by Judy Mandeville, Historian
Pine Valley is a unique subdivision surrounded by National Forest. It is one mile from the nearest residential area. [Located about 9 miles SE of Sedona, Arizona.] The valley was homesteaded by Jack Speed. There were several western movies filmed in the area. Harold Friend purchased the valley in the late 60’s. Jacks Canyon Road was an old forest road at the time and it was redone with many of the curves taken out of it. You can still see some signs of the old road along the creek. It was put in during a very wet year when they had 13 inches of rain in two months. It was a gravel road and in some spots it became very deep due to trucks getting stuck and having to dump their loads to be pulled out.
The roads in the subdivision, put in by Harold Friend, had very little gravel on them and were hazardous during the rainy season. These roads were scenic with trees in the middle of the roads and the roads going around them. When the county came in to pave the roads in 1997 those trees had to go, and some others at the road edges too.
The subdivision was started in 1971 and was originally to be a mobile home park; the large lot as you enter Pine Valley (and the two lots North of it) were to be the club house and recreation area. In 1972 the zoning was changed to regular built homes and included factory or modular built homes.
The well and pressure tank were put in but not in use until February, 1973, when the electrical system was installed as far as Raintree Road. The West end of the subdivision water lines were installed by a licensed (?) contractor. He left town and the current water company has fixed over 250 leaks in that part of the subdivision. Pete Mandeville was working for the subdivider and operated the water system; with additional help he installed the rest of the water lines and assisted APS and MaBell to install their lines.
In 1973, after all the utilities were in, they found a 14-foot error in the survey which held up progress. They had to resurvey and redraw the plans of the subdivision. By the time this was settled the gas crunch was in effect. Sales were slow.
By 1978 the developer had sold all the lots and wanted to sell the water company. Pete and Judy Mandeville were able to purchase it and ran it for over 25 years. Today it is run by Judy’s son and daughter-in-law. At that time the subdivider turned over the Architectural Board to the property owners with the CC&Rs. In trying to upgrade the CC&Rs in 1992, they were voted out completely so as of now we are living under the Yavapai County CC&Rs. According to the R1L-35 zoning we are still one residential home per lot and one shed or guest house (with no cooking facilities). The setbacks have been grandfathered in because the lots are all undersize for the zoning. No mobile or modular homes are allowed in the subdivision.
1982
2022
We do have our own association: The Pine Valley Property Owners Association (PVPOA). PVPOA ia strictly a voluntary social organization and membership is open to all Pine Valley residents and nonresident property owners. PVPOA works to encourage social functions and improve conditions in Pine Valley. The annual meeting of the PVPOA is now held at our holiday party in December, and notice is sent to all property owners. Other meetings and get-togethers are held throughout the year. Times and dates are posted on the bulletin board at the entrance and on our web site (www.pinevalleysedona.com) Newsletters go to members only. Membership fees currently are $30.00 per year and provide funds for our community events, newsletters, fence repair ( Arizona is an “Open State” so we must fence the cattle out), beautifying the entrance, etc.
PVPOA is a member of the Big Park Regional Coordinating Council, composed of some 27 members of all the local associations in the Big Park (Village of Oak Creek) area. This Council was incorporated in 1996 to promote the best interests of the residents of the Big Park Community. This Council includes residents, property owners and businesses within the boundaries outlined by the Big Park Community Plan. The Council studies community issues and seeks their solutions. In doing so, it represents the interests of the Big Park community to County, State and Federal bodies and agencies, persons, firms or organizations that affect the community.