by Cyndy Hardy

SEDONA, AZ – July 2, 2008 – David Goldman is one of several Sedona residents who say six proposed affordable condominiums do not justify keeping density that is supposed to be reduced when the Oak Creek Mobile Lodge on Hwy. 179 is redeveloped.

“Let’s be fair – is this a trade-off to get [the higher density]?” Mr. Goldman asked.

Property owners Don and Cathy Campbell want to remove 59 low-rent trailers on the roughly 3.88-acre site and build a project called the Falls at Oak Creek with 48 condominium units plus amenities, according to a July 1 staff report from the Sedona Community Development office.

The trailers have been at the site since before the city’s 1988 incorporation; so when the city changed the zoning to RS-18b low-density single family residential, the trailers were grandfathered as a legal nonconforming use.

The Falls at Oak Creek project comes in just above the maximum density allowed in any zone by city code; 12-units-per-acre.

However, redevelopment was supposed to reduce the density to about seven homes, according to the Sedona Land Development Code. Density would drop from the current use of about 15 units per acre to roughly one home per two acres.

If the density is retained, the units are supposed to be affordable, according the Sedona Community Plan.

The Campbells agreed to build six affordable units as part of a package of community benefits that also includes:

“That addresses affordable housing better than seven lots would,” said John O’Brien, director of community development. If the Campbell’s redeveloped the property under the current zoning, the city would not be able to negotiate for any affordable housing.

And it is six more units than the city has gained from new developments, said Sandy Moriarty, a Housing Commission member. “Right now we only have one.”

The Housing Policy defines “affordable” as total monthly housing costs including mortgage or rent, insurance, homeowner association fees, and utilities of no more than 35 percent of gross household income.

The affordable units will range from about 890 to 1,000 square feet. Four will be one bedroom; two will be two-bedroom, according to Mr. Blatter.

None of the affordable units will be rented, Mr. Blatter said. They will be offered for sale to buyers who qualify under the city’s Housing Policy, at a price based on Area Median Income, which is about $50,500 in Yavapai County and about $56,700 in Coconino County where the project is located.

The Sedona Housing Commission uses an average of the two counties, or about $53,600.

Two of the affordable units will be priced for households that earn “less than 80 percent” of AMI, or less than $42,900, according to the July 1 staff report. Four units will be sold to households that earn 115 percent of AMI, or about $65,200.

Total monthly housing costs, as defined in the Housing Policy, should fall between about $1,250 and $1,900.

Protesters said that because only two of the units have more than one bedroom, only two families might benefit from the affordable units, which they said isn’t much justification for the high density.

Mr. Blatter reminded the commission to consider the entire package of community benefits. “Seven McMansions aren’t going to contribute to better drainage, underground parking or the riparian area,” he said.

Sedona P&Z Chairman John Griffin also noted that the proposed multi-family project gives the city some control over the look and feel of the project, which is one of the city's redevelopment goals; whereas it would have virtually no say over a single family residential development.

“Stuffing 59 units on 3.9 acres – that’s the result of what density can bring,” Mr. Goldman said.

The Sedona City Council has final say on the matter and is expected to hear the case in the near future.

© 2008 Cyndy Hardy. This article may not be reproduced, republished or distributed without written permission from the author. Contact the author at cyndyhardy@msn.com.