Author: BEX Staff

By BEX Staff for AZBEX Following a national and regional trend to increase residential inventories supplies and services, two projects that will convert aging hotels into residential and service management spaces have recently been announced in Metro Phoenix. Grand Hotel – Mesa Mesa City Council has approved a plan to buy the 72-room Grand Hotel on Main Street for $7.4M using pandemic recovery monies. Approximately $4M will come from Maricopa County’s American Rescue Plan Act funds, with the remainder coming from Mesa’s ARPA allocation. While final conversion plans have not yet been finalized, when renovated, the facility will serve as…

By Roland Murphy for AZBEX Earlier this week, Tempe voters rejected three measures that would have green-lighted the $2B-plus proposal from the Arizona Coyotes to build a new hockey arena and multi-faceted mixed-use entertainment district on 46-City-owned acres. The Coyotes development would have been largely self-funded. The agreement between the City and the team clearly laid out both parties’ obligations. Since the rejection, the various controversies and the terms of the plan and supporting agreement have been extensively covered both here and elsewhere; we won’t bother to rehash them. I’ve said before that one of my favorite movie scenes is…

The Sunshine Acres Children’s Home has submitted plans to the City of Mesa to convert 36 acres of its 100-acre campus at Higley Road and East Longbow Parkway into a resort and water park with a 250-room hotel, 21KSF of retail, a conference center and four restaurants. Plans also call for a separate 125-room limited-service hotel and a 220-room dormitory for the CAE Flight School. A thrift and boutique store to process and sell donated goods, as well as items produced by residents, will also be included. Power Hotel Group would develop the land for Sunshine Acres, which would retain…

The updated Capital Improvement Plan discussed in recent talks on the Chandler municipal budget is estimated at $1.964B over 10 years. The last 10-year CIP totaled $1.665B. The recently discussed plan includes inflation adjustments, provides money for maintenance and aging infrastructure and targets the completion of arterial streets. The capital budget for Fiscal Year 2024 is expected to be $856.5M, up 46.4% and part of an overall budget of $1.656B. Among the projects under discussion for the next two years are: Detroit Basin storm drain improvements. Improvements along Chandler Heights Road, McQueen Road to Val Vista Drive. Completion of the…

By Associated Builders and Contractors Associated Builders and Contractors reported today that its Construction Backlog Indicator increased to 8.9 months in April from 8.7 in March, according to an ABC member survey conducted April 20 to May 3. The reading is 0.1 months higher than in April 2022. After declining to a seven-month low in March, backlog rebounded in April due to strength in the infrastructure category. Regionally, backlog increased in the Northeast and West but fell in the South and middle states. ABC’s Construction Confidence Index reading for sales and staffing moved higher in April, while the readings for…

Groundbreakings 1. Bourn Companies has announced demolition is underway at the former Foothills Mall on Ina Road and La Cholla Boulevard in Tucson and construction is expected to begin in August for its $500M replacement project: Uptown. The $500M, 51-acre destination development will feature retail, restaurant, an event stage, splash pad, apartments, hotels and a public market.   2. HonorHealth broke ground this week on an expansion project at HonorHealth Scottsdale Shea Medical Center. The $60M project will involve the construction of a new state-of-the-art Cardiovascular Center of Excellence. The expansion at 9003 E. Shea Blvd. will be completed in phases…

Late last month, the Peoria City Council unanimously voted against extending an economic development agreement with ZonaPart LLC (Arizona Partners in Real Estate) to create a development plan to revitalize the Old Town area. Peoria has struggled for years to gain traction on Old Town revitalization. AZPRE was first brought into the mix in 2021 to redevelop the district and join with the City in an economic development agreement. Council granted a conditional agreement in 2022 with stipulations that the advisor form a development plan and engage in public outreach meetings to gather input by Dec. 26. Peoria officials say…

The Goldwater Institute sent a warning letter to Mayor David Ortega earlier this year warning that the City of Scottsdale could face litigation if it carries through with zoning regulation changes that would impose greater development restrictions in the Old Town area. City Council started to work on a General Plan amendment to the Old Town Scottsdale Area Plan and a text amendment to the zoning ordinance for downtown in August 2021. The changes would reduce maximum building heights and floor area ratios, increase setback requirements, create a new requirement for so-called “sensitive edge buffers” and establish a requirement for…

By The Permitting Council Last week, the Permitting Council announced the first mining project to receive FAST-41 coverage. The $1.7B South32 Hermosa Critical Minerals project is a proposed zinc and manganese mining and processing operation located 55 miles south of Tucson. If permitted, the project would be the largest investment in Santa Cruz County history. “The Permitting Council is pleased to see the first-ever critical minerals mining project accepted for coverage under our unique program,” says Permitting Council Executive Director Christine Harada. “President Biden has committed to securing a domestic supply of responsibly sourced critical minerals, and manganese is a…

By Roland Murphy for AZBEX A Planned Unit Development proposal submitted to the City of Phoenix earlier this month will, if approved and built, deliver a new six-story, two-building multifamily community in the 44th Street Corridor. Specifically, Endres Bellview is planned for 604 units on 7.12 gross acres at the NWC of 46th and Belleview streets. The site lies immediately west of the SR 143 freeway and generally southeast of McDowell Road and 44th Street. The plan also includes approximately 4KSF of retail intended to enhance walkability and available services for residents of the community and surrounding neighborhood. According to…