Sedona planning panel launches code-critique process, seeks broad public input

The Sedona Planning and Zoning Commission opened a multi-month Land Development Code (LDC) critique process, directing staff to solicit broad public input through a website portal and at least one open-house event and to return with a structure for public engagement.

Tony (Community Development Director) told commissioners the approach should begin with a two-month critique phase to gather input and that a consultant-led rewrite — if an overhaul is required — could take about 10 months to a year to complete. He recommended digital outreach plus in-person events so residents, developers, architects and other stakeholders could offer feedback.

Commissioners and public speakers urged the city to prioritize simplifying the LDC, improving predictability for property owners and developers, and placing renewed emphasis on walkability and sustainability. Several speakers singled out LDC section 5.7 (site and design) as especially confusing and possibly overbroad; one commissioner who had reviewed the code line-by-line recommended targeted revision rather than wholesale abandonment.

Discussion also covered procedural and technical items: commissioners asked for clarity on how notice radii are applied when a parcel borders National Forest land (staff said the city used a 600-foot radius for the Airport Mesa CUP outreach in part because of the adjacent forest), whether the online code is fully updated (staff said the published code has not been fully updated since recent council changes), and how the building code interacts with the LDC for alternative materials such as rammed-earth construction.

Panelists recommended involving people who "have skin in the game" — developers, contractors and architects — as one consultative group while continuing to solicit broad resident feedback. Tony said the first public engagement steps will include creating a web page to collect input and testing the format with an initial free-for-all open-house session to surface top concerns, then using follow-up, topic-specific sessions.

The commission directed staff to bring back a public-engagement plan and noted that, depending on the scope of desired changes, the process could culminate in a consultant drafting a formal code update. Commissioners and staff emphasized balancing community character and design guardrails with sufficient flexibility to allow creative and sustainable building practices. Legal counsel also reminded commissioners about open-meeting restrictions for informal communications and the limits on how commissioners may exchange ideas outside a public meeting.

The commission plans to begin the critique process in the coming weeks and continue discussion at future meetings; staff said a formal critique window would likely start about a month after planning and outreach logistics are finalized.