Article submitted by the city of Sedona.

Sedona AZ – The Sedona Land Development Code Update of 2018 has been recognized with an award from the Arizona Chapter of the American Planning Association. The code won in the “Ordinance/Regulation” category.

Citizen volunteers and city staff members accepted the September 12 award at the 2019 APA Arizona Conference in Oro Valley.

Sedona’s first Land Development Code was adopted in 1994. The 2018 update project was the first comprehensive overhaul since its adoption. City staff received assistance from Clarion Associates, a land use firm based in Denver, Colorado.

Factors influencing the Arizona APA award committee were innovations related to both the process of the update and the regulations themselves, such as; the integration of new standards for environmental sustainability, methods of implementing Community Focus Area plans specific to geographic location and goals of the Sedona Community Plan, elements of housing affordability and new approaches to zoning, and, a robust public outreach program.

Sedona Mayor Sandy Moriarty says the new code reflects that robust citizen input and the hard work of the staff, saying, “The staff members of our Community Development Department, working with subject matter experts and citizens, transformed our old Land Development Code into a user-friendly, well-organized and readable document that allows us to advance our priorities of affordable housing and sustainability, and take advantage of changes in technology. The updated LDC also lessens burdens on the community by offering streamlined development review processes, eliminating cumbersome approval reviews by the Planning and Zoning Commission and City Council, and by providing mechanisms for staff approval when proposals meet community goals.”

The LDC establishes standards for all new development and redevelopment and is one of the city’s most important tools for protecting and enhancing the unique character of Sedona. The new document is designed to:

• Be user-friendly and easy to understand.
• Provide clear and specific direction for development and re-development.
• Implement the Sedona Community Plan.
• Address the goals in adopted Community Focus Area (CFA) Plans.
• Reflect best practices.

To learn more about the code update, visit www.sedonaaz.gov/ldc.

Sedona City Hall is open for business Monday through Thursday from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and closed on Fridays. The Wastewater system maintenance remain on a Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. schedule. Police and maintenance services are not impacted.