Around Sedona
Around Sedona
May / June 2007
Joel Gilgoff, associate broker, president
RE/MAX Sedona
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
The first Friday of each month continues to be 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.
Have you ever taken a tour of Tuzigoot National Monument? A 25 minute drive from the Southwest Inn will take you back over 600 years to a time when the Sinagua Indians inhabited this area. The population of Tuzigoot was about 300 people.
Sedona is again planning a Western Americana Day. This year’s event will take place on Saturday September 22nd at Sedona Airport. Featured will be airplanes, classic cars and a community festival.
City Business:
The City is in the process of creating their 2007-2008 budget. They are making some difficult decisions in prioritizing where their limited funds should be spent. Some initial cuts involve delaying the striping of bicycle lanes on 89A until ADOT resurfaces the highway. They are also reevaluating the cost of the Roadrunner Shuttle System to see if it is cost justified.
Big Park Community School was rated one of Arizona’s 20 best schools out of field of more than 800.
New Developments:
Funding issues have delayed the proposed Creek Walk Project. The City is looking at a scaled back design costing about 1/3 of the original $2.3 million. The new design would extend only from the Crystal Castle to Cedar’s Resort.
Highway Construction: We recommend that during ongoing construction of Highway 179 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. Oak Creek Canyon which was closed for about 10 days for road repair is now open.
Construction on the new $10.5 million Red Rock Ranger Station and Sedona Visitors Center is ongoing with completion scheduled for early in 2008. The station is located on Hwy. 179 approximately 1 ½ miles south of the Village of Oak Creek. When completed, 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. The construction is running ahead of schedule at this time.
The Sedona City Council has committed to join a regional task force with the goal of making Sedona a bicycle friendly community. The committee will access current and future planned trails to make sure they are bicycle friendly and create signage and maps for the public.
The Marketplace at Flagstaff Mall, a 40 acre shopping and dining development is planned for just east of the existing mall. Plans call for the mall to begin opening in October 2007. Stores include Marshall’s, Best Buy, Old Navy, Linens n’Things, Cost Plus World Market and Petco. Home Depot will also open a 2nd Flagstaff location within the development. Preliminary plans also call for a 10 screen movie theater. In the interim, the existing mall’s food court is undergoing remodeling and will remain closed until October.
The Fitch Company is holding public information meetings to discuss their plans for Phase 2 of the Cultural Park Land. Fitch is hoping that the city will approve construction of a conference center and hotel on the property which is currently zoned for only community facilities. I feel that the public will strongly object to this proposal.
A new 30 lot single family residential subdivision called “Hillside Vista Estates” located west of Bristlecone Pines Road in West Sedona was recommended for approval by the Planning and Zoning Commission.
An existing residence has been approved for use as a three unit bed and breakfast. The home is located on the northwest corner of Forest Road and Van Deren Road in Uptown Sedona.
The Sedona Chamber of Commerce Visitor’s Center is closed for remodeling. Construction began this week and should be completed in about 5 months. A temporary visitor’s center is operating in the Sedona Center (about 1,000 ft. north of the old visitor’s center on the other side of the highway).
Possible new developments in the city:
Two office buildings and 40 units of lodging across the street from the Les Springs Subdivision in West Sedona.
A possible 48 unit residential condominium project called “Falls at Oak Creek”. The project will include the redevelopment of the Oak Creek Mobile Lodge property along SR 179.
A 9 lot single family residential subdivision called “Seven Vistas” located at the intersection of Badger Drive and Lynx Drive in the chapel area.
Possible redevelopment of the Loma Casi Resort and adjacent commercially zoned property.
A possible new 7 lot single family residential subdivision located just west of the Basha’s shopping center on Payne Place.
A new 20 unit motel to replace the existing 14 unit Red Rock Lodge located north of uptown along 89A.
A possible 11 unit single family residential subdivision on 4.8 acres off Schnebly Hill Road.
A possible 60 ft. tall cell tower located on the Hyatt Resort Property in Uptown. The applicant, T-Mobile, is proposing to disguise the cell tower as a pine tree. (Might be a great place for Christmas lights.)
Remodeling of the old office building/gallery space on Schnebly Hill Road at the junction of 179.
A possible new building behind the existing strip center at 89A and Dry Creek Road.
Sedona Roads:
ADOT’s great experiment with roundabouts is beginning to take shape in Sedona. The first roundabouts at Back O’ Beyond Road and at Ridge Trail will be completed later this year. ADOT is considering giving education classes to the public in how to use the roundabouts. For info www.azdot.gov and search the site for roundabout.
Birding:
Birding is quickly becoming one of America’s top hobbies. The Sedona area has over 350 species of birds that either live in the area or migrate through it. Spring is top migration time, it seems that birds love Sedona as much as tourists do and stop on their flight between South America and Canada. The 2007 Verde Valley Birding and Nature Festival will run from April 26th – April 29th at Dead Horse Ranch State Park in Cottonwood.
Miscellaneous Around Sedona:
Javelinas on Parade, Sedona’s public art project, will continue on display through November 2007. “Javelinas on Parade”, a 104 page book of photographs and stories, is now available for sale. The book is available at the Southwest Inn or on the Javelina website www.javelinasonparade.com for a cost of $20.00. Proceeds from book sales will be used to support Sedona’s art community.
The Museum of Northern Arizona features a new exhibit: “Lasting Light: The Photography of the Grand Canyon”. Sixty images representing the work of 26 fine art photographers will be on display through June 17th. For more information visit www.musnaz.org
Out of Africa Wildlife Park (25 minutes south of Sedona) has just opened its’ first “community aviary”. The aviary will be a permanent part of the park and feature over 90 birds.
Casa Rincon Restaurant has closed and the building has been sold to the brother of the owner of the Cowboy Club. The building will become a new steak house later this year.
Events continue weekly at Red Rock State Park. For information call 282-6907.
Nate Schreiber, the executive chef for the three Cliff Castle restaurants, was named to the top 100 chefs in America.
Now that the Uptown Enhancement Project is complete, it’s time to take a look back at Uptown’s history. Two of Sedona’s businesses which opened in the late 1940’s are still in existence – the Hitching Post Restaurant and Rollies Camera. Thirty-five years ago Bill Pepparos owned The Turtle which has since changed its name to The Orchards Restaurant.
Sedona’s oldest art gallery is also still in existence. Most tourists pass Treasure Art Gallery on Highway 179 (you may mistake it as a house) without noticing it. The gallery was built in 1961 by one of Sedona’s first master artists Stephen Juharos and is open Mon-Sat 10AM-6PM.
Wildflower season is happening throughout Arizona at this time of year. There are lots of sites that report the best viewing areas. Search Google for “Arizona Wildflowers” for reports of the best sighting areas for the dates you plan to be in Arizona.
Sedona artist Jan Sitts has released her latest book “TextureColorFeeling”. For information see her website www.jansitts.com