Sedona planners review Western Gateway master plan with focus on housing, park space and traffic

Planning and Zoning Commission members reviewed a draft master plan for Sedona’s 41‑acre Western Gateway (Cultural Park) site at a work session Tuesday and asked staff and the city’s consultant to refine density, parking and phasing details before returning with a revised proposal.

The session, held April 15, 2015, included a presentation by Jay Hicks of DIG Studio and city planning staffer Carrie (last name not specified). Hicks described public outreach (two workshops and surveys) and said the preferred program combines a community park and plaza, a possible 15,000–20,000 square‑foot recreation center and a mixed mix of housing types. “We’ve worked on this now for about 6 months,” Hicks told the commission, outlining how the preferred plan was drawn from two workshop scenarios that received the most support.

The plan responds to a city purchase of the former Cultural Park site in 2022 and aims to balance community‑serving open space with housing supply and small‑scale commercial along Highway 89A. The consultant presented a program range of about 450–490 housing units in the preferred alternative (an alternate schematic showed about 505 units), with roughly 27 of the 41 acres described as developable after accounting for steep slopes and protected view corridors.

Why it matters

Sedona officials and residents framed the site as a rare, city‑owned opportunity to add housing — including workforce and affordable units — while protecting open space and improving public access to the popular Western Gateway trailhead. Commissioners and the public repeatedly pressed on how many homes the site should hold, where higher building heights would be appropriate and how the city and potential developers would pay for infrastructure, parking and community amenities.

Key details from the presentation and public comment

- Site and process: Hicks said the property is about 41 acres; approximately 10 acres exceed a 15% slope and the team estimates about 27 acres…