Author: BEX Staff

By Roland Murphy for AZBEX Mesa’s Planning and Zoning Board has approved a site plan application for the 6.6-acre first phase of development at EastMarket, a 32-acre area at the NEC of Ray and Ellsworth roads in the larger 3,200-acre Eastmark area. Phase I will include a 23KSF Sprouts Farmers Market. Local news sources report Sprouts has signed the lease and plans to open the store in 2027. The first phase will have a total build area of approximately 55KSF. In addition to Sprouts, there will be four other commercial and retail tenants ranging between 4.7KSF and 7.2KSF. A bank…

By Roland Murphy for AZBEX A 124-room Premier Suites extended stay hotel could soon join businesses at the Casa Grande Mercado under requests before the City’s Planning and Zoning Commission this week. The Commission met the evening of June 5, after this issue went to press. According to the staff report, Casa Grande Mercado is one of the city’s oldest planned area developments, established as a 10-lot subdivision in 1990. The original PAD called for a mix of commercial and retail uses with a maximum building height of 24 feet. One lot included an exception to the height rule for…

The Pima County Board of Supervisors has approved a $250M 10-year plan to address affordable housing. The plan will be implemented in the fiscal budget for 2026-2027 and will invest a minimum of $200M over 10 years in addition to the $5M the Board has included in the budget since 2022. The plan’s architect, Supervisor Matt Heinz, said the measure was “a bold step” but “not nearly enough,” given the current state of affordable housing. The measure passed on a 3-2 vote. The plan will have the County consider a possible yearly increase of up to $0.03 on the primary…

Groundbreakings 1. Wespac Construction has broken ground on the new Sprouts Farmers Market Headquarters, a mixed-use campus in north Phoenix. The campus, located near 56th Street and Loop 101, will span more than 180KSF on seven acres. The development includes a four-story, 144.5KSF Class A office building, a 25KSF flagship Sprouts grocery store, 11KSF of retail and restaurant space, and a three-story parking garage. The project team includes Trammell Crow Company as the developer, RSP Architects as the design firm, and Keyser and JLL as brokers. Sprouts will transition from its current 96KSF headquarters to the new campus by August…

By Roland Murphy for AZBEX Diversified Partners announced its new 14-acre commercial development at the NEC of Loop 202 and Dobbins Road in Phoenix will be anchored by The Rush Funplex, a 75KSF indoor family entertainment center. The design firm is RKAA Architects. A general contractor has not been selected. Construction is expected to start later this year or early next, with a grand opening expected for December 2026. According to the announcement, this will be the second Arizona location for The Rush Funplex. The other is in Goodyear at the NEC of Yuma Road and Estrella Parkway in another…

Arizona Land Consulting and a group of investment partners have paid $51M for 2,000 acres of unincorporated land in Maricopa County west of the White Tank Mountains that is expected to serve as the location for a 1 gigawatt, $25B data center development. In a post on X, investor Chamath Palihapitiya, CEO of Social Capital, said the data center focuses on serving the artificial intelligence industry’s capacity needs. Palihapitiya was connected with ALC’s Consulting CEO Anita Verma-Lallian through another investor—Ethan Agarwal of DYA Capital. The Hassayampa Ranch Data Center site will require a rezoning approval from the Maricopa County Board…

By OrthoArizona Private orthopedic practice OrthoArizona announced a significant expansion initiative that will bring its care to more communities throughout the Phoenix metropolitan area. By 2027, OrthoArizona plans to open five new facilities and expand four existing locations, reinforcing its mission to deliver high-quality, patient-centered care close to home. Already operating across 36 sites, OrthoArizona’s expansion includes the addition of surgical centers, comprehensive clinics, advanced imaging services, and physical therapy locations—ensuring a fully integrated continuum of care from diagnosis to recovery. New Facility Openings: Scottsdale – Opening June 2025: A new MRI center will open at 9237 E Via De…

By Roland Murphy for AZBEX The Gilbert Planning Commission will hold a study session this week to discuss Lennar’s plans for Harvest Grove, a master-planned community at the SEC of Val Vista Drive and Germann Road that will include single-family, multifamily and commercial uses. If Lennar is to develop the community on the proposed 311.84-acre site, the Town of Gilbert will have to approve a minor General Plan amendment and replace the current mix of zoning categories with a planned area development overlay zoning district. The PAD uses will include both attached and detached single-family, varying densities of multifamily and…

By Roland Murphy for AZBEX New details and speculation have emerged on plans in Pima County for the Southeast Employment & Logistics Center Specific Plan, a 290-acre parcel at the NWC of Houghton & Brekke roads in Tucson. AZBEX was the first outlet to report on the plan, which includes data center, biomedical R&D, manufacturing and logistics, and warehouse and office uses. (AZBEX, April 29) The Pima County Planning and Zoning Commission has recommended approval for the proposed land uses, and the Board of Supervisors will meet either this month or next to review a purchase agreement for the land,…

Trying to make sure “growth pays for growth,” the Gilbert Town Council has unanimously approved an update to its development services fees. The changes are the first major alteration to the Town’s fee structure in more than 20 years and will go into effect July 1. Because of the long period since the last revisions, Town officials noticed a widening gap between Gilbert’s costs for development services and the revenues generated from fees. The Town partnered with an outside consultant to review the time and resources needed in each portion of the development review process and assigned personnel costs to…