Author: BEX Staff

The Goodyear Planning and Zoning Commission has recommended approval of Globe Corporation’s request to rezone a vacant 153-acre site in downtown Goodyear for a mix of residential and commercial uses. The City Council will take up the measure and a new development agreement with the company at its Feb. 27 meeting. If approved, the rezoning will create the GSQ Regional Center Planned Area Development. Globe completed the new GEN-1 office building and parking garage in the Goodyear Civic Square at Estrella Falls master plan last year. The pending request seeks to rezone the new site’s prior Planned Area Development, which…

The Surprise Planning and Zoning Commission has recommended approval of a General Plan Amendment necessary for BNSF Railway’s plans for a hub facility on 3,500 acres near Wittman. The Commission voted 6-1 to recommend changing the site’s character from Neighborhood to Employment. The request will now advance to City Council, where it must pass by a two-thirds margin. If the amendment is approved, BSNF will be able to file for rezoning and annexation for the site near 219th Avenue and U.S. 60. BSNF plans to develop a regional rail facility that will feature warehousing and distribution as well as transfer…

By Roland Murphy for AZBEX The Scottsdale City Council has authorized $10M in General Fund monies to cover cost overruns for the City’s planned Fire Department training facility. The project was originally approved as one of 58 in the 2019 $319M bond package. At the time, it was specified to include a 10KSF facility. That size was much smaller than the project’s actual need, and the planned space was expanded to 27KSF last year, and the conference room seating was expanded from 100 to 171, with another $5M added to the $18M originally estimated in 2018 to cover the changes.…

By Roland Murphy for AZBEX Arizona’s construction employment sector is projected to grow 0.7% in 2023, according to newly released data from the Arizona Office of Economic Opportunity. Statewide employment growth across all sectors is expected to grow 1.4% for the year, with 10 of the 11 sectors tracked predicted to post gains. Only Financial Activities is expected to report job losses in 2023, with OEO expecting a decrease of 0.6% Construction reported 194,733 jobs as of Q2 2022, an annual percent change of 5.4%. The Q4 2020 number was 179,026 jobs. The Office projects Q2 2024 to hit 197,613…

The 23-mile project to add flex lanes on I-17 north of Phoenix is more than $76M over budget. The project remains on schedule, however. In a budget presentation by Gov. Katie Hobbs, she mentioned the overrun and asked for a review of potential savings on other Arizona Department of Transportation projects that could be used to offset the cost increase. The bid price for the project was $446M. ADOT says the total cost is now set at $522M. ADOT cites three contributors to the cost increase. The first is a federal change in environmental requirements. Changes from the Army Corps…

By Associated Builders and Contractors Construction input prices rose 1.3% in January, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Producer Price Index data. Nonresidential construction input prices increased 1.1% for the month. Overall construction input prices are 4.9% higher than a year ago, which is the smallest annual increase since January 2021. Nonresidential construction input prices are also up 4.9% since January 2022. “Recent employment and retail sales reports indicate that the economy is not slowing nearly as quickly as predicted,” said ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu. “That is the good news.…

Giving Back 1. Arizona REALTORS are deeply involved in charitable efforts around the state. The group has contributed $15K to help non-profits build and maintain low-income and working-poor housing. The Central Arizona Association of REALTORS also supports a food drive for the St. Vincent de Paul and the Pine Strawberry Food Bank, donating $1 for every pound of food the food bank collects in its donation boxes. Lastly, CAAR provides $2,500 scholarships to seniors graduating from its local high school.   2. The Girls Can Build initiative is celebrating its first anniversary with the purchase of a vehicle for its Mobile…

Sales Transactions 1. The Buckeye City Council has approved the purchase agreement of a one-acre parcel of land in the Harquahala Valley. The purchase of this land, and the associated water rights that come with it, allows the City to expand its water portfolio with the addition of a new water source. The property includes an annual allocation of 5,926 acre-feet of water for 100 years. Council authorized $80M for the purchase in 2022.  2. Avanti Residential has sold the 193-unit Dwell Apartment Homes near Scottsdale and McDowell roads for $41.6M to 29th Street Capital. Steve Gebing and Cliff David with…

A planned 90-unit affordable housing development is stirring tensions between Chicanos Por La Causa and historic preservation advocates in Mesa. CPLC’s for-profit development arm purchased the former Kiva Lodge at 668 W. Main Street and neighboring sites with plans to demolish the former motel to build the new project. The Kiva makes up approximately 17% of the overall site. The lodge is one of the oldest in the state and its neon sign has been a popular photographic curiosity for decades. The inn declined in its later years and was a human smuggling and drug site. Before CPLC bought the…

The Arizona Court of Appeals has thrown out an appeal from opposition group Voice of Surprise that sought to stop Dominium Management’s master-planned affordable housing development Waddell Crossing. The group had filed a petition appealing the City Council’s approval of the development and calling for a referendum. The development will create standard affordable housing units, senior affordable housing units and a self-storage facility at Waddell Road and Cotton Lane. The petition had more than 5,000 signatures but was rejected by the City because it failed to comply with state law by not attaching a copy of the title and text…