The Sedona City Council voted on Tuesday to designate an area for homeless Arizonans who live in their vehicles to park overnight.
In a decision proponents presented as a partial solution to the city’s housing crisis, the city council voted to allow residents to park and stay overnight in an unpaved parking area that formerly served Cultural Park, which closed in 2004.
The parking lot will be open to individuals seeking to sleep there from 4 p.m. until 8 a.m. daily, will hold up to 40 vehicles, and will offer showers, restrooms and other amenities.
Individuals seeking to park overnight would need to prove they are employed or otherwise have ties to Sedona. Proof could be a pay stub or other documents from an employer with a Sedona address or a school report card indicating family members are educated in the city.
Remote and gig workers will go before the city’s Housing Department for a review of their circumstances to determine if they will be allowed to sleep in the parking lot.
Individuals will be required to leave the parking lot, with their vehicle, daily. A presentation delivered to the Sedona City Council was unclear whether spots are reserved, or will be available on a first-come, first-serve basis.
At least 45 Arizonans who work in Sedona, but do not have housing, reportedly told city officials they would be interested in sleeping at the parking lot, according to the presentation, which also claimed the site is “desirable for the target population as well as city residents” as it is “not visible from any roadway or any private property.”
A recent estimate revealed Arizona now spends approximately $1 billion annually to support the state’s homeless population, with the majority of the funding directed toward housing projects and shelters.
Despite the spending, citizens have expressed concerns about the homeless population both in urban Maricopa County as well as rural areas.
The Phoenix City Council recently approved an emergency $1 million in funding to support the area’s largest homeless shelter after they were told the shelter would end 24-hour operations due to budget constraints. Locals, meanwhile, worry the former homeless camp known as “The Zone” could reemerge.
In Pinal County, local officials were reportedly left to clean up toxic garbage left by illegal campers after the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) closed public lands, prompting the homeless to move to state and county property.
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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Georgia Star News, The Virginia Star, and the Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
