Awards & Accolades
1. The new Clark Park Community Center was recently honored with a Distinguished Architecture Award from the American Institute of Architects Arizona. The design and construction team consisted of:
- Haydon Building Corp., project construction;
- Wood Patel & Associates, Inc., civil engineering;
- Holly Street Studio, architect;
- Dig Studios, landscape architect;
- Aquatic Design, pool design, and
- Nicole Mueller, public art.
Groundbreakings
2. The Arizona Department of Transportation will begin work in early December along Interstate 40 to construct a new interchange that will in turn connect with a new roadway serving the east Kingman area. The Rancho Santa Fe Parkway interchange will be about four miles east of the existing historic Route 66 interchange. The project costs $44M and is expected to be finished in approximately 1.5 years.
3. Construction began for a 312-unit affordable housing project called Acacia at Youngtown near Peoria Avenue, west of 115th Avenue. Ulysses Development Group is developing the project across 29 acres of land after buying the site for $3M. The first phase will consist of 192 units, while the second will add an additional 120 units. Construction is expected to finish toward the end of 2026.
4. Achen-Gardner Construction broke ground on its Cactus Road (BNSF Railroad Crossing to Litchfield Road) project in Surprise. The project will enhance infrastructure, improve capacity, safety and functionality of the roadway.
5. Benson Construction announced Dec. 12 as its groundbreaking date for its LuxeLocker Storage Facility at 14585 W. El Sol in Goodyear. The opening date is scheduled for January 2026. Once construction begins, 61 units will be available for pre-purchase. The facility will span 140.1KSF with 206 units. Benson Construction will act as the general contractor on the project, and Forge Metal Buildings will supply and erect all steel.
6. A groundbreaking ceremony was held for the 68KSF Celebration Medical Center at 3275 S. Mercy Road in Gilbert. Okland Capital is the developer. CBRE is marketing the leasing opportunities at the facility.
Progress Reports
7. McCarthy Building Companies, the general contractor for Vantage Data Centers’ $1.5B Goodyear campus, announced the completion of the third of five planned data centers. Corgan Architects, Rosendin Electric, Southland Industries and Amfab Steel also worked on the third data center. The contractor also topped out the fourth at Vantage’s AZ1 campus, which is expected to be completed during summer 2026.
8. The Queen Creek Recreation & Aquatic Center at Frontier Family Park is anticipated to open in spring 2025. DWL Architects is the design firm attached to the project. Haydon is the contractor. The aquatic center is on Signal Butte Road just north of Queen Creek Road and will feature an indoor track, fitness area, zero-depth entry pool, lazy river and other amenities.
Completions
9. JX Advanced Metals USA Inc., a subsidiary of JX Advanced Metals Corp., celebrated the opening of its 273KSF manufacturing plant on a 65-acre site near the NEC of Germann and Crismon roads in Mesa. The plant will create “sputtering targets” for consumers in the semiconductor industry. Test production has begun, with the company intending to introduce full production next year. The company originally broke ground in October 2022.
10. Sky Harbour Group Corp. will open the first phase of its new aviation campus at the Phoenix Deer Valley Airport in January 2025. The campus will include private-use jet hangars that could fit offices/lounges. The campus is expected to create approximately 200 jobs. The eight hangars consist of 134.3KSF of leasable space, and the property is already 75% pre-leased. Sky Harbour’s lease at the airport requires all phases to begin construction by May 2026.
11. Wood Partners is preparing to open two new Chandler properties called Alta Avondale and Alta Rise. Alta Avondale consists of 360 units across 14 acres of land in The BLVD in Avondale. The mixed-use project will be completed January 2025 and is offering 200 units for lease before the building is officially opened. Alta Rise, at Eliot and McQueen in Gilbert, consists of 278 units across four buildings. Completion is anticipated for early 2025.
12. The Arizona Department of Transportation transformed five miles of US 93 from two lanes to a four-lane divided highway between Tegner Street and Wickenburg Ranch Way in Wickenburg. Crews will complete final lane-striping in the coming weeks. ADOT reported the project cost to be $55M.
13. The City of Chandler opened its new Reclaimed Water Interconnect Facility on Nov. 20. Design and construction of the reclamation facility cost approximately $44.6M. Half of the funding was provided by the City, while the other half was provided by Intel Corporation. Intel will be using the facility as a source of reclaimed water for use in the cooling of its new semiconductor manufacturing fabs.
14. A dual-branded hotel project by Tru and Home2 Suites by Hilton recently finished construction in midtown Phoenix. The project has 207 rooms; 104 rooms belong to Tru and 103 belong to Home2 Suites. Plaza Companies, Holualoa Companies and Fayth Hospitality Group developed the five-story hotel. The project was constructed by Layton Construction.
15. The City of Mesa announced the completion of its new $32.3M City Hall at the corner of Center and Main. City council recently held its first public meeting in the space. Prior to the construction of the new City Hall, the site held a two-story housing building.
16. Cyrene at Skyline, a single-family build-to-rent development with 102 homes, is set to open. Curve Development is the developer attached to the project. The development is approximately 30 miles west of Phoenix in Waddell. The rental homes have three- and four-bedroom plans.
17. Center Court Pickleball Club opened an indoor pickleball facility at 5690 W. Bell Road in Glendale. The 47KSF pickleball facility has 16 regulation-sized courts. LGE Design Build/Group served as both the general contractor and architect for the project.
18. The City of Globe and Gorman & Company have partnered to redevelop the former Hill Street School into 64 new affordable apartment units. The units at 450 S. Hill St. are currently available and ready for tenants. A tour of the property is being held on Dec. 11.
19. The Picklrannounced its 30KSF pickleball facility at 11855 N. Oracle Road in Tucson will soon open. The facility will have a single championship court, a pro shop and private event space.
20. The City of El Mirage opened its new Public Works facility near 121st and Peoria avenues. The 7.4KSF facility will provide a space for workers to oversee the water and waste management services within the city. LEA-Architects, L.L.C. designed the $2.8M building. Danson Construction L.L.C. built the building.