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Sedona Council directs staff to pursue lease and lot-line work with film festival at Western Gateway
Summary
After a multi-hour retreat discussion, Sedona City Council unanimously directed staff to begin lot-line adjustments and draft a potential lease to accommodate the Sedona International Film Festival’s proposed development at the Western Gateway, preferring a lease to retain city ownership and control.
Sedona City Council on Dec. 18 directed city staff to begin land- and legal work to allow the Sedona International Film Festival (SIF) to develop a portion of the city-owned Western Gateway property.
The council’s decision, taken after a lengthy briefing and public-staff exchange, authorizes staff to pursue lot-line adjustments to define the footprint SIF would be allowed to use and to draft potential lease terms for council review. The directive stops short of approving any sale, zone change or final agreement.
City staff said the first steps will be technical: determine and record parcel boundaries, confirm where a road and utilities must be sited, prepare any legal descriptions needed to allow clear development rights, and then process any required rezoning, public notifications and development-review steps. Planning staff estimated a best-case schedule — if reviews and approvals proceed without delay — of roughly a year from approval to start of construction, but cautioned that the timeline could lengthen if additional reviews or changes are required.
Patrick Schweiss, executive director of the Sedona International Film Festival, told the council his organization would move quickly to refine fundraising and design if given the green light. “We’ve already had initial conversations and partners ready to engage. If the council gives direction today, our fundraising and design work accelerates,” he said.
Council discussion focused on public benefit, control and risk. Several council members said they preferred a lease rather than a sale so the city retains long-term control of the gateway site and can limit future uses. Staff confirmed that selling a large parcel could trigger voter-approval thresholds and that a sale would have different legal and public-oversight implications.
Mayor Plueg asked staff to return to council with the results of the lot-line survey, a draft timeline for the zoning and development-review steps, and any capital budget implications the council should consider. Staff said they would also present potential lease terms and recommended protections for public benefit and site reversibility before any final action.
The council’s direction authorizes staff to proceed with the technical and legal steps needed to define the SIF parcel, prepare the potential lease language and begin coordinated outreach and review; any lease or zoning approvals will require later, formal council action.
