.
Like Grounds, Weinberg said the developers are very willing to work with residents to make this as smooth of a project as possible.
“We know this is a sensitive site,” he said. “Right now your home overlooks national forest. This may not be your worst nightmare, but it may be close. We understand that. We’ll do the best we can do to tweak things to ensure your views. That said, there is private land between you and forest land. So, either we’re going to buy it or someone else will buy it [and] develop it.”
The style of the proposed homes will be desert contemporary or Sedona lodge style, harkening back to the early days in the area. Each will be a custom home, using a handful of different styles starting at 2,378 square feet with up to a five-car garage. This way, everything is predesigned and pre-priced, thus ensuring the home is built in a more timely manner, Grounds said.
Those in attendance had several concerns and some complaints as to how they feel this development would impact their neighborhoods and way of life. The developers attempted to put their minds at ease as they addressed issues like views, additional cars on Bristlecone Pines Road, drainage, sewer, noise and dust.
The homes will be on city sewer with a lift station at the end of the development. During constructions, they said the contractors will do their best to keep the noise and dust to a minimum. They didn’t feel the number of vehicles on the roadway would increase a great deal based on 30 homes — some of which may be used seasonally as a second home.
Something that a few people brought up is the concern of having these homes become short-term vacation rentals. Grounds said he hadn’t thought of that but guaranteed that the development would not only have a homeowners association but that its bylaws would prohibit shortterm rentals.
This project is tentatively scheduled to be on the Sedona Planning and Zoning Commission’s Tuesday, June 19, agenda. That would just be the first step. Weinberg said that if all goes well, it could still be another year before the first shovel goes into the ground.
“Sedona is a custom-home town, we get that,” Grounds said. “We don’t want to come in and be a bad neighbor at all. I’d rather have you be proud of what’s built there. That’s our ultimate goal. We don’t build in big cities; we focus on small towns in Arizona where we can really bring architecture and design to light.”
Ron Eland can be reached at 282-7795 ext. 122, or email reland@larsonnewspapers.com
