Author: BEX Staff

Tucson City Council has unanimously approved six water conservation and management actions and directed Tucson Water to return with formal proposals later. In the first, Council directed staff to develop a proposed ban on ornamental “nonfunctional” grass installations in new developments and to develop a plan to phase out those installations in existing developments. The action would primarily apply to businesses and multifamily developments. Tucson Water has 90 days to deliver the plan, which would not apply to new single-family subdivisions. The measure’s originator – Councilmember Kevin Dahl – exempted single-family homes because lawns are used by residents for recreation…

Sustainability advocates are looking into ways to manage, recycle and otherwise minimize Construction and Demolition waste. Approximately 25% of Arizona’s total waste stream comes from C&D. That national rate is much worse, hovering around 40%. About 90% of C&D waste is generated from demolition. Advocates are pushing to develop implementation of methods that move usable materials back into the production stream instead of landfilling them and are reaching out to generate buy-in from owners, builders and the design community. The US Green Building Council estimates that the built environment accounts for 40% of raw materials use, approximately three billion tons…

By Roland Murphy for AZBEX A pair of recently released market reports paint an interesting picture of the national construction and commercial real estate markets and give insights into where Phoenix and Arizona fit into the overall matrix. The two reports from Rider Levett Bucknall show Phoenix construction continues to grow, albeit at a more modest pace than in previous reviews. The company’s RLB Crane Index – North America Q3 2022 report finds a nominal national decrease in cranes, falling by three from the Q1 report. Nine of the cities surveyed showed increases; one decreased, and four were unchanged. According…

By BEX Staff for AZBEX In our Oct. 21 issue, we picked up a Phoenix Business Journal article on the purchase of 920 acres in Buckeye by Phoenix Hydrogen Hub LLC – an entity of Nikola Corporation and partner TC Energy. The story included speculation that the site was likely planned for the development of a hydrogen hub facility, which Nikola had announced in August. (AZBEX, Oct. 21) In the time since that article ran, Nikola has confirmed it is working with partners to build production and infrastructure to supply materials for its planned hydrogen fuel cell fleet of semitrucks…

By Roland Murphy for AZBEX Arizona’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate increased to 3.7% in September, up from 3.5% in August, according to the latest report published by the Arizona Office of Economic Opportunity. The national rate fell to 3.5%, up from 3.7%. In Sept. 2021, the state had a seasonally adjusted rate of 4.2%, and the national was 4.7%. The state had a net gain of 25,200 non-farm jobs over the month. “Prior to the pandemic, nonfarm employment averaged a gain of 28,800 jobs in September (2010-2019),” the report states. Government gained 14,500, fewer than the pre-pandemic average of 23,300.…

Giving Back 1. The Arizona Association for Economic Development announced its second mentorship program participants, following a successful inaugural launch in 2021. The program pairs young professionals with experienced practitioners from around the state.  This year’s mentees are: Jaime Lyn Gonzales, Business Development Manager, City of Avondale; Desirae Mayo, Economic Development Specialist, City of Scottsdale;  Bianca Hernandez, Sales Manager, Phoenix Convention Center, and  Ashley Mazariegos, Economic Development Analyst, City of Buckeye. Mentors for 2022 are: Ken Chapa, Economic Development and Tourism Director, City of Avondale;  Richard Wilkie, Economic Development Director, City of Casa Grande;  Mike Czechowski, Economic Initiatives Project Manager, City of Tucson, and  Thomas Doyle,…

Sales Transactions 1. JB Partners has acquired the 274-unit SeventyOne15 apartment development in Scottsdale for $150M. Developer Alliance Residential completed the project last month. 2. Life Storage Inc. has paid $142M to various entities owned by Levine Investments for a seven-site self-storage portfolio. Six of the Allstate-branded facilities are in Phoenix, with the seventh located in Minnesota. 3. ABI Multifamily announced the $37M sale of The Flats at 2030 Apartment Homes, a 237-unit multifamily apartment community in Phoenix. ABI’s Alon Shnitzer, Rue Bax, Eddie Chang and Doug Lazovick represented the Canada- based buyer and Texas-based seller. 4. Marcus & Millichap announced the…

By Roland Murphy for AZBEX Contractors, design firm representatives and other public infrastructure development watchers from around Arizona were treated to a smorgasbord of Capital Improvement Plan and other details October 18th at the BEX Companies’ 2022 Public Works Conference. This year’s half-day event was held in the conference center at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Phoenix Tempe. Following brief introductory remarks by event emcee Amanda Elliot, redevelopment program manager for the Town of Gilbert, the presentations, panels and information flowed at a fast and furious pace for the next four hours. Top 10 Capital Improvement Programs Across Arizona Kicking…

Two affordable multifamily developments by DBG Properties have been awarded $110M in financing from the Arizona Industrial Development Authority. The Waterman Senior Apartments and Overland Flats Apartments will have approximately 200 units each, with most of the units planned as affordable housing. A 13-acre site near the SEC of John Wayne Parkway and Honeycutt Avenue in Maricopa will serve as the location for both developments. Waterman will occupy six acres of the site. The development will be entirely comprised of affordable-designated units and will be age restricted to residents 55 years of age and older. Overland Flats will sit on…

Town Council and other officials in Paradise Valley recently heard a presentation on plans by Highgate to renovate the Scottsdale Plaza Resort it purchased in 2019. A 10-item Statement of Direction for the Paradise Valley Planning Commission is scheduled for a review by Council at its Oct. 27 meeting and a vote Nov. 10. The Planning Commission review is expected to be completed by late March 2023. The resort’s northern portion is planned for minor renovations and upgrades. Highgate is also planning to add a pool deck to the main lobby, which Town planners say will require more information before…