Around Sedona
- November/December 2006 -
Joel Gilgoff, associate broker, president
RE/MAX Sedona
Sedona Fires: In June, the Sedona area had two large brushfires. Both fires have long been completely out and there are no negative effects remaining. The Forest Service, after two months of closure, has reopened a number of the trails in the Brins Fire burn area north of Sedona. The Wilson Canyon Trail has also been reopened. Some trails still remained closed until further notice. These include Wilson Mountain and North Wilson trails. The Encinoso picnic area and Manzanita Campgrounds have also been reopened.
What’s Happening: Click on the links below to get a current list of events in and around the Sedona area.
http://www.sedonaaz.gov/tourism/acEvents2.aspx
http://www.sedona.net/index.cfm?Render=EventCalendar_ViewEvents
Red Rock Fantasy, Sedona’s annual Christmas holiday celebration begins 11/16 and will run through January 1, 2007 at Los Abrigados Resort. The displays include over 1,000,000 lights produced by Arizona families.
The first Friday of each month is a special event at 15 Sedona art galleries. Stop at any gallery and hop on the free trolley to see all the rest. For information call 282-3809.
The Flagstaff Symphony Orchestra will present seven concerts at Northern Arizona University’s Ardrey Auditorium running through April, 2007. In addition, the orchestra will offer two free summer 2007 concerts at Coconino County’s new Pine Mountain Amphitheatre at Fort Tuthill.
The annual Cottonwood Gun and Knife Show takes place 11/11 and 11/12 at the Verde Valley Fairgrounds.
New Developments: The City’s RoadRunner Transit System has begun operation. Phase 1 includes a free trolley connecting uptown, Tlaquepaque and Hillside and provides tourists continuous service every 10 minutes. Service will soon begin between Cottonwood and Sedona with two trolleys leaving Cottonwood at 8:30 am and 9:30 am – and returning from Sedona at 5:30 pm and 6:30 pm. Riders must purchase a $40 monthly pass to use the Cottonwood service.
Verde Valley Medical Center has broken ground on a $35 million expansion project estimated to take three years. The project will expand the hospital by 100,000 sq. ft. In addition, 45,000 sq.ft. of existing space will be remodeled.
A new townhouse project off Hwy. 179 in the Village of Oak Creek will soon be built. Vista del Cielo will be a 13 unit development located between Kokopelli Inn and Subway Sandwich Shop. The town homes will be two stories and 1,700 sq. ft.
Historic Don Hoel’s Cabins will bid farewell this year. These historic Oak Creek Canyon structures have been a Sedona fixture since the 1930’s. A new subdivision will be built on this property.
Possible new developments in the city:
ILX, owners of Los Abrigados Resort, have filed a major plan amendment request with the city. Their plan includes a Heritage Park which would be gifted to the city and a Heritage Village consisting of 49 timeshare units in 5 two story buildings including retail space for a small market and café. The proposed Heritage Village includes a paved plaza commemorating Arizonans who have received the Congressional Medal of Honor. Also included is Knoll Village and Hillside Village containing timeshare units. The plan for Green Roof Village a small boutique hotel has been dropped, 9 residences called The Grotto and a science institute called The Sedona Project. Total project size is estimate to be 23 acres. The plan goes before the City Council later this month.
Owners of the Sedona Cultural Park had requested a community plan change for the 44 acre park from “public/semi-public” to very low density single family residential. The plan was later revised into two phases. The first phase was to be a new indoor performing arts center and related shopping. This new plan was rejected by the planning and zoning commission because they felt that the developer (Fitch) had not completely though through their plan. They will be open to accepting a more complete plan in June 2007 when the hearings begin again for annual Community Plan updates.
Construction on the new $10.5 million Red Rock Ranger Station and Sedona Visitors Center has begun. The station is located on Hwy. 179 approximately 1/ ½ miles south of the Village of Oak Creek. When completed in 2008, the building will encompass 25,395 sq. ft. and will service approximately 700 visitors a day. It will house 86 forest service employees plus Sedona chamber staff and volunteers.
Sedona is quickly becoming “spa city”. Several new spas have opened or will open in the next month or two including “You Spa” which will be located in Tequa Plaza in the Village of Oak Creek. Owner Brandy Hunt has developed more than 200 products including lotions and bath essences all without synthetic fragrances.
Sedona Fire District is considering construction of a new fire station in the Chapel area. The district has been talking with Christ Lutheran Church about purchasing the 1 1/2 acre parcel next to the church.
The Sedona Child Development Center has opened on Brewer Road in uptown and is offering affordable preschool education and day care to local working families. The center operated by the Boys and Girls Club of Northern Arizona will cater to 2-5 year olds.
ADOT will begin reconstruction of Hwy. 89A between Cottonwood and Clarkdale in September 2007. This 2.2 mile stretch of roadway will then contain 5 new roundabouts. It appears that ADOT likes circles.
Potential new developments coming before the City Staff:
Potential 10 residential condominiums at the end of Jordan Road.
New commercial building next to Desert Hills Bank.
Proposed affordable single family residential subdivision in the Brewer Road area.
Possible redevelopment of the Oak Creek Mobile Lodge into residential condominiums with some affordable housing units.
A new project next to Walgreen’s which would include retail space and residential condominiums.
A possible 9 lot residential subdivision off Schnebly Hill Road.
City Business: The Uptown Enhancement Project is nearing completion. Current schedule calls for completion before year end. When completed, the uptown area will be ADA accessible and have wider sidewalks and improved lighting. The Cowboy Club owner, Tom Gillomen, has installed two magnificent large bronze sculptures in front of his restaurant as part of the enhancement project. One rotates and portrays a dancing couple – the other is a huge, larger than life-size, bronze horse with saddle.
The City Council has approved funding to underground the overhead power lines from the “Y” to Schnebly Hill Road as part of the Highway 179 improvement project.
The Sedona City Council has approved another alternate route study.
As part of the Hwy. 179 reconstruction, the City will contribute $2.5 million toward the under grounding of overhead power lines.
Schools: The Sedona Oak Creek School District is composed of three schools. Sedona Red Rock High School and West Sedona School have been designated “Highly Performing” by the Arizona Department of Education. Big Park Community School is designated as “Excelling” (the highest ranking available). Sedona Charter School also received a “Highly Performing” designation for 2005/2006.
Roads: The first phase of reconstruction of Highway 179 was begun in October and should be completed in 18 months by contractor Southwest Asphalt Paving. The existing roadway will be widened to 40 feet across between the Village of Oak Creek and Back O’Beyond Road in Sedona. The corridor passing through Coconino National Forest just north of the Village of Oak Creek will be bifurcated into a single lane highway with passing lanes. The current highway will be the southbound lane. We recommend that during this construction visitors to Sedona come via Highway 260 (Hwy 17 exit 287) – proceed west to Hwy 89A – then north to Sedona. This will avoid any possible Hwy 179 construction delays.
Miscellaneous Around Sedona: The Seven Canyons private Sedona golf course was voted the 26th greatest golf retreat in America by Golf Digest Index, a new magazine created for upscale golf enthusiasts.
Sedona area students will refurbish the now defunct apple orchard located near Red Rock Crossing (Arizona’s most photographed scene). The apple orchard, a part of historic Crescent Moon Ranch, is approximately 1 acre in size and almost 100 years old.
The Verde River is one of the few remaining natural waterways in Arizona. It is home to many native animals. The river now has a protected status for 30 miles of its length.
The Sedona Trolley has just celebrated its’ 13th anniversary. Owner, Armor Todd, calls his trolley a rolling Chamber of Commerce. Trolley tours are available throughout the day. Visit www.sedonatrolley.com for information.
The El Prado Gallery celebrates its 30th anniversary this year. It is located in the Tlaquepaque Arts and Crafts Village.
The Sedona Film Festival in an effort to elevate it to one of the finest festivals in the USA will begin offering cash awards to filmmakers. Local citizens Linda and Herb Smith and Connie and Jerry Levinson have made these awards possible.
The Gallery of Modern Masters has opened in the Hillside Shopping Center.
Canyon Moon Theater Company has signed a lease for 4,100 sq. ft of space in the Oak Creek Factory Outlets. This will be the home of their 2007 theater series.
A Javalina bench by sculpture Barbara Brown will soon be placed on Jordan Road just north of Navahopi Street. The bench is part of the Jordan Sidewalk Pioneer Pathway project.
Sedona author, Dayna Dunbar, has just published her first novel “The Saints and Sinners of Okay County”. The native Oklahoman sets the story in her hometown.
Sinfonietta, Sedona and the Verde Valley’s “little symphony” will present three concert programs beginning December 15th.
The television industry is booming in Sedona. In the fiscal year July 2005 – June 2006, 29 television shows were shot in Sedona. Of these, 17 were U.S. cable network shows, three were for Canadian television, 2 for Japanese television and 3 were for the United Kingdom. These 153 days of shooting generated nearly $2.5 million in economic benefit to the Sedona Community.
Events continue weekly at Red Rock State Park. For information call 282-6907.