Author: BEX Staff

The recently passed $1.7B bill to fund the federal government through Sept. 30, 2023 includes $85M for the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s “Yes in My Back Yard” incentive program to help communities eliminate exclusionary housing policies – including density restrictions, restrictive parking requirements and zoning restrictions and other complications – that can impede new housing development. The YIMBY program was advocated by the National Apartment Association and the National Multifamily Housing Council. The grant program is intended to fund local community efforts to update zoning codes and foster community engagement in support of new development. That national funding…

By Roland Murphy for AZBEX Arizona’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate increased to 4.1% in November, up from 3.9% in October, according to the latest report published by the Arizona Office of Economic Opportunity. The national rate was unchanged at 3.7%. In Nov. 2021, the state had a seasonally adjusted rate of 3.9%, and the national rate was 4.2%. The state had a net gain of 32,300 non-farm jobs over the month. “Prior to the pandemic, NSA nonfarm employment averaged a gain of 28,800 jobs in November (2010-2019),” the report states. Government gained 6,100, which is far greater than the pre-pandemic…

Completions 1. Neighborhood Outreach Access to Health announced its $6M, 32KSF renovation to turn a former car dealership at 8705 E. McDowell Road, Scottsdale into a neighborhood healthcare facility is complete. Integrity Building Corp. served as general contractor. The new NOAH facility includes 24 examination rooms, six dental suites and several therapy and community resource rooms.

Earlier this month, the Maricopa County Planning and Zoning Commission recommended approval of a Caliber Companies rezoning request that would allow it to redevelop an under-performing hotel property into a mixed residential rental community. Caliber wants to transform the Four Points by Sheraton Phoenix South Mountain Hotel at the SWC of I-10 and Elliot Road. The plan consists of converting 160 hotel rooms into 100 apartments with a mix of studio and one-bedroom units. An 88-unit single-family rental section with two- and three-bedroom two-story units would be added on three acres of the eight-acre site, and the existing convention area…

Mack Real Estate Group is planning a 438-unit mixed-residential development in north Phoenix to add to its $250M Valley multifamily portfolio. Mack 19th & Monona will feature a mix of Build-to-Rent and garden-style apartment units. The company paid $22M for the site at 20620 N. 19th Avenue. Mack also has a 297-unit entirely BTR community under construction at 23rd Avenue and Pinnacle Peak Road and completed construction this summer on Formation Scottsdale, a 170-unit apartment community at 2040 N. Scottsdale Road. (Source)

The Phoenix Theatre Company has announced plans to break ground on its new central Phoenix campus and 500-seat theater project in the summer. The troupe has raised $28M toward the development, and Phoenix City Council voted to include almost $6M to support building Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant support and educational facilities under the general obligation bond it will put on the Nov. 2023 ballot. Phoenix Theatre plans to raise $45M for the second phase of the campus development, which will overhaul the rehearsal spaces, office and other behind-the-scenes areas to bring them into ADA compliance. The total PTC expansion will…

By Roland Murphy for AZBEX For years now we’ve shamed Those small-hearted Grinches Whose deadlines leave staffers Mired deep in the trenches. The proposing Whos Must slavishly toil Forsaking their eggnog and bright wrapping foil. Our spotlight has dwindled The procurements’ numbers And let tired staff members Reap holiday slumber. But each year there are some Who still stand apart. Their cruel deadlines cast pallor On even Grinch hearts. So again they get called out – Rhetorically gored – Please now enjoy The Bah Humbug! Awards Jan. 3 Globe wants on-calls To engineer and survey. Tell Cindy Lou now That…

Post Ranch – a master-planned development with a mix of more than 2,000 single- and multifamily units – goes before the Casa Grande City Council this week for a rezoning request. Owner Petersen Properties & Management Inc. and design firm/applicant ScapeGOAT Design Studio have requested part of the site between Overfield and Toltec Buttes roads south of Florence Blvd. be rezoned from Planned Area Development to R-3 to allow multifamily and townhouse units. Planning staff recommended against the proposal, but the Planning and Zoning Commission voted to support the requested change with a list of conditions. If approved and built…

The latest plan to transform a 27-acre site at University and Mesa drives may face the same fate as every other proposal since the 1990s – a return to the drawing board and starting over from scratch. Currently known as Nexus and previously called Transform 17 and Site 17, the latest plan called for a public-private partnership to develop a mixed-use master plan with multiple housing types totaling 800-850 units, 200KSF of office space and 25KSF-30KSF of community-oriented retail. Partially employing eminent domain, the City spent approximately $6M and leveled a 63-home neighborhood to acquire and prepare the site for…

The National Association of Home Builders reports single-family housing starts have fallen 32% since February and multifamily permit growth is weakening as units under construction hit an almost 50-year peak. Overall housing starts for November were down 0.5% to 1.43 million units. Year-to-date, single-family starts are down 4.1% to 828,000 units (seasonally adjusted) and multifamily starts are up 4.9%, with an annualized pace of 599,000 units. Nationally, permits are down 11.2% for November, with single-family permits dropping 7.1% and multifamily dropping 16.4%. In the West region, combined single- and multifamily starts are down 7.0% year-to-date, while permits are down 6.5%. …