Author: BEX Staff

By Roland Murphy for AZBEX Faced with cost escalations, uncertain economic conditions, budget constraints, leadership changes and a host of other both day-to-day and ongoing issues, city engineering leaders presenting at the BEX Leading Market – Series Upcoming Public Works Projects event May 14 focused on maintaining flexibility to manage the hundreds of projects on their books and encouraged better ownership and collaboration from the Architecture/Engineering/Construction community to move those projects to completion. Led by moderator Danielle Intorf, business development at event sponsor Sundt Construction, Scottsdale City Engineer Alison Tymkiw and Mesa Assistant City Engineer Marc Ahlstrom presented overviews of…

By BEX Staff for AZBEX The Tempe Development Review Commission has recommended approval of a zoning amendment and planned area development overlay for The Marshall on Spence, a 105-unit, 271-bed student housing development planned on East Spence Avenue, southeast of Rural Road and Apache Blvd. The property address is variously listed as 1026 and 1034 E. Spence in project materials and submissions. Aptitude Development’s plan constitutes redeveloping a site currently occupied by Tempe Palms Apartments. Aptitude has another student housing redevelopment project, The Marshall at Tempe, under construction to the north at 1057 E. Apache Blvd. That project is redeveloping…

By Roland Murphy for AZBEX Glendale voters have until May 20 to mail in their ballots for two measures concerning the $1.2B VAI Resort development. Both ask for either approval or rejection of City Council approvals for the project. Proposition 401 would uphold the rezoning for 10 acres the development owns next to the resort and plans to use for office space and parking. It had previously been zoned for parks and open space, though no plans were ever created to develop or use it as such. Proposition 402 involves approval of an updated planned area development for the resort.…

By Associated Builders and Contractors Associated Builders and Contractors reported its Construction Backlog Indicator rose to a 20-month high of 8.7 months in April, according to an ABC member survey conducted April 22 to May 6. The reading is up 0.3 months since April 2024. Backlog has increased significantly over the past year for contractors with greater than $100M in annual revenues. While backlog has also risen modestly for the smallest contractors, it is down on an annual basis for those with $30M to $100M in annual revenues. ABC’s Construction Confidence Index reading for profit margins improved in April, while…

Awards & Accolades 1. Kimley-Horn & Associates earned a National Recognition Award from the American Council of Engineering Companies for its engineering work on the Tonto Creek Bridge in Tonto Basin. The 1,980-ft structure was funded by a $23.9M federal grant and built by Ames Construction. Ethos Engineering, Inc., Logan Simpson Design, Inc., J.E. Fuller, Inc., Newton Environmental Consulting, LLC and Commonwealth Heritage Group, Inc. also assisted with the project. 2. Green Ideas Building Science Consultants announced the Chase Sapphire Lounge at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport achieved LEED-CI Gold certification on April 14. The 3.6KSF lounge in Terminal 4…

By National Association of Home Builders The Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division recently issued guidance on its independent contractor misclassification enforcement. The guidance comes as the 2024 Independent Contractor Rule is facing multiple challenges in federal court, and after Labor has indicated that it is considering rescinding the rule. The Wage and Hour Division will enforce the Fair Labor Standards Act as interpreted by Fact Sheet #13, issued in July 2008, and FLSA2019-6, an opinion letter issued on April 29, 2019. Fact Sheet #13 identifies seven factors which determine whether a worker is an independent contractor under the…

The City of Peoria is planning $522M over the next 10 years to support the future 6,700-acre Peoria Innovation Core. The City entered into an agreement with the Arizona State Land Department that lets it lead planning for the site, which largely centers in an area along Loop 303 between State Route 74 and Lake Pleasant Parkway. Peoria will make an initial investment of $140M for public roads and utility infrastructure to spur development of the intended economic development and business core targeted at attracting advanced industries. Projects planned for PIC in Fiscal Year 2026 total more than $116M and…

By Arizona Department of Transportation The Arizona Department of Transportation will hold a public hearing on the agency’s recommended statewide program of construction projects for the next five years. The in-person and virtual hearing on the 2026-2030 Tentative Five-Year Transportation Facilities Construction Program is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. Friday, May 16, at the Bullhead City Council Chambers, 1255 Marina Blvd. It will be held during a meeting of the Arizona State Transportation Board that can be accessed at aztransportationboard.gov. Those wishing to provide comments remotely can request to do so until 8 a.m. the day of the hearing…

By Roland Murphy for AZBEX Ardent Arizona, LLC is requesting a Comprehensive Plan and zoning amendment for 369 acres south of Puzzi Ranch Road on either side of Kings Highway near Douglas. The requests would change the site use from rural residential to light industrial. The Cochise County Planning and Zoning Commission is scheduled to hear the requests May 14. The location had been part of a master planned development site established in 2008, which reverted to a rural designation in 2022 after the proposed mixed-use development failed to materialize. Ardent now plans to develop the site with warehousing and…

By BEX Staff for AZBEX The Pinal County Board of Supervisors has approved a rezoning and planned area development overlay for 43.7 acres at Interstate 8 and Trekell Road south of Casa Grande for a proposed speculative industrial park. Project planner and representative The Planning Center explained the new industrial zoning will replace a mixture of previous zoning designations for the property, according to submitted materials and a local news article. The PAD overlay will allow for building heights of up to 60 feet and increase the types of uses allowed under the zoning. The project description says, “The I-8…