True Craft Residential is the latest developer to step up into the ring with a new building proposal in Sedona.
According to the Sedona Park project application submitted to the City’s Community Development Department, True Craft is requesting, “(A) zone change, minor community plan amendment, and development review for a mixed-use multi-family residential, commercial, and lodging development on approximately 40.8 acres located northwest of the intersection of SR-89A and Cultural Park Place.”
The development components consist of:
- 647 residential units,
- A 195-room boutique hotel,
- A 15KSF “Culinary Collective,” and
- A 2KSF market.
According to the project overview, the residential component will consist of four distinct communities: “(A) 3-story community of 240 garden-style ‘stacked flats’ apartments, a separate 2- & 3-story community of 120 garden-style ‘stacked flats’ apartments, a 4- & 5-story ‘wrap’ apartment community with 250 units and a 64-unit community of 2-story townhomes.”
Residences are intended to be, “a balanced mix of workforce and market rate apartment housing, rental townhomes, and for-sale townhomes.”
The preliminary description does not say how many/what percentage of units will be designated workforce affordable, nor does it offer a by-size/bedroom unit mix breakdown. Emails to project representatives were not returned by press time.
Adding to the project’s appeal, an 8KSF clubhouse will be provided for resident amenities, including fitness facilities, conference/meeting space, art facilities, a podcast room, a music room and art facilities, among others. Residents will have priority, but the various spaces will also be available for public reservations.
The six-story hotel design is intended to make maximum use of the site topography and “disappear into the terrain from the vantage point of SR-89A,” according to the description.
The hotel will be a primary supporting component for the “Culinary Collective,” which is described as “the beating heart of the project,” and, “the nucleus of Sedona Park.” The plan calls for a 15KSF building with several food and beverage outlets in a shared space with a 6KSF outdoor deck, all of which will sit adjacent to the Cultural Park trailhead and offer a destination for visitors and area residents.
The 2KSF market next to the collective will have snacks, drinks and prepared food items for residents, guests and visitors making use of the National Forest trail system from the Cultural Park Trailhead.
Plan Closely Follows City Development Guidelines
Back in January, I wrote a column looking at Sedona’s lackluster history of multifamily and hotel development. No new multifamily units were delivered between 2007 and 2017. Since then, only 104 units – of which 45 were affordable – have completed. Of the 288 affordable units proposed in a total of eight projects since 2016, four projects with 166 affordable units have been canceled. (AZBEX; January 25)
Building anything new – particularly residential other than higher-end single-family owner-occupied homes – has always been a tough sell in Sedona. The city’s identity is centered around its proximity the area’s natural splendor and the fact that it is a luxury getaway and first- or second-home destination for high-net-worth individuals.
To some extent, Sedona’s status as a scenic tourism and luxury getaway destination has made it a victim of its own success. While the Sedona Tourism Bureau reports 77% of the City’s sales tax collections and more than half of the tax-funded portion of the Sedona Fire District budget are supported by visitor-related activities, and the Sedona Chamber of Commerce reported 3.4 million visitors in 2020, the volume of visitors has led to significant problems with congestion in the Uptown area and traffic to and from area trailheads. As of last November, the City was considering instituting a shuttle service to ferry visitors to and from popular sites to help minimize traffic and congestion.
The Sedona Park proposal specifically states the project is intended to provide “a destination to gather, socialize, eat, drink, and relax for both visitors and residents – providing a crucial secondary hub of activity in Sedona to take pressure off the Uptown area.”
For years, Sedonans and the local representatives have been of two minds about development, both embracing the city’s exclusivity and acknowledging the lack of and need for housing diversity. A community plan adopted in 2017 specifically acknowledges the need for greater density and diversity in housing types.
The Sedona Community Plan features 13 Community Focus Areas intended to guide development or redevelopment in manners conducive to the city’s identity and long-term vision. The Sedona Park site sits in the Western Gateway Community Focus Area, and the submitted letter of intent spends six of 14 project description pages detailing exactly how and why the project hews to and was guided by the CFA in its planning.
CFA components specifically called out and identified as being addressed in detail include:
- General land use,
- Commercial and lodging land use,
- Housing land use,
- Traffic flow circulation,
- Pedestrian and bicycle circulation and walkability,
- Parking and transit circulation,
- National forest lands and natural open space environmental considerations,
- Green building,
- Community spaces and activities,
- Area character, and
- Cultural Park Character Area development guidelines for multifamily residential, lodging, commercial, open space, and showcasing and enhancing the Cultural Park Trailhead and vista point.
Summarizing the introduction to the request and project overview, the submittal states, “Sedona Park directly addresses two of the City of Sedona’s most urgent problems: housing inventory and the need for a secondary hub of activity to relieve the pressure on Uptown. The development of 674 residences is not merely a token gesture – at full build-out it will be the largest contribution to Sedona’s rental housing inventory by several orders of magnitude. Shaped by the guidance and direction of the Western Gateway CFA to meet the City’s needs and the community’s goals, Sedona Park is a dynamic mixed-use community that truly offers something for everyone.”
True Craft Residential is the developer. Design services are provided by BSB Design and by RDC. The project is represented by Withey Morris, PLC.
No project discussion or hearing dates have been announced as of press time.
