Author: BEX Staff

By Associated Builders and Contractors Construction input prices increased 0.7% in January compared to the previous month, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Producer Price Index data. Nonresidential construction input prices increased 0.6% for the month. Overall construction input prices are 2.3% higher than a year ago, while nonresidential construction input prices are 2.9% higher. Prices increased in two of three energy categories last month. Crude petroleum and unprocessed energy materials prices were up 1.8% and 0.4%, respectively, while natural gas prices were down 2.9% in January. “Nonresidential construction input prices rebounded…

Groundbreakings 1. Groundwork has begun on BNSF Railway’s proposed Logistics Park Phoenix rail hub site in Wittmann near 235th Avenue and U.S. 60. Initial work includes grading approximately 350 acres and constructing additional track as the first phase of the company’s planned intermodal facility. The larger project, valued at $3.2B, is designed to integrate an intermodal facility, logistics park and logistics center to expand freight capacity in Arizona. The site is part of a 4,300-acre property BNSF owns in the area. 2. The NRP Group has begun construction on a 353-unit multifamily community in the Medina Station master-planned development. The…

By Roland Murphy for AZBEX When the City of Phoenix narrowed its conditions for acceptable data center development sites in 2025, it put Vintage Partners in a complicated situation. AZBEX has extensively covered the move to restrict data center conditions in Phoenix and other jurisdictions around the state. Most of that reporting is available here. Vintage owns a 63-acre property at the SWC of Loop 202 and Lower Buckeye Road. The site, which the company purchased from the Arizona Department of Transportation, currently carries a mix of Commerce Park/General Commerce Park and Light Industrial zoning. According to a submitted narrative,…

By BEX Staff for AZBEX The City of Mesa plans to issue requests for qualifications and proposals in the coming months as part of an extensive “brand refresh” for its downtown area. Much of the multi-project plan is being orchestrated in association with Arizona State University. A local news outlet reported the projects under consideration include an eight-story mixed-use building at 51-55 E. Main St., converting a U.S. Postal Service building into a Creative Technology building for ASU, a new post office and a connecting covered path that will be known as The Light Walk. A City official cited “a…

By BEX Staff for AZBEX The Arizona Court of Appeals has ruled “prevailing wage” ordinances by the cities of Phoenix and Tucson violated a 1984 statewide voter approved measure barring the practice. Under prevailing wage rules, employees working on government contracts must be paid at comparable rates to workers in the same field in the same region. Such regulations have been opposed by many construction industry groups, which allege they favor certain groups of workers, are more expensive to taxpayers, are overly burdensome to administer and distort the market. Tucson and Phoenix both passed prevailing wage ordinances after voters twice…

Giving Back 1. The Arizona Association of REALTORS® donated $29K to the Arizona Housing Fund, with $14K funded from proceeds of its Homes for All specialty license plate. The contribution will support housing programs serving more than 13,000 Arizonans experiencing homelessness. Since 2019, the Arizona Housing Fund has granted $1.9M to 11 nonprofit housing projects statewide. 2. Achen-Gardner Construction’s employee-owners supported the Gilbert Feeding Families Food Drive in February, donating nonperishable items to support the local community. 3. Employee-owners from Achen-Gardner Construction recently supported Patterson Elementary School’s Vehicle Career Day in Gilbert. Staff brought a mechanic truck and two CAT…

Sales Transactions 1. Irgang Group has purchased the 264KSF Gilbert Gateway Towne Center at Loop 202 and Power Road in Mesa for $85M. Simon Rosenfeld and Ariel Taieb of Meridian Capital Group arranged $60M in acquisition financing. The 35.5-acre site is fully occupied, with tenants including Mega Furniture, Ross Dress for Less and Michaels, among others. 2. AAA Cooper Transportation, an affiliate of Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings Inc., purchased a 34.6KSF former FedEx facility on 24 acres at 7160 W. Sherman St. in Phoenix for $30M. The seller was EQT Real Estate, which previously acquired the property in 2021 for $24.1M…

By Roland Murphy for AZBEX A pair of Arizona construction industry reports issued this week show construction costs may be starting to settle, even as the rate of activity normalizes following the recent extended period of growth. In its Phoenix Q4 2025 Cost Index, Mortenson reported nonresidential construction conditions remained steady in Q4, and cost escalations continue to moderate nationwide. Quarter-over-quarter price increases softened, but activity earlier in 2025 ensured the year-over-year growth remained elevated, as “persistent input pressures in select materials and labor categories” remain. “Nationally,” the report said, “nonresidential construction costs tracked by the Mortenson Quarterly Cost Index…

The Phoenix Zoo is planning a nearly 1,100-acre conservation safari park near Sahuarita and has entered into a ground lease with Freeport-McMoRan for several contiguous parcels near Interstate 19. The park could eventually be home to populations of both endangered Arizona-native species and animals from around the world, using expansive natural areas to support their populations. The park is currently unnamed, but Sahuarita Mayor Tom Murphy has been calling it “Sahuarita Safari.” He said he believes the park could serve as an economic generator for the town and the overall area and could help make Sahuarita a destination for both…

By Salt River Project To meet the growing power demands of the Phoenix metropolitan area, SRP has issued a 2026 All-Source Request for Proposals. The RFP seeks proposals for resources that can provide up to 2,900MW of nameplate capacity, including carbon-free energy resources like solar and wind, wind associated with new interstate transmission projects and proposals to meet peak capacity need including energy storage and natural gas resources. SRP will also welcome proposals for other resources and is particularly interested in exploring technologies that can provide carbon-free energy throughout the day, like geothermal and biomass resources. These projects should be…