Town looks at sale of vacant Main Street building, residential property
Camp Verde Town Council had a preliminary discussion on looking to divest itself of the vacant Business Resource and Innovation Center.
BRIC, located at 385 S. Main St., and a vacant 1,119 square foot residence at 4092 E. Cripple Creek Drive in Verde Lakes were on the chopping block at council’s May 27 special session. Council directed Town Manager Miranda Fisher to return with a plan tentatively before October.
The BRIC vacated in May after the town “dissolved the two Economic Development specialists positions, who were the only staff working in that space,” Fisher wrote to the JOURNAL.
“I’ve never been a believer that government should be in the real estate business,” Mayor Marie Moore said. “I’ve always felt that the BRIC building needs to be not owned by the town. It needs to go back to a business owner on Main Street that’s going to bring sales tax into this town.”
The potential sale is part of the town’s stated goal of getting municipal buildings off Main Street. The 2026 Draft General Plan calls for a facilities master plan to assess relocating municipal facilities in order to open up more retail space, though voters will first need to approve the plan as part of the Tuesday, July 21, Primary Election.
“I would agree with the mayor that we need businesses here,” Councilman Brian Bolton said. “Old Town Cottonwood has done wonderful with their main street, I think we need to do something there.”
Fisher said divesting the BRIC building would reduce the Economic Development Department’s budget by reducing expenses such as utilities and IT services.
“When the Economic Development program manager position is filled, the intent is for that position to operate out of the Community Development offices so that all Development Services-related staff are housed within a centralized location,” according to the council packet. “Additionally, staff is evaluating opportunities to create a conference room within the Clerk’s Office area to accommodate meetings and collaborative workspace needs that is more private than the current conference area in the Community Development office.”
In order to sell the BRIC, the parking lot needs to be addressed because the building has a shared parking lot that serves multiple town facilities. Fisher said that the town needs to carve out a dedicated section of the parking lot to provide the required parking per code, or establish a shared parking agreement.
Cripple Creek Drive Location
The parcel at 4092 E. Cripple Creek Drive has a 1993 manufactured home on-site with a garage, and was part of a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development assistance program. However, the property was deeded to the town in September 2019, after the owner died and the children did not want the property. The home and the property “appear to be in fair to good condition,” according to the council packet.
“Sell the Cripple Creek property, definitely,” Vice Mayor Wendy Escoffier said.
Town Property Inventory
The two properties were included in a town inventory analysis completed in May. In total, the town owns 398 parcels totaling approximately 622 acres. The parcels break down as: 302 vacant parcels that are undevelopable because of risk factors such as cost or flooding concerns, 60 street or right-of-way parcels, 28 buildings and facilities parcels.
However the majority of the vacant parcel inventory located within the Federal Emergency Management Agency-designated flood zones clustered within the Clear Creek Character Area, the council packet reads.
Nine parcels were identified that are developable vacant lots and include:
- ■ 3626 E. Mockingbird Lane: 0.27 acres, residential zoning, Clear Creek area
- ■ S. Cliffs Parkway: 5 acres, residential zoning, Finnie Flat area
- ■ E. Phyllis Circle: 0.12 acres, residential zoning, Clear Creek area
- ■ E. Skyline and S. Lake Front drives: 0.5 acres, residential zoning, partially in flood zone, Clear Creek area
- ■ S. Lake Front and E. Skyline drives: 0.39 acres, residential zoning, partially in flood zone, Clear Creek area
- ■ Main Street and Montezuma Castle Highway: 0.09 acres, commercial zoning, downtown area, part of a possible future road realignment
- ■ 24 W. Finnie Flat Road: 0.26 acres, commercial zoning, downtown area, also part of a possible road realignment
- ■ State Route 260 and S. Oasis Road: 2.97 acres, residential zoning, Salt Mine area, possible future Oasis Trailhead site
- ■ 546 S. 1st St.: 2.96 acres, commercial zoning, downtown area, known as the “old Blevins property”
