Planning commission renews Cloth and Flame’s event permit on Airport Mesa for three years

The Sedona Planning and Zoning Commission voted unanimously to renew a conditional use permit for Cloth and Flame to continue hosting outdoor events on Airport Mesa, adopting the staff report and attached conditions and setting the permit to expire Dec. 31, 2028.

Planning staff told the commission the permit area comprises roughly four acres of airport-owned property (listed as 995 Airport Road / 135 Shrine Road) and that the renewal request seeks the same limits as the prior permit: a maximum of 80 events per year, an anticipated average event size of about 120 attendees, and a site with 41 parking spaces. Staff said 15 of the 22 events held during the prior permit period used a shuttle service. Based on consistency with the Land Development Code and mitigation conditions in the staff report, staff recommended a three-year renewal.

Applicant Olivia Laucks, representing Cloth and Flame, told commissioners the venue could not sustain the lease without the permit’s full event cap and that the applicant would consider a commitment to hosting community-oriented events on a yearly or quarterly schedule. "If we were limited to 20 events per year, we wouldn't be able to sustain the current lease," Laucks said.

During questioning, commissioners pressed staff and counsel on whether a conditional use permit (CUP) typically "runs with the land" and whether the commission could legally draft a condition tying the permit specifically to the current operator. Staff and counsel said CUPs generally attach to the land, not the operator, but that the commission could attempt to craft a narrowly tailored, operator-specific condition — though that approach is uncommon and legally awkward.

Residents who spoke during public comment expressed sharply different views. Tim Perry, a Sedona resident, urged approval, calling local performance venues scarce and saying the city should support arts spaces. Lehi Baker, who lives on Panorama Boulevard, said the jump from roughly 20 to 80 possible events within a one-mile radius raises safety and noise concerns and asked how event end times and traffic were controlled.

Commissioners also clarified notice and enforcement: staff said the city increased the public-notice radius because the property abuts National Forest land (from the usual 300 feet to 600 feet) and that sound-code enforcement focuses on measured impacts at the complaining property; the code’s quiet-hour threshold cited in discussion was 10:00 p.m.

After discussion, a commissioner moved to approve adoption of the staff report as findings and to grant the renewal for Case PZ25-0012CUP with the attached conditions; the motion was seconded and passed unanimously.

The permit will remain subject to the conditions approved by the commission and will expire on Dec. 31, 2028, after which the applicant would need to seek renewal or a new permit.