Groundbreakings
1. Bourn Companies has announced demolition is underway at the former Foothills Mall on Ina Road and La Cholla Boulevard in Tucson and construction is expected to begin in August for its $500M replacement project: Uptown. The $500M, 51-acre destination development will feature retail, restaurant, an event stage, splash pad, apartments, hotels and a public market.
2. HonorHealth broke ground this week on an expansion project at HonorHealth Scottsdale Shea Medical Center. The $60M project will involve the construction of a new state-of-the-art Cardiovascular Center of Excellence. The expansion at 9003 E. Shea Blvd. will be completed in phases over a two-year period. Construction is scheduled to begin in May, with the entire project slated to be complete in 2025.
3. Rehrig Pacific Company broke ground on their newest facility in Buckeye. FCL Builders’ Phoenix office has teamed with Ware Malcomb to provide design/build services for the project working with master developer Merit Partners at the Buckeye Industrial Park. The new plant will be a 264KSF rail served manufacturing and distribution facility.
4. Pivot Development has begun construction on a 23KSF Sprouts Farmers Market store and new parking garage in the Papago Plaza redevelopment at McDowell and Scottsdale roads. The Spouts is expected to deliver by august 2024.
5. Foothills Food Bank and Resource Center announced it will begin construction this summer on a new $6.5M, 15KSF donation and distribution campus at Carefree Highway and 41st Street. No opening date has been set.
6. Construction recently got underway for a new 14KSF headquarters facility and event space for the Rainbow Ryders Hot Air Balloon Ride Company at 7934 N. Glen Harbor Blvd., Glendale.
Progress Reports
7. Madison Realty Capital announced that it has originated a $585M loan to Five Star Development for the completion of The Ritz-Carlton Paradise Valley, The Palmeraie and The Palmeraie, a mixed-use, ultra-luxury retail, dining and residential development in Paradise Valley, as well as a portfolio of assets. The loan will be used to finish construction of The Ritz-Carlton Resort and Residences in Paradise Valley at The Palmeraie, which is already 80% completed.
8. The Bureau of Indian Affairs has issued a cease-and-desist letter to the City of Maricopa to halt construction near the Sonoran Desert Parkway. The letter came at the request of the Ak-Chin Indian Community, which claims the City failed to obtain proper right of way under federal law. Maricopa disputes the claim and says the contested area is part of a separate project and not part of the current construction.
9. The $18M, 140KSF AquaRidge WaterPark at JW Marriott Phoenix Desert Ridge Resort and Spa is on track for a summer opening. The water park and pool expansion is part of an ongoing $80M update project across the resort property.
10. Developer representatives for Verde at Cooley Station report that nearly 95% of the retail space currently built at 130KSF site in Gilbert is either occupied or has tenant commitments. Another 12KSF is expected to come online in 2024. The $60M project will also eventually feature 750 apartment units spread over three communities.
11. Practice Hospitality’s restoration and revitalization of the iconic Americana Motor Hotel on Route 66 in Flagstaff is on track for a summer delivery and reopening.
Completions
12. Sundt Construction, Inc. recently completed renovations of the University of Arizona’s Old Chemistry Building, which was originally built in 1936. Sundt has renovated the 55KSF building and constructed an adjacent three-story, 23KSF building called The Commons. These two structures consist of new offices, state-of-the-art research facilities and seven new classrooms. The renovated and new spaces feature new technology and flexible seating arrangements designed to increase student engagement.
13. Walk-in cooler and freezer manufacturer Imperial Brown is starting production at its new 102KSF facility on East Medina Road in Tucson.