Author: BEX Staff

By Roland Murphy for AZBEX – BEXclusive The approval by Casa Grande City Council last month of General Plan amendments and rezoning requests for a pair of properties will make more than 350 acres of new space available for future industrial development. In its Feb. 18 meeting, the Council approved a minor General Plan amendment and rezoning for 283 acres at the SEC of Bianco and Clayton roads and two minor General Plan amendments and a rezoning for parcels at the SEC of Bianco and Illinois Roads. Council had approved annexation requests for the Clayton property earlier in February. Clayton…

By BEX Staff for AZBEX A series of requests recommended for approval last month by the Casa Grande Planning and Zoning Commission could pave the way for another expansion of Lucid Motors’ manufacturing facility in the city. According to the Commission’s agenda information, the company is requesting rezoning of nearly 1,200 acres across four parcels from Urban Ranch to General Industrial: +/-1,065.5 acres, generally located at the west and east side of Thornton Rd south of Selma Highway; +/- 40 acres, generally located at the northeast corner of Selma Highway and Burris Road; +/- 55 acres, generally located approximately 920…

By Arizona Department of Transportation The Arizona Department of Transportation, in partnership with the Maricopa Association of Governments, Peoria and Surprise, is seeking public input on a potential new Loop 303 interchange between US 60 and El Mirage Road. This interchange would address growing traffic demand and high traffic volumes north of Loop 303 and east of US 60 (Grand Avenue), including congestion at the Loop 303/US 60 interchange and US 60/163rd Avenue intersection. The study is evaluating four alternatives for the location and design concept of a new traffic interchange that are detailed at azdot.gov/Loop303TIAlternatives. ADOT is seeking public…

By BEX Staff for AZBEX The City of Phoenix has issued a Request for Qualifications for a Construction Manager a Risk for a $6.4M expansion and renovation project at the Children’s Museum of Phoenix. According to the project description, “On behalf of the Children’s Museum of Phoenix, the City of Phoenix seeks to renovate and upgrade unfinished spaces in the historic Monroe School building. This building was originally constructed in 1913 and is on the National Register of Historic Places. The Capital Improvement Project intends to develop and finish areas that comply with building codes to transition approximately 28KSF of…

As the next iteration of Mayo Clinic’s “Bold. Forward. Unbound.” campaign to bring about the next generation of healthcare, the hospital innovator is planning a $1.9B expansion of its north Phoenix campus that will add 1.2MSF of space and 3,500 more jobs. Mayo Clinic Arizona CEO Dr. Richard Gray said it will be the firm’s largest Arizona investment to date. The new expansion, which is separate from the Discovery Oasis master plan, will increase overall clinical space by 59%, increase the number of operating rooms by 31% and significantly add to the number of CT and MRI scanners, increasing the…

QTS Data Centers and other operators have partnered with Maricopa Community Colleges on a workforce development program geared toward training data center workers. Students enrolled at any of the 10 MCC schools in the Phoenix area can earn a Data Center Operations certificate via classes from the Mesa and Estrella campuses. The certificate is intended to qualify students for entry-level data center jobs and includes the base technicians’ program and data-center-specific coursework. There are also data center tours, speakers’ presentations and an internship program available. Approximately 200 students have begun taking applicable courses, and the first group of students should…

Giving Back 1. Achen-Gardner Construction participated in the Arizona State University Career Fair on Feb. 13. The employee-owners talked to students about the company’s expertise and discussed challenges in the industry, while providing details about career opportunities. Boards & Commissions 2. James Singleton and Alfonso Juarez were elected as the Chairman and Vice Chairman of the Maricopa Planning & Zoning Commission at its meeting on Feb. 24. Company News 3. CBRE announced the opening of its new office at 2502 E. River Road in Tucson. The company recently moved into the new space from its long-time location off North Campbell…

Sales Transactions 1. Recreational Equipment Inc. sold its 410.4KSF Goodyear warehouse to Madison Capital for $46.4M in a cash sale-leaseback deal. REI’s lease is for 15 years, with two 10-year renewal options. The agreement also allows REI the first option to purchase the facility. The property, located at 4877 N. Cotton Lane, achieved LEED Platinum certification and Net Zero Energy, in part by utilizing its 6,700 solar panels. This deal is among four similar sales between Madison Capital and REI nationwide. 2. Echo Real Estate Capital and Grandview Partners, represented by Cushman & Wakefield, sold a Class-A industrial building leased…

By Roland Murphy for AZBEX A five-acre outdoor storage and parking facility near the SWC of 27th and Glendale avenues in Phoenix could be redeveloped into a new 124-unit multifamily development under a rezoning request scheduled for March 6 before the Phoenix Planning Commission. The site is currently zoned as single-family residential district. Surrounding uses include single-family residences, a beauty school, office space, vacant land and a church. Staff determined the rezoning to R-4 multifamily zoning is not consistent with the current General Plan land use map designation, but a General Plan amendment will not be necessary since the site…

By BEX Staff for AZBEX A proposed 29-unit multifamily development planned on South Ellis Street south of Frye Road received a recommendation for approval from the Chandler Planning and Zoning Commission in the Feb. 19 meeting. The requests for Nirvana at Ellis will now proceed to City Council. The 1.94-acre site currently has an area plan in place for commercial, office and specialty retail uses. The proposed amendment would change the designation to multifamily residential. The property is surrounded by other multifamily on three sides, according to planning documents. All units would be two-bedroom, two-bath. Building configurations call for one…