Author: BEX Staff

By Roland Murphy for AZBEX Nearly 120 people descended on SkySong this week for BEX Companies’ April Leading Market Series event. The session’s theme was “Upcoming Public Works Projects.” Sundt served as the event sponsor. After a brief introduction from BEX Founder and President Rebekah Morris, the panel of leading public works officials wasted no time diving into their current project lists, along with some spirited discussion on the state of the public project market, challenges and potential solutions. The panel was comprised of: Moderator Jeff Hamilton—VP of Transportation & SW Region Business Development Manager, Sundt; Lance Webb—Assistant City Engineer,…

By Roland Murphy for AZBEX The Casa Grande City Planning and Zoning Commission will hold a first hearing this week to consider a request from IndiCap for a major General Plan amendment that would be the first step in developing Nexus Industrial—a 317.78-acre light industrial park near the NEC of Cottonwood Lane and Henness Road. IndiCap wants the current General Plan category of Neighborhoods on 162.54 acres at the site changed to Commerce and Business to match the rest of the site and allow development under the same category for the entire site. If the amendment is approved, the project…

The City of Phoenix passed a prevailing wage rule last month that requires construction companies working on City projects of $250K or more to pay employees wages comparable to regional skilled labor wages. The rule was added to the City Council agenda one day before the March 22 vote and was amended during the meeting before it passed on a 5-4 margin. Both the Phoenix Chamber of Commerce and the Goldwater Institute have come out against the new rule and urged its repeal. Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego opposed the measure and voted against it. A Gallego spokesperson said Council will…

By Roland Murphy for AZBEX As we noted in our front-page article on public works projects, rising construction costs are impacting the ability of cities around Arizona and the nation to deliver projects, particularly those funded under voter-approved bond requests. Two news stories this week highlighted the challenges Chandler and Scottsdale are experiencing. Chandler An April 16 article from the Chandler Arizonan showcased several projects jeopardized by construction cost increases referred to as “soaring.” Estimates for a new police department forensics facility have jumped from an initial projection of $30M to a current estimate of $50M. A multigenerational facility at…

Groundbreakings 1. Close on the heels of its 250KSF “Building 109” groundbreaking, SkyBridge Arizona has started construction on a second 250KSF building, “Building 108.” Together, the buildings bring the active Class A industrial construction at SkyBridge Arizona to a half-million square feet. SkyBridge Arizona is slated to become a first-of-its-kind Unified Cargo Processing facility, allowing users to complete on-site cargo inspections and processing so that shipments between the U.S. and Mexico can be expedited directly to their destinations in Mexico. Graycor is the general contractor. Leasing is through CBRE.  2. Dermody Properties announced a groundbreaking for Phase I of LogistiCenter…

Planners recently presented details to the Maricopa Planning and Zoning Commission for Civic Center Park, a large sports field-centered plan to replace fields being removed from Copper Sky Park to accommodate another project. The 55-acre park will be built in two phases on a site east of the NEC of West Bowlin and North White and Parker roads. The first phase will have three softball and one baseball field. The second will have two softball fields and a 2.5-acre lake. Both sections will have a plaza with concessions stands and bathrooms. The City will reuse as much material as possible…

Rockefeller Group has purchased the 25-acre development site for Surprise Pointe Commerce Center, a planned 415KSF speculative warehouse/distribution center in Surprise. Company officials say the project will target tenants in the ecommerce, manufacturing and semiconductor supply industries. The project is being designed by Ware Malcomb. Hunter Engineering serves as the civil engineer. Layton Construction is the general contractor. Rockefeller Group was represented in the transaction by CBRE’s Cooper Fratt and Cushman & Wakefield’s Kirk Kuller. The two will also manage marketing and leasing for the project. (Source)

By Roland Murphy for AZBEX Greenlight Communities wants to build 190 new workforce attainable apartments on 7.64 gross acres at the SWC of 87th and Peoria avenues. The proposed site for Streamliner Peoria is currently zoned Planned Area Development and was originally planned for three-story residential townhomes and residential lofts over ground-floor retail. The submitted narrative says, “However, this challenging, vacant, and underutilized infill Site has failed to develop as proposed and is unlikely to develop because there is no current market demand for this model. A more appropriate use for the Site is a mixed-use development consisting of a…

A group of local business leaders was recently presented with an overview of Atlas Global Development’s master plan to redevelop Winslow into a regional hub for rail, air and manufacturing and logistics along Interstate 40. AGD’s Dan Lupien told attendees at the April Good Morning Winslow networking event that the initial phase could begin later this year. The first component would feature housing for the workers needed to serve the manufacturing companies the plan hopes to attract. The AGD plan would require augmentation of all the town’s public and private services, including a new power generation plant and a new…

By Associated Builders and Contractors Construction input prices increased 0.2% in March, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Producer Price Index data. Nonresidential construction input prices rose 0.4% for the month. Overall construction input prices are 0.9% lower than in March 2022, while nonresidential construction input prices have fallen 0.6% over the past year. Construction input prices are now up 39.0% since February 2020, the month before the COVID-19 pandemic began. “Construction input costs are down on a year-over-year basis for the first time since August 2020,” said ABC Chief Economist Anirban…