Sedona planning commissioners recommend denial of Tranquil–Rigby rezoning and conditional-use permit

The City of Sedona Planning and Zoning Commission recommended denial on Sept. 16 of a request to rezone roughly 9.5 acres at 50 Tranquil Avenue and 80 Rigby Road from RMH (single-family manufactured-home residential, 4 units/acre) to RM3 (high-density multifamily, up to 20 units/acre) and denied a conditional-use permit (CUP) that would have allowed the existing house to remain until future development is approved.

The recommendation follows the staff report, which concluded the rezoning did not meet multiple required findings, including consistency with the Sedona Community Plan and other adopted plans, minimizing impacts on surrounding property owners, environmental and fiscal impacts, and compliance with utility and transportation standards. City staff recommended denial for both the zone change and the CUP. Carrie (city planner, first name only in record) told commissioners the city had received the applicant’s complete file June 25 and noted the 180-day statutory review deadline in December for residential rezoning applications.

Why it matters: The parcels lie north of the Windsong Mobile Home Park and west of the Safeway shopping center along 89A in West Sedona. The Community Plan’s future land-use map designates this site as “multifamily, high density” but staff said the proposal lacked required strategies to demonstrate housing affordability and diversity and did not adequately commit to transportation, environmental, and neighborhood protections described in adopted plans.

What staff and applicants said Carrie summarized the city’s evaluation and told the commission that staff concluded the proposal “is not consistent with the community plan and other adopted plans,” listing circulation, environmental, fiscal and neighborhood-impact concerns. Staff noted the applicant had proposed a 30-year prohibition on short-term rentals “from the date of the zoning approval,” language Carrie confirmed was as written in the application packet and not tied to certificate of occupancy.

Luke Sefton, representing the applicant (Sefton Engineering), framed the application as an effort to increase housing supply and reduce developer risk. "Housing is a crisis throughout the country," Sefton said, and he urged commissioners to consider the application in that context. He said the applicant was amenable to many of the staff conditions and to providing a shared-use path connection through the site.

Public comment and historic-preservation input Nate Myers, chair of the Sedona Historic Preservation Commission, told the commission his body had surveyed the building at 50 Tranquil (the Rigby House) and recommended it is eligible for landmark designation; he asked that the house’s historic integrity be considered in any future development. Neighbors and residents who spoke at the public hearing raised concerns about traffic on private roads (Madol/Bridal/Rigby), emergency access, and the scale of potential development. Others urged approval to encourage developers to produce housing and noted the site’s proximity to commercial centers and potential walkable connections.

Applicant and owner comments Owner James Spindelman said the property owners had been encouraged by city staff early in the process and had pursued a rezoning first to reduce perceived uncertainty for buyers or developers. He described frustration with changes during review and said the owners were willing to work on conditions but felt the process had been inconsistent.

Commission discussion and votes Commissioners debated the absence of a development plan, the scope of commitments offered by the applicants (including the 30-year short-term-rental prohibition as written), and the limits of the commission’s oversight under recent state law changes. Several commissioners said they supported housing but were not satisfied that the rezoning provided sufficient, enforceable assurances about density, design, circulation or affordability. The commission moved to recommend denial of the rezoning and denial of the CUP.

Votes and formal actions - Zone change (Case PZ24-00018): Motion to recommend denial adopted; tally recorded as 6–1 in favor of recommending denial. (Commission vote record in the meeting minutes: motion passed 6–1.) - Conditional-use permit (Case PZ24-00018CUP): Motion to deny adopted by the commission; tally recorded as 7–0 in favor of denial. (Motion language and staff report were entered into the record and adopted as the commission’s findings.)

Process notes and next steps The commission’s recommendation will be forwarded to Sedona City Council for final action; staff noted council will consider the item within the deadlines established by state law. Commissioners and city staff identified that, if rezoned, development review processes and appeals would follow the Land Development Code and state statutes. Several commissioners also raised that state law changes (passed earlier in the year) shift development-review hearings away from planning and zoning commissions and toward staff review, reducing subsequent public hearing opportunities at the commission level.

Clarifying details (from the record) - Parcel addresses: 50 Tranquil Avenue and 80 Rigby Road (Arizona parcel numbers partially cited in staff report). - Parcel size: about 9.5 acres (applicant-stated). - Application timeline: initial application submitted in 2024 (deemed incomplete); complete application submitted June 25, 2025; citizen participation report submitted in August 2025; staff noted a 180-day statutory deadline in December 2025 for council action on residential rezonings. - Applicant-proposed condition: 30-year short-term-rental prohibition measured from zoning approval (as written in the application packet).

Ending The commission’s denials will go to Sedona City Council; staff indicated the earliest feasible council hearing would likely be in November. If council approves or denies, that action will be the final local decision unless appealed under applicable statutes.