Author: BEX Staff

Bipartisan legislation in the U.S. Congress could allow La Paz County to buy more land for solar energy development projects. Democrat senators Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego have introduced the La Paz County Solar Energy and Jobs Creation Act to enable the County to buy up to 3,400 acres of federal land in the eastern part of the state for solar power projects. Representatives Paul Gosar, Andy Biggs and David Schweikert, all Republicans, have introduced companion legislation in the House. The County wants solar facilities along Interstate 10 that will connect with the Ten West Link transmission line running between…

The Tempe City Council agenda for March 20 included a work-study presentation of staff’s five-year Capital Improvement Program recommendations. The presentation by Interim Budget Director Julie Hietter requested feedback on the CIP through 2030 in advance of a comprehensive budget review scheduled for next month. The total CIP recommendation totaled $1.95B, a minor decrease from $1.96B in the current CIP. Her report highlighted some projects included in the recommended capital plan, including: Minor pavement preservation and roadway mill and overlay programs ($130M ); Downtown/Mill Avenue Improvements ($34M); Affordable housing enhancement program ($32M); Public Safety and Fire Medical Rescue Station No.…

By Roland Murphy for AZBEX The Sahuarita Planning and Zoning Commission met earlier this month to hear and discuss development plans and a rezoning request for a 233.4-acre planning area known as Parcel 30. The site lies east of Interstate 19 and south of Sahuarita Road at the NWC of El Toro and La Villita roads. The property is comprised of three parcels under Town ownership, and the Town of Sahuarita is requesting rezoning from rural homestead to specific plan. Potential uses include recreation, commercial, office, multiple dwelling residential and other, similar possibilities. According to the staff report, “A majority…

The Tempe Development Review Commission has approved the development plan review for Friendship Village Courtyard Apartments Phase 3 at 2645 E. Southern Ave. Friendship Village is a nearly 43-acre retirement community that was first approved in 1974. Improvement plans for Courtyards Apartments go back to 2019. Part of the existing development will be demolished and replaced with a new five-story building with 69 units, resulting in 17 fewer units than the existing total. Planners told Commission members the updated plan promotes better connectivity, mobility, walkability and neighborhood identity. An included condition for the approval includes a dedication of a multiuse…

By Associated Builders and Contractors At current rates of participation and completion, federal and state Government-Registered Apprenticeship Programs, or GRAPs, are still failing to meet the construction industry’s short- and long-term skilled workforce development needs, according to an annual Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of recently released U.S. Department of Labor data. ABC estimates that, in fiscal year 2024, the construction industry’s federal and state GRAPs had about 290,000 apprentice participants and yielded fewer than 40,000 completers. Six states did not report complete GRAP data to the DOL, so ABC’s figure incorporates rough estimates to account for missing state data…

Boards & Commissions 1. WESTMARC has appointed Bridget Schwartz-Manock, Assistant General Manager of Public and Intergovernmental Affairs at Central Arizona Project, as its new Chair of the Board of Directors. Company News 2. Plaza Companies announced it has created a new branch to further pursue hospitality projects. The branch is to be led by the newly appointed Hotel Development Manager, Dayna Castano, and will also offer third-party construction management services. 3. Triple Play Fire is celebrating its third year of bringing innovative fire safety solutions to the Metro Phoenix market. The company offers a comprehensive range of products and services…

Sales Transactions 1. BKM Capital Partners acquired four industrial properties in the Phoenix Metro area for a total of $192M in March. This includes three properties bought from Starwood Capital Group for $156.8M on March 12, including the 312.4KSF Kyrene CommercePlex, the 331.4KSF Estrella Business Park II—to be rebranded as Estrella Distribution Center, and the 134.2KSF Hohokam Industrial Park—to be rebranded as Sky Harbor Landing. The 157.6KSF Rose Garden Business Park was purchased for $35.1M on March 4. The properties are located at: Kyrene CommercePlex, 8240 S. Kyrene Road in Tempe, purchased for $75.5M; Estrella Business Park II, 801 S.…

By Roland Murphy for AZBEX As part of its campaign to bring six new hotels to the Arizona market this year, West77 Partners is planning its next hotel—LivAway Mesa Greenfield—on a roughly 4.5-acre site near the NEC of Greenfield and Baseline roads in Mesa. West77 announced a nationwide LivAway Suites expansion in January. That announcement stated, “Over $250M has been deployed into LivAway Suites locations around the country over the past 18 months, and another $500M will be allocated to new LivAway Suites locations over the next two years – approximately $100M of that is expected to occur in the…

By BEX Staff for AZBEX The Arizona Cardinals are planning to invest $100M in the team’s training facility at Hardy Drive and Warner Road in Tempe, but the team is keeping quiet for the moment as to what those plans entail. Team officials have said the plans are “very preliminary.” The Cardinals have retained Rossetti as the design firm and say plans are underway. According to a statement released by the team, “Overall, the Cardinals finished last in the NFL in the third-annual survey that graded teams in 11 different categories. While there were good grades in a handful of…

The Navajo Nation has secured the legal authority to build a second casino near Flagstaff. The 13.79-acre site northeast of the city was previously home to the Horsemen Lodge restaurant and the Flying Heart Stables. The Navajo Nation signed a warranty deed transferring the land to trust status as part of the Navajo Reservation last November and will partner with Navajo Nation Gaming Enterprise to develop the casino. Gaming Enterprise has operated the Twin Arrows hotel and casino 20 miles east of Flagstaff since 2013. Officials have said there is no current project development timeline. Known as the Lower 89…