Author: BEX Staff

By Associated Builders and Contractors The construction industry had 383,000 job openings in April, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey. JOLTS defines a job opening as any unfilled position for which an employer is actively recruiting. Industry job openings increased by 68,000 but are down by 35,000 from the same time last year. “Demand for construction workers remained elevated in April despite an array of economic headwinds,” said ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu. “There are signs that higher interest rates have dampened demand…

By Roland Murphy for AZBEX Generally considered the birthplace of the Build-to-Rent/Single-Family Rental sector in multifamily housing, a recent report from RentCafé shows Metro Phoenix still retains a leadership position despite an ongoing boom across the rest of the country. Across the country, 2022 saw 14,541 new units delivered, an increase of 47% since 2021. From 2016 to 2020, the sector was delivering units in the mid-6,000s every year. 2020 saw the sector take off, fueled in part by the pandemic-fueled desire for more space between neighbors, with 7,469 units delivered. 2021 saw a new peak of 9,928. While Dallas…

Progress Reports 1. Tractor Supply Co. has confirmed construction of its store at Shea Way and Maricopa-Casa Grande Highway in Maricopa is progressing and is on track for a fall opening. Foundation work for the 21.7KSF location in the Maricopa Wells Power Center is in process. Completions 2. StreetLights Residential has announced its 320-unit multifamily community The Tyler is open in Gilbert’s mixed-use Epicenter at Agritopia. According to the announcement, The Tyler is the multifamily component of the Epicenter, which also features approximately 50KSF of retail space. 3. Sun Valley Elementary School in the Somerton Elementary School District has received…

Chemical Strategies Inc. has paid $2.4M for approximately 10 acres in Saint Holdings’ Central Arizona Commerce Park in Casa Grande. The company plans to develop a 70KSF-100KSF chemical distribution and third-party logistics facility at the NEC of Burris and Peters roads, costing between $10M and $14M. The location is expected to open by mid-2024. JLL’s Kelly Royle represented Chemical Strategies in the purchase. Only around five acres of land remain available in Saint Holdings’ 740-acre CAZCP site, according to company officials. Saint Holdings CAZCP dealings are represented by JLL’s Bill Honsaker, Tony Lydon and Marc Hertzberg. Chemical Strategies’ new distribution…

Construction plans have been submitted in Yuma for a $6.7M, 122-room Everhome Suites Hotel to be built at the SWC of Pacific Avenue and 18th Street. The four-story hotel under the Choice Hotels flag will feature apartment-style rooms in studio and one-bedroom suite floorplans. Rooms will feature full-sized refrigerators and fully-equipped kitchens. Planned amenities include an outdoor pool and recreation features, a multipurpose lobby, fitness centers and on-site laundry facilities. (Source) 

A plan by the Oro Valley Church of the Nazarene to develop an indoor sports complex and an outdoor sports field around its campus at the NEC of Calle Concordia and Calle Buena Vista has encountered fierce resident opposition and is entering its fourth year of arguments and revisions. While OVCN has approximately doubled in size since 2015, it has been in its current location since 1979, predating nearly all the current area residents. The church has expanded twice since then and bought the 10 acres for the new sports site in 2020. That property is currently zoned for rural…

By Roland Murphy for AZBEX Earlier this month, the Avondale Planning Commission recommended City Council approve a rezoning request to create a 45-acre mixed use development known as The District at Crystal Springs at the SWC of Avondale Blvd. and McDowell Road. The site is currently zoned Planned Area Development under the 90-acre Crystal Springs PAD from 1999. Half of that area has been developed with residences and a school. The updated PAD for the District at Crystal Springs will replace the easternmost 45 acres for “healthcare, commercial, residential and hospitality uses within a horizontal mixed-use environment,” according to the…

By Roland Murphy for AZBEX Ever since former Gov. Doug Ducey inexplicably vetoed popular bipartisan legislation last July that would have sent the Proposition 400 half-cent transportation sales tax to voters for renewal, AZBEX and BEX Companies have continued to follow the issue with extensive coverage in the magazine and at our industry events. One factor we touched on in an October issue and at our Public Works Conference was the ripple effect the veto caused for a number of projects that had already been in planning and development. Most notably, we reported how the veto sidelined the final design…

U.S. District Court Judge John Hinderaker has allowed a challenge to plans for Interstate 11—the 280-mile roadway intended to run from Nogales to Wickenburg—to proceed. Hinderaker rejected arguments from the Federal Highway Administration and Arizona Department of Transportation that legal objections to the plan were premature, with FHWA arguing that final decisions on the road’s route had not been made yet. The ruling found that FHWA had already concluded two national monuments did not qualify for consideration under federal law that would require consideration whether the highway should be placed somewhere else. The judge also found there was no analysis…

Awards & Accolades 1. Business Facilities has announced the Arizona Commerce Authority as one of four winners of its first Economic Development Award in the State category. According to the announcement, the award recognizes efforts to attract “record-breaking projects and creating new pockets of economic growth.” ACA was specifically cited for its efforts in attracting semiconductor industry investment and pioneering innovative workforce solutions. Boards & Commissions 2. The Greater Phoenix Chapter of the International Facilities Management Association recently elected new officers. Monisa (MJ) Nagarajan Gomathi, Facilities Project Manager with Terracon, was elected to her first term as President. The other officers were: …