The community plan amendment proposed by ILX Resorts for The Villages at Heritage Park was unanimously approved by the Sedona City Council on Tuesday night.

The community plan amendment proposed by ILX Resorts for The Villages at Heritage Park was unanimously approved by the Sedona City Council on Tuesday night.

The council voted to change the parcel’s Community Plan Future Land Use Map designation from “public/semi-public” and “single-family medium density residential” to “planned area.”

The specific site plan was not adopted.

Councilman Harvey Stearn removed himself from the proceedings due to a conflict of interest.

Councilman John Bradshaw addressed a concern some had about his possible conflict of interest relating to A Day in the West Jeep tours but said he didn’t see it as grounds to recuse himself.

City staff and the Planning and Zoning Commission recommended approval of this amendment proposal.

The public voiced continued concerns about increased traffic in the area, and some council members agreed but said this issue could be dealt with later in the process.

“I’m very concerned with some issues that will be addressed during the development agreement phase,” Councilman Rob Adams said.

For now, though, council felt comfortable approving the amendment.

“Community plan amendments really are very simple,” Mayor Pud Colquitt said, “we [the council] make them complicated.”

The new designation simply allows ILX to go forward with the rezone process, which is when the traffic issue and other issues will be dealt with.

“If you think this is over,” Bradshaw said, “it’s not by any long stretch of the imagination.”

Residents and some council members are worried about the impact a development in this area could have on the already congested traffic situation at the ‘Y’ intersection.

“We’re not going to solve Sedona’s traffic problem,” Design Group Architect Mike Bower said.

Design Group was hired by ILX to design the project.

Bower added that most communities don’t solve their traffic problems.

“Traffic is a problem,” Colquitt agreed, “but it’s not just a problem on Brewer Road.”

Councilwoman Nancy Scagnelli said an alternate route is what would get traffic out of this area and help alleviate congestion.

Leaving these issues to be worked out at a later date, council commended Bower and Design Group Architect Max Licher on their work on the amendment proposal.

“I look forward to your success because you’ve done things right and you’ll continue to do things right,” Councilman Ramon Gomez said.

Scagnelli said she felt Bower and Licher were very responsive to neighbors’ concerns throughout the process and adjusted accordingly.

“I’m very proud of the process,” Gomez said, “because I think it’s working the way it should.”

ILX will now begin the rezone and building agreement process with the city, at which time issues such as density and increased traffic flow will be looked at more closely.