Economic Collaborative of Northern Arizona (ECoNA) — Camp Verde Embraces a New Era

by Community Contributor • July 18, 2024 • Comments Off

Good afternoon,

Camp Verde is a town in transition.

The municipality of about 13,000 residents has changed leadership recently, with Town Manager Miranda Fisher coming on board in late May. Within a few weeks, Fisher promoted Economic Development Director Molly Davies to Deputy Town Manager. Davies, who is a member of the ECoNA Executive Board, will continue her role as ED director until a replacement can be found.

Fisher says that promoting Davies was in line with keeping economic development front and center for the Verde Valley community.

“All departments are vital, but I think in Camp Verde, economic development is one of the most essential, given the town’s desire to grow and increase business retention and recruitment,” Fisher said.

A rendering of the Sycamore Vista project.

Like much of Arizona, Camp Verde has been facing pressure on the housing front, mostly due to rapid population growth. Over the past decade, the population has soared almost 14% and a lack of housing stock has led to high prices for both home buyers and renters.

The town hopes to alleviate that situation with upcoming developments, including the Sycamore Vista project on North Homestead Parkway, currently under construction by Atlantic Development & Investments. The 330-unit development will be roughly split between affordable and workforce housing, and include two-, three-, and four-bedroom townhomes. The first phase of the project is slated to be completed next year.

The town will also increase its housing stock through the High View at Boulder Creek, a multiuse proposal that received preliminary plat approval earlier this year. The ambitious project off of Highway 260 would include almost 500 apartments, 370 single-family homes, several acres of retail commercial space and a 260-space RV park.

One of the unique aspects of the High View project is that the developer, Jeremy Bach, has agreed to develop a 3-acre well site as part of the project that will ultimately be turned over to the town. This agreement addresses one of the challenges the town faces as it grows – a lack of water and sewer infrastructure.

The 110,000-square-foot FrameTec truss manufacturing facility in Camp Verde.

Those homes and services will be needed even more as Camp Verde builds up its manufacturing sector. The 110,000-square-foot FrameTec facility, a truss manufacturer, will be completed later this year. The $40 million project will serve as FrameTec’s U.S. headquarters and is expected to bring upwards of 180 jobs to Camp Verde.

The new developments and expansion in Camp Verde does not mean that the town is turning its back on its rural roots and agricultural legacy. In fact, this Saturday, the town will be celebrating its famous sweet corn with the annual Corn Fest street fair, starting at 11 am.

I hope you’ll come out for the Hauser & Hauser sweet corn, live music, cornhole competition, and beer garden, but also stay and take a look around at how Camp Verde is embracing a new era of economic development.