Groundbreakings
1. Empire Group of Companies broke ground Sept. 28 on Revelry, a $288M, 533-unit high-rise development near the SEC of Rural Road and University Drive in Tempe. Aspirant Development, Empire Group’s luxury infill division, is developing the project, which will include 15-story and 17-story residential towers connected by a 27KSF second-floor pool deck. Layton is the general contractor. Empire Group secured $229M in construction financing for the project Sept. 25.
2. Whitten Development has broken ground on an $80M Embassy Suites by Hilton at The BLVD in Avondale. The six-story hotel will include 180 suites and more than 10KSF of meeting and conference space and will anchor the northern end of the Park Avenue District. The project is expected to be completed in spring 2028.
3. UMOM New Day Centers received final approval to begin construction on the $64M Salamanca Square affordable housing development at 4439 N. 39th Ave. in Phoenix. The 192-unit project is being developed in partnership with Alhambra School District on underutilized district land and will serve families earning at or below 60% of area median income. H&B Builders is the general contractor, and Perlman Architects of Arizona is the architect. Construction is expected to begin this fall, with opening planned for May 2028.
4. Pima County broke ground Sept. 24 on the first segment of its 134-mile Middle Mile fiber optic network at Three Points Fire Station, 7400 S. Sandario Road. The open-access network will form a fiber ring around the County’s urban core and is being funded through a $30.3M National Telecommunications Information Administration grant awarded in 2023. Construction is expected to span two years. The County’s Office of Digital Inclusion is coordinating the project, with IT, Project Design & Construction and Conservation Lands & Resources departments supporting construction and intergovernmental coordination.
5. The Heard Museum is beginning $12M in construction on three campus projects in Phoenix, including a new restaurant venue, Creativity Hub and a redesigned museum entry. PHX Architecture and Symmetry Construction are partnering on the work, which is expected to be completed in January 2028. The projects are part of a broader $36M fundraising campaign, with $23M designated for campus improvements and infrastructure. The museum has raised $28M toward the campaign to date. A separate 12KSF permanent exhibition is planned to open in 2029 as part of the museum’s centennial.
6. A seven-month water pipeline rehabilitation project along Higley Road in Gilbert began Sept. 28. The work extends from Loop 202 to Queen Creek Road and is intended to improve the Town of Gilbert’s water infrastructure. Construction is expected to continue through spring 2027 and will require lane restrictions and periodic traffic shifts along the corridor.
Progress Reports
7. The approximately $30M Sigler Western Museum in Wickenburg has topped out, marking completion of the building’s primary structural work. Construction began in spring and will now move into enclosure, interior construction, building systems and remaining site work. Studio Ma designed the museum and cultural arts campus, and Okland Construction is the general contractor. The project is expected to be completed in July 2027.
8. Achen-Gardner Construction completed major transportation and backbone infrastructure improvements for Brookfield Properties’ Blossom Rock community in Pinal County as part of the Superstition Vistas Community Facilities District Transportation JOC Project. Work along Elliot Avenue and Blossom Rock Trail included roadway construction, sidewalks, curb and gutter, water and sewer infrastructure, storm drainage and related utility improvements. The project was delivered through the City of Apache Junction’s Community Facilities District, with construction running from November 2024 to November 2026.
9. Construction is underway on the 9.5-mile SR 51 Pavement Rehabilitation Project between I-10 and Shea Blvd. in Phoenix. Emery Sapp & Sons is completing diamond grinding along the corridor, with Achen-Gardner Construction and Rummel Construction supporting additional scopes of work. The Arizona Department of Transportation project also includes pavement repairs, bridge deck and joint repairs, drainage work and new pavement markings. Construction began in March and is expected to be completed in late fall. The project is funded through Proposition 479.
Completions
10. VIVO Development Partners opened the four-story, 174-room dual-brand Tempo by Hilton Gallery Park and Homewood Suites Phoenix/Mesa Airport at 5057 S. Power Road in Mesa. The property includes 97 Tempo rooms and 77 Homewood Suites extended-stay suites and serves as a centerpiece of Gallery Park and VIVO Development Partners’ planned mixed-use development near Loop 202 and Power Road. The broader Gallery Park project is expected to total more than 1MSF of hospitality, residential, restaurant, retail and community space.
11. Phoenix Union High School District completed the first phase of its Metro Tech High School campus renovation at the NWC of Thomas Road and 19th Avenue in Phoenix. Phase I modernized 77KSF of career and technical education and traditional classroom space and included a new entrance, lobby and administrative areas. Phase II is underway and will add a 22.5KSF competition gymnasium, new sports fields and campus circulation improvements. DLR Group designed the multi-phase project, and McCarthy Building Companies Inc. is the general contractor. Phase II is scheduled for completion before the 2027-2028 school year, with the overall renovation funded through voter-approved 2023 bond funds.
12. AF Steel Fabricators invested $20M in Fab 2, a 55KSF processing facility nearing completion at its 18-acre campus at 6549 Rock Solid Way in the Gila River Indian Community. The company broke ground approximately a year ago and expects to open the facility in early October. Fab 2 will operate alongside AF Steel’s existing 65KSF plant and is expected to increase processing capacity from approximately 60 tons to 240 tons per day.
13. Albers Aerospace is opening a new 30KSF Manufacturing Center of Excellence at 3480 E. Britannia Dr. in Tucson. The facility will support production of aerospace and defense components for customers in Tucson and across the Southwest. A grand opening was scheduled for Sept. 30.
14. A new Banner Urgent Care clinic has opened in north Phoenix at 2525 W. Carefree Hwy., Suite 156. Banner Health’s new location also includes a Banner Occupational Health Clinic, expanding the health system’s outpatient presence along the I-17 corridor.