Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Design Review topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Commission approves design review for Mesmerie (Don Hall) cabins after debate on visibility and roof profiles
Summary
The Planning and Zoning Commission approved design-review plans to replace 29 small cabins at the Don Hall property (Mesmerie Nature Resort) in Oak Creek Canyon, voting 7-2 after discussion about materials, fire rating and whether front cabins should match the historic main building's roof lines.
The Planning and Zoning Commission on March 26 approved a design-review overlay application to replace guest cabins at the Don Hall property in Oak Creek (the project is referred to in documents as DRO-25-001) after a 7-2 vote and a recusal by one commissioner.
Staff presentation: Bob Short of county planning staff told commissioners the property is zoned RC (resort commercial), covers about 16.77 acres and was originally approved for 29 cabins and related resort uses. Short said the current request would replace existing cabins in phases; staff recommended approval of the design review because the proposed cladding, colors and building massing were consistent with Oak Creek Canyon design guidelines as written.
Applicant comments: Fernando Mercado, designer for the applicant, told the commission that the proposed cladding will be specified as fire-resistive assemblies and said, "we will be designing these structures to be 1 hour, rated construction," a change the applicant said was requested by Sedona Fire and intended to reduce the resort's fire risk.
Commission discussion: Commissioners asked about materials, visibility from State Route 89A, wildlife effects and fire-protection requirements. Several commissioners said the proposed replacement cabins would be more fire resistant than the existing historic stock. Commissioner Best and others who had visited the site advocated a condition requiring the two cabins nearest the highway (identified in the master plan as Cabins 7 and 14) to carry roof profiles matching the resort's historic main office so the site edge retains a historic appearance. Several other commissioners opposed adding that requirement, saying it would amount to a substantial design change and that the Oak Creek design guidelines do not prescribe a single historic architectural style.
Recusal: Commissioner Ruggles recused himself from this item and left the meeting before the design-review hearing began; staff advised that a site-visit disclosure or recusal should be made on the record and that a commissioner who participated in a site visit can disclose the nature of the conversation during the public hearing or recuse.
Vote and outcome: Commissioner Walsh moved to approve the design review; Commissioner Williams seconded. The motion carried, 7 in favor and 2 opposed. The approved design uses vertical, dark-brown siding and composite decking to reduce visual contrast with surrounding trees; staff recommended a single standard condition related to paperwork and final materials list.
Why it matters: Oak Creek Canyon is a scenic corridor with a long-standing area plan that includes design-review guidelines intended to minimize visual impacts. The commission's decision permits the phased replacement of dated cabins with new units that county staff and most commissioners judged to be visually compatible and safer from a fire-safety standpoint than the existing structures. Future building permits will carry additional review by fire and building officials.
What's next: The applicant will proceed to final permit submittals; building-permit review will address technical code and fire-safety requirements that are outside the design-review finding.
