Author: BEX Staff

The Gilbert Planning Commission held a study session earlier this month to discuss the current design for the long-planned Trax at Cooley Station multifamily community. The development by Frankel Family Trust is planned on nearly 20.25 acres at the SWC of Williams Field Road and Verde Drive next to the Cooley Station retail and commercial center. The site is zoned for multifamily under the existing master plan. Total planned density is 22.61 units/acre. Plans call for 10 buildings of between two and five stories in height. The planned unit mix is 245 one-bedroom, 218 two-bedroom and 105 three-bedroom apartments. The…

In 2024, Arizona’s “middle housing law,” House Bill 2721, passed with bipartisan support. The law allows owners and developers to build duplexes, triplexes and fourplexes on single-family lots in cities with populations of more than 75,000. Some residents, many of whom are older and live in established neighborhoods, decried the legislation, saying it would ruin neighborhood character. This week, the Arizona House Rules Committee will hear House Bill 2375, which would carve out historic neighborhoods and exempt them from the requirement. While the proposal from Rep. Matt Gress has generated its own controversy, it, too, has support from both Democrats…

Boards & Commissions 1. The National League of Cities has welcomed Glendale Councilmember Lauren Tolmachoff to its 2026 Large Cities Council and the Information Technology and Communications Committee. Her appointment will last for a year. New responsibilities will be stacked onto her current position in the NLC’s Women in Municipal Government board. Company News 2. Mark-Taylor Residential celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2025. In honor of this milestone, the group gave back to the community through its iNSPIRE corporate social responsibility program. The program experienced record volunteer participation, as well as expanded community investment and meaningful nonprofit partnerships that strengthened…

Sales Transactions 1. An undisclosed buyer acquired a 566.1KSF industrial building in Virgin Industrial Park at 15784 W. Hatcher Road in Waddell for $90.58M. The seller, a partnership between IndiCap and Invesco Ltd., was represented by Marc Hertzberg, Riley Gilbert and Kelly Royle of JLL. The buyer was represented by Sean Kropke, Michael Haenel and Justin Smith of Cushman & Wakefield. 2. Irgang Group’s affiliate, GGCTCN LLC,recently purchased Gilbert Gateway Towne Center for $85M. Mega Furniture’s affiliate, Gilbert Gateway Towne Center Holdings LLC, sold the 259.8KSF shopping center at 5110 S. Power Road. 3. Oaktree Capital Management recently sold the…

By Roland Murphy for AZBEX Over the course of every 12 months, we put out a total of 100 issues. Today is Issue 100 and brings Volume Year 16 to a close. We’ve marked these year ends in various ways over the years. Sometimes we’ve done top project reviews; sometimes we’ve just let them slide by without note. Since the last year has been one filled with a sense of change—sometimes valid, sometimes not—I’m going to take some space to reflect on what issues have made the greatest imprint on me over the last year. Spoiler Alert: Everything is mostly…

By BEX Staff for AZBEX Decades of planning and discussion have not yet brought about the expansive flood control effort to solve issues with the Rio de Flag in Flagstaff, but an upcoming grant application could be an important interim step before the complete project is put in place. The Rio de Flag Flood Control Project is a joint plan between Flagstaff and the Army Corps of Engineers that will reroute the river to its original course and eliminate flood risks and the floodway designation from Flagstaff’s Southside area. The project has been planned ever since a major flood event…

By BEX Staff for AZBEX The Phoenix Planning Commission has recommended approval for rezoning that will allow development of a proposed multifamily residential community with both standard and affordable units and additional retail space. A total of 162 units is planned on the 8.9-acre site, which currently has a mixture of zoning designations in place for multifamily and commercial. The City of the Americas proposal from Project of America Development Company and its partners has requested rezoning under Phoenix’s Walkable Urban Code. A local news outlet reported project representatives told the Commission the developer’s plan includes affordable units, but applications…

The Gilbert Planning Commission is moving toward implementing further restrictions to manage further construction of data centers. The Commission has argued the move is due to the large quantity of resources consumed by data centers – whether it be power or water. Other concerns surrounding data centers include sound, scale and architectural design. As far as water usage is concerned, data center supporters have argued the buildings recycle 90-95% of water used. Town Planner Sal DiSanto said Town staff is looking into adding a text amendment to the Land Development Code to create new standards and procedures. The code only…

Groundbreakings 1. Sundt Construction has broken ground on a 65KSF manufacturing facility on a 36-acre site near the SWC of Tomahawk Road and U.S. 60 in Apache Junction. The project will support off-site fabrication operations and includes approximately 10KSF of office space. Completion is anticipated in Q1 2027, and the remaining acreage is reserved for future expansion. 2. St. Vincent de Paul has broken ground on the 26.2KSF Center for Purpose, Hope, and Mission on its main campus just south of downtown Phoenix. The project involves the repurposing of an existing warehouse into a community and volunteer center and is…

By Roland Murphy for AZBEX The Mesa Design Review Board is scheduled to examine plans for a multifamily and hotel campus on Rio Salado Parkway east of Loop 101 and the Chicago Cubs minor league and spring training complex. The Den on Rio Salado, also referred to as Rio Salado 25, is proposed as a five-story, 36-unit apartment building and a four-story, 103-room Candlewood Suites hotel on 3.14 acres. Maximum heights are planned at 65 feet for the apartments and 57 feet for the hotel. The apartment portion will also include 13.4KSF of common administrative and support space. The apartments…