Responses to Questionnaire 2010Return to previous page. Do you support the development of affordable/workforce housing in Sedona? What could/should the City do?Dan McIlroy -- I think we are all in favor of affordable housing in theory. The question is how do you achieve it? Land and housing are expensive here because Sedona is a desirable place to live. Affordable housing historically has been in our neighboring communities of Cottonwood, Clarkdale, Cornville and the Village of Oak Creek. For the city to use the power of government to intrude into the laws of economics, to attain a desirable social outcome, may not be desirable. If a developer can buy land and build affordable housing, I would support that goal. However, I would oppose making a developer provide affordable housing that may cause him or her to lose money in the process. I support encouraging public transportation that will bring workers from the neighboring communities at affordable rates as an alternative.Michael Ward -- If I had been on the City Council, I would not have voted approval of the ADU ordnances recently approved by the City Council. In fact, I long ago would have redirected the Housing Commission’s efforts towards protecting the land parcels currently zoned high density manufactured housing. We should have taken steps to insure that the developers who have acquired these properties serve the city’s needs for more affordable housing. Affordable housing is a regional problem and the intercommunity affordable housing panel initiated by Mayor Adams is in disarray and lacks leadership as a result of the staffing cuts in other Verde Valley cities. We should have used the staff time and city funds invested in the controversial high density and ADU proposal over the past years to support and perhaps lead the regional affordable housing efforts throughout the Verde Valley. Rob Adams -- I do support the development of affordable /workforce housing in Sedona. I feel this is necessary to maintain a diverse community. Sedona only has about 4% of its available housing as rental units as compared to a State average of 20%. I believe there are limited opportunities for affordable housing in Sedona due to the high costs of land. We need to retain what affordable housing we presently have and add to our inventory through development agreements and the promotion of mixed- use projects. My main focus is to work with other communities in the Verde Valley to utilize public transportation to transport workers to and from Sedona. Barbara Litrell -- Because we are not an isolated community separated from our neighboring communities by mountains as is the case in Colorado and other states, I see affordable/workforce housing as a regional issue. We have many surrounding communities with affordable housing. The Verde Valley should be viewed as a whole and housing and transportation need to be considered together for effective workforce availability. I believe Sedona should take the lead on the regional housing committee in order to move the regional process forward. I also believe that the recent ADU ordinance which was passed in Sedona needs to be carefully monitored to be sure it is working as designed. Enforcement is important. Dennis Rayner -- Affordable workforce housing is important in this City – even though such housing is a problem in most higher priced areas all over the country. I feel affordable housing is a regional problem, which should should be cooperatively solved regionally via a variety of solutions. Since I think the problem is regional, I feel the present City pressure for employers to provide such housing and also to inlcude it in their plans for any new construction is very important. I feel it is also important to attempt to keep present affordable housing which has been threatened by any development and re-zoning proposals. I would probably have voted for the present accessory dwelling ordinance (ADU) since many years of employee time and expense to the City were already expended. However I would have made a significantly greater effort to limit such dwellings on smaller properties (zoned 4 to 6 dwellings per acre) where neighbors could be more affected. I would also have insisted on better enforcement, affordability criteria and rents, and neighbor notification for construction for such dwellings. The good news is that the present ADU ordinance has the 5-year sunset clause and an assessment of how successfully affordable housing is added will be determined over that time. Nancy Scagnelli -- The need for affordable housing is an element of our Community Plan and I am in support of it. Allowing for the rental of guesthouses – ADU’s – is one aspect of what the City has done to address affordable housing. The City has also strongly encouraged developers requesting zone changes or Community Plan Amendments to provide workforce housing as a community benefit. Housing is a regional issue, and Sedona needs to contribute and be a player. Our Housing Commission has done an excellent job of working toward that goal Dan Surber -- The City of Sedona has taken steps toward creating and promoting affordable housing by;
Jeffrey Sietz -- No response! Jerry Frey -- No response! Return to previous page.
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