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New Sedona Homeowner Sees Ambush

Dear Editor,

As a new homeowner in West Sedona I’m very concerned about the outcome of the referendum vote on Proposition 410. I chose to move here from Ohio for the stunning scenery, beautiful night skies and vibrant community. I’m surprised that local ownership and control of 89a is such a divisive issue. I’m concerned about the future of a community where the decisions of the duly elected city council can be ambushed by a small number of people more interested in their own agendas than in the well being and future of our city.

Does 89a need some updates? Absolutely! Pedestrians need safe and well-lighted crosswalks. The safety of bikers and motorists would be greatly improved by redesigning the suicide lane to provide safe left turn options. The overall look of the 89a corridor in West Sedona could be upgraded and unified by appropriate landscaping.

What we don’t need is the miles of tall glaring highway lights that ADOT will install. Sedona has a flavor all its own. Those of us who live here understand it and visitors appreciate it.  Who could most thoughtfully and responsibly shape the visions of our future than ourselves, as the owners of 89a? I encourage voters to carefully investigate the facts and vote YES on Proposition 410.

Cherie Tolliver
Sedona, AZ 86336

Mark your calendars to vote in the City of Sedona Special election November 8, 2011

11 Comments

  1. Mike says:

    do people from podunk ohio think the city of sedona survives on hikers, bikers & retirees??? go home!

    sedona is a tourist town & needs people in our businesses 24/7

    why pander to cash poor dirt busters climbing our rocks for free, fixed income retirees in trailers & renting bedrooms from out of state welathy property owners, hikers that never change underwear or a $10 bill (bag of granola & a bottle of water purchases don’t pay sedona rents!)

    ambush? how about getting your head out of the bush & seeing stores and restaurants and outlets and thriving commercial districts need lights & lots and lots of car traffic

    give me a break on the eco, dark sky crap – president obama couldn’t make it fly with solyndra & millions and millions of dollars

    sierra club & benefactors & other old hippies without real jobs better wiseup and fall in with real world economy

  2. N. Baer says:

    Actually, the traffic on W. 89A is mostly residential. The Transportation Board’s data as referenced by the PowerPoint presentation of “complete streets” on http://www.completestreets.org/complete-streets-fundamentals/ shows:
    that of all trips; 50% are under 3 miles, 28% are 1 mile or less and 72% of trips 1 mile or less are driven.

    Accounting for the approximately 7,000 residents in W. Sedona, it is seems clear that most of the traffic on W. 89A is residents and not tourists.

    Furthermore, it puzzles me why those businesses in W. Sedona wouldn’t welcome local control so that everyone traveling on W. 89A can actually see their businesses, rather than buzzing by to get to Uptown or along the SR 179 corridor.

    Nancy Baer

  3. Marlene Rayner says:

    You forgot one thing, Mike. People (residents and tourists) come here for the Beauty, Small Town, Dark Skies and all those things you denigrate. Sedona’s business is tourism. The product we sell to everyone, tourist and resident alike, is our beauty. Destroy the beauty we sell and it is like anywhere else – not worth making the effort to come to. The shopping, art, and good food is a bonus – not the original attraction. Time to wise-up before you destroy the place. The majority (70%) of actual residents live in West Sedona. They deserve an attractive, safe Main Street, which would actually increase your business in West Sedona. Vote YES on 410!

  4. Sedona visitor says:

    My family and I were in Sedona this past week. We’ve had a timeshare at the Hyatt for about 8 years now. My first experience there was wonderful, and yes I enjoyed the dark night skies and also the views in the day light hours.

    Now to the nitty-gritty.

    We spend on average $500 to a $1000 dollars during our short stays there. The grocery store, gas, gifts for friends, and purchase anything we may have forgotten to bring. But the last two times we visited the banter on the drive home has not been positive on what Sedona is becoming. That post office near those gawd awful traffic circles is just so noisy and they leave those bright lights on 24/7. Not to mention the sirens blaring thru town in the evenings.

    We are considering selling our timeshare now, and yes this coming from an old hippie who just so happens to have money to spend. The northern california coast is still nice and quiet with just 2 laners and no street lights. Just the way God intended. C-YA 8-)

  5. DTGU says:

    bingo 2 u Visitor. hit the nail on the head.

    tho’t same when in town last week. take exception w/ traffic rounds comment bcuz we r familiar with & prefer over stop signs or traffic sigs.

    dizappointed in sedona after hype.

    views extra ordinary & worth seeing once or twice in day & night.

    nothing else worth the trip including ur Hyatt area, Viz. sorry 4 the bummer, good hippie.

    Pink Jeep tour worth early hour and price.

    Cuchina Rustica rez in south sedona worth price hands down.

    bike rental in south sedona worth ride.

    south sedona nicer in evening than other areas. walkable, quiet, no glaring lights to disturb beauty of eve sitting on benches star gazing (sit away from rounds 4 best view).

    liked Exposures gallery.

    Hillside center looked good (like metal art spinners) til parked & glare of lights ruined ambience. sorry Irish pub that didn’t get our biz.

    went to Olde Sedona Bar and Grill but didn’t look clean & smelled musty & entertainment was 2 old guys trying to be cool rockers. (liked Reds entertainers on Weds/Fri. down the road)

    my fam takes copious notes on trips to blog.

    sedona given a 4.5 out of 8 rating.

    day views & Cuchina Rustica & south sedona Bell Rock area given high scores for day & night. super bargain @ Desert Flour bakery bistro w/$25 pizza special & good food & good cheers like barkeep and locals.

    touristy main street a thumbs down. hyatt area mediocre (sorry Viz).

    Tlaquepaque gets passable grade w/mediocre rezs & shops. high five that Mickey D arch is turquoise.

    liked movie theatre for authenticity.

    Cafe Jose in south sedona has good cheap breakfast before 9 am. (Did not prefer Cafe Jose near Mickey’s.)

    pretty good tex-mex at Casa Bonita rez.

    best pizza in north sedona goes to Pizza Heaven.

    best new age shop is Crystal Magic. best clothing store is none. best gallery is Exposures. best second place gallery is none.

    most overpriced hair cut & color is Salon Virtu. (beats even Santa Barb prices. C’mon.)

    most overrated Marketplace Cafe. most underrated Studio Live.

    The Darby Trekkers Global Universe
    Santa Barbara CA & Kittery Maine

  6. Debbie and Jim says:

    Here’s to beating back developers and commercial retailers on 89A:

    VOTE YES ON PROP 410. SAVE OUR CITY….SOCk it to ’em!

    SAY HELL NO TO LIGHTS IN OUR LIVING ROOMS. TELL ADOT WE SAY YES TO KICKING THEM OUT OF OUR HOMES AND OFF OUR STREETS.

    Mail in votes don’t leave any more time for disorganization. 70% of voters better say YES to kicking ADOT out of town or people will stop coming. Read the comments above and kiss our way of life goodbye if ADOT gets to run our town.

  7. Eddie Maddock says:

    Hey boys and girls, are any of you authorities on bee stings? Only honey bees have barbed stingers which causes them to die after they sting.

    Those “barbs” remain in a human’s skin so that they can continue pumping venom inside. So, even though it only stings you once, it injects a considerable amount of venom. It doesn’t need to sting you more than once.

    One sting from Sedona’s Honey Bees, dressed in yellow T’s instead of jackets, stands to inflict a lifetime of ongoing indebtedness to those who are victims, long after the culprits are dead and gone.

    A “NO” vote on Prop. 410 will assure immunity to this debilitating disease.

    Eddie Maddock

  8. Jim says:

    Hey Mike!
    You’re a real Boy Scout!
    Your mother must be so proud………..

  9. Mike says:

    count on adot keeping the road and lights shining up the night sky !! the airport overlook has a telescope; we don’t need to cater to star gazers

    the forest service puts signs up for trailheads; we don’t need to cater to rock sitters. let the forest service deal with granola bags and empty water bottles.

    sedona offers what tourists and residents need & this city needs restaurants, shopping centers, more housing developments, and businesses that extract money from peoples wallets after they looked through the airport telescope and walked around the rocks.

    views are free. the rocks aren’t going anywhere. we need tourists money to stay in sedona cash registers !!

    Pink Jeep and other tours USE the rocks and views to make money. Businesses need to USE the rocks and views & not keep them off limits. NO ONE CAN SEE THE VIEWS IN SEDONA AT NIGHT BECAUSE IT’S TOO DARK SO WHO CARES IF THE NIGHT SKY IS LIT BRIGHTER THAN THE SUPER BOWL FOOTBALL STADIUM?? GET REAL !!

    tree huggers and rock sitters can’t organize a breakfast for two let alone get people to vote in this election which is why adot will keep the road & line it with superfine beautiful LIGHTS. GO ADOT !!

    nobody cares about the VIEWS more than if they get to EAT !! eating red rocks isn’t an option people will ever choose.

    people who build million dollar homes can afford drapes to block the lights. the businesses need the lights to pull in $$$$ at night. REAL WORLD.

    Without businesses sedona is a podunk town like the towns in ohio. If ohio towns are so great why come to sedona????

    my mama is proud

    she taught me not to be a fool

    (bet you liked the CAPS use; seems people can’t help but emphasize WORDS)

  10. Bettye says:

    Hi Mike, I can’t Thank You enough! I’m sure You can’t see it, but Your ramblings have just converted ‘no’ votes to “YES” votes.

    Vote “Yes” on 410 for Safety & Sanity in Sedona!

  11. N. Baer says:

    Alas Mike, you still don’t get it.

    If ADOT puts in 108 35′ tall lights . . . Current code allows 100,000 lm/ac x 0.65 CU x 0.85 LLF x 0.15 reflectivity = 8,300 lm/ac uplight

    => Therefore impact of proposed roadway lighting is comparable to 230,000/8,300 = ~30 acres (commercial) development as estimated by Chris Luginbuhl, US Naval Observatory Flagstaff Station

    There will be no stars to gaze at anywhere in Sedona!

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