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Community
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 Sedona
Cultural Park stakeholders face off at public
hearing
By Cyndy Hardy |
Special to SedonaDaily.com
Sedona, AZ - May 17, 2007 - Kent Fitch, president and CEO
of Fitch Industries, insists he can save the Sedona
Cultural Park, located at Cultural Park Place and
89A, if the city lets him build an artist village
and five commercial buildings there first.
At Tuesday’s Sedona Planning and Zoning Commission
meeting, Mr. Fitch submitted a request for a conceptual review of a zone change, subdivision and
development plan for redevelopment of a portion
of the Sedona Cultural Park. Current zoning for the
property is Planned Development.
No action was taken and his proposal was met head-on
by commission members who had originally recommended
against Fitch's proposal in support of a community that wants the
cultural park completed but resists commercial uses there.
“You have dreams, just like [others did] in 1991,”
Sedona Planning and Zoning Commissioner Jim Eaton
said. “The former project was a “big white
elephant,” It didn’t work. I don’t know why.”
Mr. Fitch said he knows why the cultural park
project failed.
“Because there was no commercial support,” Mr. Fitch
said.
Until recently, approved land uses included the
amphitheater, performing arts facilities, exhibition
buildings, an Arts Village with a visitor center,
museums and administrative offices, accessory uses
such as cafes, arts and educational facilities, a
U.S. Forest Service Interpretative Center, multiuse
facilities, studios and galleries and elder hostels.
Non-artist-related commercial use was not allowed.
The amphitheater was built first and operated by
Sedona Cultural Park, Inc.
Financial troubles buried SCP in more than $5
million debt.
None of the other concepts were built and the park
closed in 2003.
SCP’s debt was then assumed by Sathcupa LLC, a South
Dakota corporation which stands for “Save The
Cultural Park.”
Sathcupa, and entities that tried to buy the
property, repeatedly failed to convince the city to
approve development projects.
The grass burnt, and the amphitheater stage warped and
splintered along with dreams of the park becoming an
economic engine for the city by hosting mainline acts
and artists like B.B. King, String Cheese Incident
and Tony Bennett.
By the end of the year 2006, Sathcupa threw in the
towel and was in escrow with Fitch Industries; and the Sedona City Council,
possibly sensing that it might be a last chance to revive the
Cultural Park, agreed to allow 40,000 of 160,000 square
feet in maximum building area for non-artist-related
commercial uses.
Mr. Fitch’s plan includes redevelopment of the
defunct amphitheater to reduce seating from about
5,000 to 2,000; studio/living quarters for artists;
a 40,000-square-foot conference center with
balconies overlooking the amphitheater; a 250-seat
performing arts center, possibly for Canyon Moon
Theatre; and a second 500-seat theater, the use of
which Mr. Fitch said hasn’t been determined.
Mr. Fitch said he intends to build Sedona Village
first, an “artist village” that includes the
conference center and 40,000 square-feet of
non-artist-related uses.
His request concerns 6.78 acres of approximately 40
acres which comprise the Sedona Cultural Park
subdivision. About 23 acres were included in the
2006 Community Plan Amendment approved by the City
Council.
Commission members were not eager to approve the
segment without understanding how it relates to the
whole picture.
Commission members said on its own, the segment
doesn’t address required community benefits.
“Usually the community’s benefits are on the front
end [of a development proposal] and the developer's
are on the rear,” said Planning and Zoning
Commission Chairman John Griffin.
In the failed project, the amphitheater was built
first.
“Right or wrong, that was the community benefit,”
Chairman Griffin said.
Mr. Fitch insisted to get the project going an
economic engine must first be in place.
“Pure art doesn’t support itself,” Mr. Fitch said.
Commissioner Allan Bergquist conceded the
amphitheater needs an economic engine, but
challenged Mr. Fitch to guarantee his plan’s
success.
Commissioner Denise Barnhart agreed.
“What mechanism balances your drive for profit with
the community benefit?” she asked. “The amphitheater
seems a minor part of the picture.”
“I guess I’m more optimistic than you are,” he said.
Mr. Fitch said the amphitheater is seasonal and
weather affects how much it can be used.
He said it could be a draw for the conference
center, which would have balconies that double as
“box” seating for events.
Mr. Fitch said the artist village offers additional
community benefits, with plans for coffee shops,
restaurants and bars that stay open past 9 p.m.
According to an 18-page city staff report, there
could also be boutiques, a museum, bakeries, ice
cream parlors and a forest service interpretive
center,
“I haven’t seen any tourist-oriented business in
West Sedona that’s been viable,” Chairman Griffin
said.
Mr. Fitch said the non-artist-related businesses
will be within the scope of the city-approved uses
and he expects an agreement with Canyon Moon Theatre
to build a performing arts center.
Commission members pressed Mr. Fitch for assurances
for the theater; whether the company has enough
funds to build and sustain the proposed venue; and
whether he will hold the space indefinitely for it.
Mr. Fitch said he has offered to build the facility
for a “reasonable” cost. Whether it happens depends
on Canyon Moon Theatre’s ability to raise the funds,
he said.
“In my view, it’s absolutely going to happen. It
depends on how you look at it,” Mr. Fitch said.
“It’s not like I’m going to kick them out and put in
a shoe manufacturing company in there.”
Commissioner Eaton questioned the viability of the
artist “live/work” spaces.
In theory, visual artists could live above their
shops.
Tlaquepaque arts & crafts village started that way
but eventually the second-story flats became shops
and galleries.
“Twenty years ago, Tlaquepaque [developers] were
pioneers,” Mr. Fitch said.
Now, artist villages are popular and his project’s
CC&R’s will protect that from happening, Mr. Fitch
said.
Commissioner Eaton said that might work, but he
wants assurances.
“It doesn’t seem like you think anything we’re doing
will work,” said Mr. Fitch, whom officials say has
been vague about some aspects of his project. “What
do you want to see for assurances?”
“I think it will work if it happens,” Commissioner
Eaton said.
Mr. Fitch said he hasn’t been more specific about
some aspects of the project because they depend on
the success of Sedona Village.
He asked the commission to look at it from a
business perspective.
“Would you build without knowing? I don’t know the
future. Don’t you think that’s a good business
decision?” Fitch asked.
“Probably good,” Commissioner Eaton said.
Adequate parking for the proposed ventures and
Yavapai College, which owns about six acres in the
cultural park, was also discussed.
“This is going nowhere without the satisfaction of
Yavapai College,” said Planning and Zoning
Commissioner Hal Driggs.
The college does not own any of the approximately
850 existing marked and unmarked parking spaces.
Bob Lynch, vice president of administrative services
at Yavapai College, said Sathcupa attempted to
impose parking maintenance fees of about $595 per
day.
Mr. Fitch said in a follow-up conversation, “per
day” was a typographical error that should have read
“per month.” Sathcupa caught the error and informed
Yavapai College, he said.
When college officials took issue with the fees,
“Sathcupa said deal with Fitch and Fitch said deal
with Sathcupa,” Mr. Lynch said.
Instead, the school voluntarily submitted itself to
city zoning ordinances. Land matters are normally
under the jurisdiction of the Arizona State Board of
Directors for Community Colleges.
Mr. Lynch said parking for the college is not
included in the Fitch concept design and certain
rights to common areas and parking run with the
land.
“The city has a responsibility to protect those
rights,” Lynch said.
John Hurley, an attorney for Mr. Fitch, said Yavapai
College does not have legal rights to the parking.
However, Yavapai College and Mr. Fitch have
considered a land trade.
“They offered 2.3 acres for [Yavapai College’s] five
acres,” Mr. Lynch said.
Not true, Mr. Fitch said. He offered 2.3 acres plus
180 prime spaces in a possible parking garage.
On Thursday, Mr. Fitch said his certified appraisal
indicates the land and parking he offered could be
worth about $2 million; three times more than the
five acres.
Mr. Lynch said the school’s counter-offer to swap
for six acres that is contiguous with the campus to
facilitate the college’s intent to expand the Sedona
campus, was declined.
Chairman Griffin said the parking issue is one of
many “loose ends” threatening the commission
recommending approval of a zone change for the Fitch
design concept.
Mr. Fitch said the project exceeds parking
requirements by 300 spots.
Chairman Griffin said the parking is so spread out
over the park that it doesn’t benefit Yavapai
College.
Several students and board members of the Osher
Lifelong Learning Institute, a membership
organization within Yavapai College, addressed the
commission.
They said the OLLI program primarily serves senior
citizens who need parking close to the campus.
“We have no doubt there’s plenty of parking. We want
to see where,” said Nick Gioello, the city’s senior
planner.
Mr. Fitch protested against what he said was nearly
1.5 hours of people calling him “a villain” and
accusing him of not working with the college to
resolve the parking issue.
“I don’t see them writing a $2 million check,” he
said, directing his remark to the OLLI contingent.
Mr. Fitch said the college is supposed to obtain a
certified appraisal, without which he cannot
negotiate a land deal.
“It hasn’t been done,” he said. “Why don’t we say
that? I don’t know why this is brought to you to
protect Yavapai College. I support what they do.”
Frustrated by the community’s pressure for
“assurances,” Mr. Fitch said he approaches every
project passionately.
He said he is 100 percent committed to a project
that offers many community benefits that support the
arts.
The viability of his project, the public benefits
and the commercial entities are subject to the
principles of business, he said.
“I wish someone could give me assurances,” Mr. Fitch
said.
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