By BEX Staff for AZBEX
A pair of resident opposition groups have won their appeals against Sedona’s approval of plans for the Oak Creek Heritage Lodge resort on 11.58 acres along Oak Creek.
A development review request for the project, which would include a 70-room hotel and associated amenities, was approved by the Sedona Planning and Zoning Commission in April.
Two opposition groups appealed that approval and were heard this week by the Sedona City Council.
According to news reports, the first appeal, filed by Sedona Residents Unite, claimed the project proposed by R. D. Olson Development is inconsistent with the City’s development guidelines and does not adequately retain the area’s rural character, support nonresidential uses or protect the environment along Oak Creek. Other complaints included traffic impacts, building scale and impacts on emergency services.
The second appeal, from residents of Bear Wallow Lane, near where the resort site is located, claimed the resort would irreparably harm the bordering riparian area, use too much water and encourage overuse through the implementation of a planned trail system along Oak Creek.
After a discussion lasting nearly five hours, the Sedona City Council sided with opponents on a 4-3 vote and approved the appeals, reversing the prior approval.
