Awards & Accolades
1. Green Ideas Building Science Consultants completed LEED certification for three Fox Restaurant Concepts projects at Novus Innovation Corridor in Tempe. Catellus Development Corporation, the master developer, engaged Green Ideas to deliver LEED Silver certification for Flower Child, Blanco Taco Cocina + Cantina and North Italia. Designed by Nelsen Partners Architects & Planners, the restaurants are part of Novus Place, a mixed-use district in the LEED for Neighborhood Development-certified community.
2. Aligned Data Centers announced it is the latest Phoenix-based data center to receive a Green Globes for New Construction certification from the Green Building Initiative.
Groundbreakings
3. The Arizona Department of Transportation has started work on a $600M reconstruction and widening project on I-10 between Kino Parkway and Country Club Road in Tucson. The project will add lanes, reconstruct the Kino Parkway interchange, build a new interchange at Country Club Road and remove the existing Palo Verde Road interchange. Work is scheduled to continue through 2028.
4. Creation has started construction on The Switchyard, a $120M mixed-use development on the NEC of Ellsworth Loop and Ocotillo Road in Queen Creek. The 10-acre project will include 54KSF of retail, restaurant and office space, along with a 215-unit apartment community. Phase 1, which affects library access and parking, is scheduled to run through February 2026. Seven buildings are planned in total.
5. Toyota Motor North America has started construction on more than $50M in upgrades to its Arizona Proving Grounds near Wittman. The project includes a 5.5-mile oval track, an off-road park and new ride and handling surfaces. Most improvements are expected to be completed later this year.
6. LaPour Partners and Holualoa Companies have broken ground on the 240-room, eight-story, dual-branded AC/Element City North hotel project in the 2MSF+ CityNorth development in north Phoenix.
7. Sun State Builders began vertical construction on a nearly $10M headquarters for JFN Mechanical in Goodyear. Located at the SWC of Test Drive and 137th Avenue, the 67.8KSF office/warehouse facility will house a two-story luxury office and a fully functioning sheet metal fabrication warehouse. Construction is slated to be completed in December.
8. Wespac Residential, Inc. has broken ground on The Villas on Shelby, Sedona’s first affordable housing community funded by federal Low-Income Housing Tax Credits. The three-story, 30-unit project will include 24 one-bedroom and six three-bedroom apartments. HS Development Partners is the developer, and Athena Studio is the project architect. The community is being built on a 1.2-acre site acquired by the City of Sedona, with completion scheduled for May 2026.
Progress Reports
9. On June 26, Valleywise Health started demolition of its original hospital at 24th Street and Roosevelt in Phoenix. The facility, which opened in 1971, is being removed as part of the health system’s campus transformation adjacent to the new Valleywise Health Medical Center.
10. Achen-Gardner Construction is expediting work on the Downtown Streetscape Improvement CMAR project along Mill Avenue in Tempe during the final weeks of ASU’s summer break. Partners on the project include the City of Tempe, J2 and specialty subcontractors to Refresh Tempe. Southbound Mill Avenue is closed to vehicles between Fifth Street and University Drive for sidewalk upgrades, including removal and replacement of curbs, gutters and foundations. Access for businesses, pedestrians and transit services is being maintained.
11. A $3.5M, 7KSF training facility for the United States Air Force Honor Guard at Luke Air Force Base is expected to deliver in Q1 2026. The ground-up building may serve as a model facility for bases nationwide, according to a project announcement from project coordinator Colliers Engineering and Design. Construction began this spring. The development team includes general contractor IDM Companies, design firm Deutsch Architecture Group, landscape designer CollectiV Landscape Architects and landscape contractor Caretaker Landscape.
12. Demolition has started on the former Tucson Greyhound Park at 2601 S. Third Ave. in south Tucson. The 16-acre site, which operated as a racetrack from 1944 to 2016 and closed permanently in 2022, is being cleared for a youth soccer academy developed by BVB International Academy Arizona, an affiliate of Borussia Dortmund.
Completions
13. Moses Lake Industries has opened a 50KSF manufacturing and research facility in Mesa. The $100M project will produce advanced chemical solutions for the semiconductor industry and support R&D collaboration with global manufacturers.
14. The Box Canyon solar project in Pinal County is now operational. The 300-megawatt utility-scale facility, developed by BrightNight and Cordelio Power, will supply Southwest Public Power Agency, Inc. with enough energy to power 77,000 homes and businesses. The project broke ground in late 2023 and created a $47M economic impact during construction. It is the first project in a planned 2-gigawatt Arizona portfolio and SPPA’s largest renewable project to date.
15. The Arizona Department of Transportation has completed work on a $37M pavement rehabilitation of State Route 90 from Moson Road to the Border Patrol station north of Whetstone. The project, which began in 2024, added 21 miles of new asphalt, upgraded guardrails, sidewalks, curb and gutter and installed rumble strips. Final striping will continue through July.
16. Achen-Gardner Construction has completed the Detroit Basin/Gazelle Meadows Park Storm System CMAR project in Chandler. Work included installation of more than 7,000LF of large-diameter storm drain, sewer and water improvements and roadway reconstruction. Entellus and Dig Studio served as design engineers, with Ardurra as inspectors. The project was completed in coordination with the City of Chandler.
17. Harkins Theaters has opened its Harkins Backlot family entertainment center in The Shops at Norterra near Interstate 17 and Happy Valley Road in north Phoenix. The facility features movies—including the state’s largest screen—a variety of food and beverage outlets, an outdoor patio, gaming and entertainment options, and event and party space.
18. The City of Glendale and the Glendale Fire Department have reopened Fire Station 153 at 14061 N. 59th Ave. following a full renovation. Originally built in 1973, the project was funded through the City’s $78M public safety bond.