By Jon Hecht | Sedona Red Rock News
In July, the city of Sedona entered into a contract with the firm Elliott D. Pollack and Company to do a study on housing needs in the area. Sedona is paying $100,000 to the firm for the study of its own housing needs, but has offered other municipalities in the area a chance to be included in a wider study of the whole Verde Valley — if they can raise an additional $40,000 to pay for it.
At a council meeting on Nov. 19, Cottonwood became the first municipality in the Verde Valley to join Sedona in paying for the study, pledging up to $10,000 to pay for its portion of the $40,000. City Manager Ron Corbin had initially sought up to $20,000 for the project.
“If you talk to any employer in town, finding housing is a significant issue,” Corbin told the council at the Nov. 19 meeting. He pointed to Verde Valley Medical Center as one of the major employers in the area that has had trouble finding housing that its employees can afford. “One of the issues they have is nurses of course, and housing — finding a place for the nurses to live … So we clearly have a need for workers and one of our biggest stumbling blocks in the community is housing.”
