72-unit apartment to be developed by Hans E. Brutsche on land owned by County District 3 Supervisor Randy Garrison

The Verde Independent newspaper, in a story written by staff reporter Jason W. Brooks, has provided detailed information regarding the potential development of a 72-apartment complex on about five acres of land located between the Yavapai College Verde Valley Campus, Haskell Springs Road and Hidden Springs Lane. As many as 14 units of the complex may be set aside for use by Yavapai Community College students and staff.

The land is owned by Yavapai  County Supervisor Randy Garrison and the complex will be developed by Hans E. Brutsche.  Mr. Brutsche has been working with the the Clarkdale Community Development Director Ruth Mayday for “some time” on the project.

The plan is ready to be submitted to the  Clarkdale Design Review Board, which normally meets the first Wednesday of each month.  However,  all Clarkdale commission meetings are on hold during COVID-19 pandemic social distancing shutdown.

According to Mrs. Brooks story in the Verde Independent, “it’s unclear when things will move forward, but Brutsche’s plan, should it get approval from the Design Review Board, would then need site-plan review for conformances by town staff, and a Planning Commission hearing on a re-zoning request to move from R-1L, or single family residential-limited, to R-3.”  Then, it must be submitted to the Town Council for final approval.

The site plan includes open space in the center, along with a clubhouse, with apartment buildings around the perimeter. As many as 14 units may be used by Yavapai College students and/or staff, so direct trips out of the complex onto Black Hills Drive, would be minimized. The report estimates fewer than 100 trips in or out of the complex in a typical day.

Source:  Verde Independent, April 1, 2020, reporter Jason W. Brooks.  The sketch below was furnished to the Verde Indpendent by the developer.

Talks involved cooperation with developer and potential cost  of apartments for students

Vice President James Perey

Vice President of Strategic Initiatives James Perey briefly outlined to the Governing Board at its March meeting discussions Yavapai Community College has carried on with a developer of an apartment complex adjacent the Verde Campus.    

The discussions centered on students on Pell grants and a need for some of them to live on or near campus.  Currently, the availability of housing is limited for students.   There were also discussions about possible entryways to the apartment complex and potential sharing of other Community College assets.

Perey said the developer was moving ahead with plans and would be meeting the Clarkdale officials regarding the project.

Please view the short two-minute video below to gather the full context of Vice President’s Perey’s presentation to the Governing Board.

Board sees first step as possibly obtaining 5 acres adjacent the Center; then deciding how it should be used; report claims, “Market justification exists for development of a hotel adjacent to Yavapai College’s Sedona Center;” Some on Board skeptical

At its March meeting, the Yavapai Community College District Governing Board members were presented with a detailed study commissioned by the College to determine the efficacy of possibly purchasing land and locating a hotel on property adjacent the Sedona Center.  The Board appeared most interested in purchasing an additional five acres adjacent the Center.  If a purchase was made, the Board would then decide its best use.

The study claimed that “Market justification exists for development of a hotel adjacent to Yavapai College’s Sedona Center.”

Third District Representative Paul Chevalier appeared to strongly oppose a hotel (owned by a third party who leased land from the College) while urging the College to pursue a possible purchase of an additional five acres.  His vision was to use the land, if it could be purchased at a reasonable price,  to consider expanding the existing culinary school. 

It was clear that no one on the Board (or College executives) wanted the College to consider building and owning its own hotel. 

Following below is a copy of the key findings in the executive summary section of the extensive report provided by the research team.  The entire report can be found in the March Governing Board Agenda by clicking here.

There is also a video of the Board discussion about the hotel following the summary.

Key Findings

Existing Conditions

Student housing exists only on the Prescott campus. The current inventory caters to more traditional college aged students (18 – 21 years old) with semi-suite units (100% of inventory) and lacks unit type diversity typically attractive to older cohort populations.

Between fall 2015 – 2019 the College’s housing occupancy percentage has decreased from 97% to 93%; with an average annual occupancy rate of 94%.

The majority (78%) of YC students are enrolled part-time and have an average age of 31 years old.

Yavapai College has the highest room and board costs compared to its peer institutions; 43% greater than the average of its peer institutions. Yavapai College has 221 student housing beds; 33% less than its peer average.

Currently Yavapai College does not offer any on-campus faculty/staff housing.

Housing Market

Regional population growth and limited multi-family housing development has tightened the housing supply in the market and increased pressure on those desiring a residence near campus.

Since 2015 there has been a population increase of 5% around both the Prescott and Verde Valley areas. During the same 5-year period, multifamily housing development has increased 6% and 5%, respectively, and vacancy rates have decreased in both areas.

The total cost to live in an on-campus semi-suite is equal to the average survey reported off-campus housing cost ($1,110/month). It is a value proposition issue as students consider the value from the cost of on- campus semi-suite and meal plan compared to the available apartments and the independence they have living off-campus.

Hotel Demand

Market justification exists for development of a hotel adjacent to Yavapai College’s Sedona Center. (emphasis by Blog)

Tourists represent the target market as tourism is the primary industry in Sedona attracting over three million visitors annually and accounting for 77% of the city’s sales tax revenue.

Three primary sources of demand were found to exist for a hotel; Individual Business Travelers (IBT), Group and Convention, and Leisure.

Housing Demand

 Insufficient demand exists to build new standalone on-campus student housing or faculty/staff housing facilities

Although there is a net demand for 74 beds of student housing on the Prescott Campus and 56 beds on the Verde Valley Campus, P3 Developers typically require nearly 400 beds of new development for projects to be financially feasible and self-sustaining.

YAVAPAI COLLEGE  HOUSING & HOTEL PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP  ANALYSIS

 The majority of student demand is from students who currently live with family/relatives, the group least likely to live in campus housing.

Although faculty and staff demand equals 25 units, P3 developers will require more scale to meet their required financial returns.

Faculty and staff indicate a lack of interest in on-campus rental housing despite survey tested rates being within range of renter’s current costs. On average renters reported total housing costs within 22% of survey tested rates. Faculty & staff focus on quality of life factors in their housing decisions, e.g. travel time to campus, but are still price conscious.

North side of campus, close to Building L

Yavapai Community College President Lisa Rhine’s monthly “highlights” newsletter noted the installation of a new book return was installed at the Verde Valley Campus.  You may read all of the Dr. Rhine’s Community College highlights for the month of March by clicking here. 

Following below is the note and photo copied from the President’s “Highlights” newsletter.

Waterline to connect the trail-head restroom to Building L; second is consideration of new greenhouse

Yavapai Community College has two new projects it is working on.  The first is connecting a water line from Building L to the trailhead restroom.  It is currently under construction.

The second is consideration of a new teaching greenhouse to replace the one that was near Building L. The location of this new 18’ x 48’ unit is under review by the Community College.

Source:  Facilities Management March 2020 Newsletter; photo copied from Management newsletter.

Part of 2020-21 Capital Improvement Plan

The Community College is seeking to purchase land so it can place an electronic marquee near 89A and Black Hills Drive in Cottonwood.  (The Community College is several blocks west on Black Hills Drive from that location.) The project is part of a larger plan that includes having electronic marquees on the Prescott Campus,  CTEC,  Verde Campus and the Prescott Valley Center.

The College Facilities department has  already installed a new electrical service for the Prescott Campus marque. That  marquee replaces the existing one and is scheduled for completion the second week of February. Both CTEC and Verde Valley Campus require land acquisition and no deal has been finalized yet.

The marquees are among the projects approved by the District Governing Board for 2020-21. 

Below is a rendering of a possible marquee for the Verde Campus. 

Source: YAVAPAI COLLEGE FACILITIES MANAGEMENT NEWS, February 2020.  Photo is copied from the newsletter.   https://www.yc.edu/v6/facilities/docs/newsletters/2020-02-facilities-management-newsletter.pdf

New roof structure, water main installed, foundation poured for a new entry

Yavapai Community College Facilities Management provided an update on construction of Building “L” on the Verde Campus in Clarkdale in its January 2020 Newsletter.  Construction appears to be on time for a fall 2020 opening, although a great deal remains to  be accomplished by then.

According to the newsletter, “Structural steel is installed on the second floor to support the new roof structure. The flooring to support the simulator labs is poured and work continues on installation of the mechanical units on the second floor. Glazing will be installed in January as the interior of both levels is dried in to prepare for the installation of drywall. Exterior work includes the completion of the new water main to support the fire sprinkler system, pouring the foundations and slabs for the new entry, hallways, and meeting rooms.”

The following are some photos taken from the January Yavapai Community College Facilities Management Newsletter showing the progress on Building “L”.  You read the entire Facilities Management Newsletter by clicking here.

Building “L” on schedule;  new Foundation office on Prescott Campus completed;  Building 32 being renovated to expand space for administrators; CTEC roof being repaired

At least four projects involving renovation, new construction, and major upkeep are under way in the Community College District.  The largest of these, renovation of Building “L” on the Verde Campus, appears on schedule to open in the fall 2020. The College reports that it is  enclosing “the first-floor entrance by installing structural steel and new flooring to support the simulator lab space. Concrete polishing is nearing completion in the Science Labs along with the installation of fire sprinklers and HVAC ductwork and piping. Framing is also underway for the new student break out study spaces. On the second floor, framing is underway to enclose the hallway and prepare for the new roof.”

The decision to move the Yavapai Community College Foundation from Building 32 to Building 19 (the library), on the Prescott Campus is complete.  Renovation was completed  with move-in occurring November 25. The College reported that close to 85% of this job was completed in-house with the Facilities team, which resulted in cost savings.

The College also reports that work in Building 32 on the Prescott Campus  is being handled “almost entirely” with the Facilities and ITS teams. Construction began in November and will wrap up March 3.  This building will house expanded administrative offices for the President and her staff.   

Sources:  Yavapai Community College’s President’s website:  https://www.yc.edu/v6/office-of-the-president/docs/highlights/2019-12-construction-news.pdf

Photos are from Community College December Facility Management newsletter.

How should future College construction in the District prepare to meet this risk?

An analysis by the Yavapai Community College Institutional Effectiveness and Research Department shows that the Prescott campus has essentially the same risk of a catastrophic forest or brush fire as Paradise, California.  Recall that the Paradise fire killed 85 people and  covered an area of 153,336 acres  (almost 240 sq. miles), and destroyed 18,804 structures. The total damage was estimated at $16.5 billion.

Tom Hughes, Director of Institutional Effectiveness and Research at the Community College, presented this analysis at the November 12 District Governing Board meeting.  He asked the Board members to reflect on future construction and how the College should deal with the potential of facing a fire of the magnitude of the Paradise fire in the District.

It was noted that over 400 hundred colleges and universies (roughly 8% of market) have formed a Climate Leadership network, comming to a combinaon of reducing greenhouse gases their school, becoming carbon neutral, and/ or developing community capacity to deal with climate change. (htps://secondnature.org/climate-aconguidance/ network/).