Awards & Accolades
1. Arizona Department of Transportation’s Office of Communications and Public Involvement won four top awards at the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials’ TransComm meeting. The winners were:
- TransComm PR Professional of the Year: Doug Pacey;
- Virtual Public Involvement: 2050 Long-Range Transportation Plan;
- Video Production-External: Sliding a Bridge – SR 79 at the Gila River, and
- Transportation Event: I-10 Broadway Curve Improvement Project – Ready to Rubble.
2. Developer aLocal broke ground last month on the $200M Apache Corners mixed-use project for the Tonto Apache Tribe. The project will develop approximately 75 acres on the reservation and expand the Mazatzal Hotel and Casino with a family entertainment center, several restaurants, office and manufacturing space, a supermarket and other retail. The project also includes Heritage Distilleries’ first Arizona location.
Groundbreakings
3. Work has begun on the City of Phoenix’s renovations of Wells Fargo Plaza into the new 525KSF Phoenix Police Department Headquarters. The renovations will add $180M in improvements and renovations to the 27-story building, which the City originally purchased for $46.5M. Move-ins will take place in phases, with overall completion expected in 2025.
4. Toll Brothers Apartment Living broke ground on Lumara, a 456-unit garden community featuring three- and four-story buildings in Phoenix. Chasse Building Team is the general contractor.
5. Toll Brothers Apartment Living began construction on Navona, a 400-unit apartment complex featuring two- and three-story garden buildings in Mesa. Chasse Building Team is the general contractor.
6. Thompson Thrift announced the construction will start this month on Refinery at Pointe17, a 224-unit apartment complex at the Pointe17 mixed-use development in north Phoenix. Refinery at Pointe17 will offer one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments averaging 1KSF.
7. Greystar Real Estate Partners, LLC announced the groundbreaking of City North Residential Phase II. Phase II will add 348 residences to the 272 from Phase I with floorplans of one- and two-bedroom layouts ranging from 621SF – 1,439SF. Preleasing is expected to be in late 2025 with completion in the second quarter of 2026. Architects Orange is the architect, Lawrence Lake Interiors is the interior designer and ABLA is the landscape architect. SofMac Partners and Greystar are the developers with Security Benefit Life Insurance Company as the lender.
8. Construction on ECHO P132 has begun in Surprise at 132nd Street and Peoria Avenue. The four new single-tenant industrial buildings are expected to total 182KSF. Premier Design + Build Group is the general contractor.
9. After more than six years of planning, the Town of Marana held the ceremonial groundbreaking for its Community and Aquatic Center in October. The new center is expected to be 61KSF, with the aquatic center to include a 10-lane swimming pool, zero-depth entry secondary pool and a resistance channel for walking. The remaining community center will include gathering space and sports courts, among other features. Expected completion is set for spring 2025.
Progress Reports
10. Central Arizona Project recently provided an update on the 10.5-mile Central Mesa Reuse Pipeline project. The $172M project will deliver treated wastewater from Mesa’s Northwest Water Reclamation Plant south to the Gila River Indian Community. Work started in September. Upon completion in spring of 2025, Mesa will have the capacity to transport approximately 30,000 acre-feet of effluent each year to the Gila River Indian Community and receive about 24,000 acre-feet of Colorado River water in exchange.
11. City of Avondale announced that the new Aquatic Center is on budget for $32.5M and on schedule to complete in 2024. Some of the new features include a play pool, lazy river, competition pool and more amenities.
12. The Copper Basin Water Reclamation Facility in San Tan Valley has reached the 75% completion mark. EPCOR, the developer, remains cautious of the supply chain but estimates the completion by March 31.
Completions
13. City of Mesa’s historic original post office has been restored and transformed into The Post, a new City-owned community and event space. The renovations used $28M of the $196M bond approved in 2018 and maintained many of the 1930’s original building features. The Post will eventually include a “neon garden” and outdoor event venue featuring iconic neon business signs preserved by Mesa Preservation Foundation and the City of Mesa.
14. Common Bond Development Group celebrated the grand opening of Safeway, located in Sterling Grove, Surprise. As part of the event, Safeway Foundation awarded $112K in grants to local schools and nonprofit organizations.
15. A.R. Mays Construction announced the completion of Doughbird – North Central Phoenix, a $1.3M, 4.4KSF restaurant interior remodel. Fox Restaurant Concepts was the developer, A.R. Mays Construction was the general contractor and Field Paoli Architects was the architect.