Author: BEX Staff

By BEX Staff Now that revitalization efforts, including road widening and pedestrian enhancements, are finished on Tucson’s Miracle Mile leading into downtown, developers are looking to capitalize on the revitalization momentum with the area’s first new multifamily community. The Arizona Daily Star reported Sloane McFarland and partner Ridgehouse Companies are planning approximately 270 units in a new development known as Welcome Broadway on the site of a former car dealership at the SEC of East Broadway and South Euclid Avenue. In reviewing documents on file with the City of Tucson, BEX research staff found the current submittal calls for 231…

By Associated Builders and Contractors The construction industry lost 7,000 jobs in August, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of data released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. On a year-over-year basis, industry employment has grown by 58,000 jobs, an increase of 0.7%. Nonresidential construction employment decreased by 1,200 positions on net, with losses in two of the three subcategories. Nonresidential building lost 3,300 jobs, while nonresidential specialty trade lost 200 positions. Heavy and civil engineering added 2,300 jobs for the month. The construction unemployment rate dropped to 3.2% in August. Unemployment across all industries increased from…

Giving Back 1. The Society for Marketing Professional Services Arizona Chapter announced the 2025 Phelix Award winners, honoring excellence in A/E/C marketing, business development and leadership. Firm Awards were: Arizona Builder’s Exchange (AZBEX): Grand Phelix, Burns & McDonnell for Corporate Identity, Achen-Gardner Construction for Newsletter/Publication, Canyon State Electric for Social Media, Speedie & Associates for Advertising and KE&G Construction for Retention and Recruitment. Individual winners were: Shannon Kopp: Marketer/Business Developer of the Year; Jessica Dresang: Firm Leader of the Year; Erin O’Connor: Up and Comer of the Year, and Maisha Christian: President’s Choice. Company News 2. AVI-SPL has acquired CCS…

Sales Transactions 1. Southwest Value Partners purchased six Class A office assets totaling 1.2MSF in Phoenix from City Office REIT, Inc. for $266M. The portfolio is made up of: Block 23 at 101 E. Washington St., SanTan at 3100–3200 W. Ray Road, Papago Tech at 1600–1700 N. Desert Dr., The Quad at 6200–6390 E. Thomas Road, Camelback Square at 6991 E. Camelback Road and 5090 N. 40th St. JLL Capital Markets represented the seller. 2. An entity linked to INDUS Realty Trust purchased three industrial buildings in Tolleson from Link Logistics for $116.7M. The first industrial property comes in at…

The Queen Creek Unified School District will present a request to fund four major construction projects as part of its 2026 capital Plan. The QCUSD Governing Board approved sending requests for two new elementary schools and two existing school expansions to the School Facilities Division for review earlier this month. Both additions are targeted for completion by 2031. The two new elementary schools are planned to open by 2029 and will serve 750 K-6 students. The District owns five vacant parcels. No specific sites have been chosen for the new schools, although all five are listed as potential locations. Crismon…

By Roland Murphy for AZBEX The Florence Planning and Zoning Commission will hold the first of two hearings this week to consider major General Plan amendments that would transform portions of an established planned unit development zone near Arizona Farms and Attaway roads into three master planned developments with a technology park, data centers, commercial and miscellaneous industrial uses. The existing 1,810-acre Dobson Farms PUD was established in 2009. According to the submitted narrative, “The PUD created three primary residential development land use categories with four commercial and mixed-use categories along with areas reserved for school and parks. The Dobson…

After extensive discussions about a requested deviation from standards for two-car garages, the Mesa City Council was eventually persuaded to approve plans from owner 5228 S. Blackstone LLC for a 29-unit townhome development on 3.7 acres on 90th Street north of Broadway Road. Sienna Ridge Townhomes is an infill development targeted toward young families and middle-income earners and is intended to satisfy some of the need for middle housing in Mesa. The development features five two-story attached buildings and 11 freestanding units. Planned amenities include a pool, a “tot lot” and open space. Mesa regulations require two-car garages to be…

By BEX Staff for AZBEX VanTrust Real Estate has announced plans for VT303 North, a 1.1MSF planned logistics and industrial building at the SWC of Northern Avenue and Reems Road in Glendale. According to the press release, VanTrust bought the 66-acre site in 2023 and has finalized the design and engineering for offsite infrastructure. VanTrust has developed several other projects in the area, including the 830KSF VT303 and the first phase of VT101, a two-building 310KSF development in the Glendale sports and entertainment corridor along Loop 101. VT303 North is the first speculative industrial project of more than 800KSF square…

By Associated Builders and Contractors The construction industry had 306,000 job openings on the last day of July, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey. JOLTS defines a job opening as any unfilled position for which an employer is actively recruiting. Industry job openings increased by 64,000 last month and are up by 77,000 from the same time last year. “The construction job opening rate rose to the highest level in over a year during July,” said ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu. “Given the…

Groundbreakings 1. Construction is underway on Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport’s Taxiway Uniform project, a $333M initiative to build a 2,060-ft taxiway connecting the west ends of the north and south runways. The multi-phase project will improve aircraft flow and operations and is expected to be completed in 2027. Early work includes realigning Buckeye Road and Sky Harbor Blvd. 2. DPC Companies has broken ground on Chandler Innovation Park, a three-building Class A industrial park totaling 327.8KSF on 21 acres at Arizona Avenue and Ryan Road in Chandler’s Airpark Area. Buildings will range from 39KSF to 190KSF with 28’ to…