AND WORK WITH ADOT TO BUILD A ROUNDABOUT ON SR 89A FOR SAFE ACCESS TO THE DELLS
Imagine a 30 to 50-acre garden-like environment with lakes, hills, trees, picnic areas, an outdoor grass hill amphitheater, and walking, jogging, and biking paths. All are just five minutes from Sedona on property the city owns. In other parts of America, they have thought big about creating beautiful, functional, and inviting parks. We can do the same at the Dells and still leave over 200 acres to be developed or not developed in the future.
Think about it. It takes visionary big bold actions to create a public space for the people of today and for many generations in the future. How do you think cities have places like Central Park in New York City, Forest Park, in St. Louis, and Golden Gate Park in San Francisco? It took bold initiatives driven by motivated citizens and a governmnet willing to think "out of the box."
In 2016, a work group was created to envision what could be done with the property known as the Dells. They came up with very creative ideas that included parks and theater, as well as other environmentally sensitive uses for the good of everybody
SEPTEMBER 2015
A report to the Sedona City Manager containing concepts regarding the use of a portion of the Wastewater Treatment Plant designated Area 4 being a portion of the 2014 Sedona Community Plan identified as Community Focus Area 13
Summary of the Report:
The choice to protect these lands (and almost all environmental preservation choices) requires a longer-term vision. We need a vision that considers the unique, intrinsic value of land that is left unspoiled for the enjoyment and nurturing of people and wildlife. We need a vision of the greater Verde Valley that protects the delicate balance between its communities and the natural lands that both separates and connects them in an ecologically balanced way.
As our communities continue to grow, open space will become more and more valuable both environmentally and economically. Protecting the Grasslands and the transition to the Juniper/Woodland between Cottonwood and Sedona, including the Dells area, is essential for this vision of preservation. This choice acknowledges the responsibility the city of Sedona has for the land it has acquired, the responsibility of stewardship and partnership with its neighboring communities, and the delicate processes of nature.
Let us strive to make decisions that will be seen by future generations as having been made with great care in the spirit of land stewardship and sustained quality of life in relationship with Sedona’s precious natural ecosystems. In doing so, we will become a model and inspiration for other communities.
The entire Dells property is about 400+ acres property to the right is about 300 acres.
Annex Forest Service land along SR 89A west of Sedona to bring the Dells’ property into the city limits to allow for orderly and controlled planning and use.
(Note, recent Cottonwood expansion is within one mile of the Dells property)
The City of Sedona owns over 600 acres five miles west of town on State Route 89A. About half of it is used for the wastewater processing plant and soon will also have a maintenance facility for transit vehicles. Across the street is approximately 240 acres, that we call the Dells. It is in Yavapai County, not the City of Sedona. Annexing the Dells, the entire 600 acres into the city limits would mean that the city gets to decide how to develop the property in the future. Since it's now in the county, the county has to determine what zoning they would give Sedona based on Sedona requesting appropriate zoning.
This is a closer view of the potential Forest Service land to be annexed into the city of Sedona to connect to the Dells. Such an expansion could avoid private property in Elmersville, and Sedona Shadows/Sedona Pines Resort.
This is the entire property called the Dells. The left side is the city’s waste disposal plant and the right side has been used for processed water dispersement,