Author: BEX Staff

By Arizona Department of Transportation January 2022 ushers in a year in which funding for select future Arizona Department of Transportation projects will see an increase over the next five years. A portion of this increase is the result of the recent passage of the federal Infrastructure, Investment and Jobs Act, which uses a mix of funding determined by a formula, and money that will be available only through competitive grants. IIJA replaces the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act. The additional transportation funding is approximately a 20% increase from the existing federal funding the State of Arizona receives. Infrastructure Investment…

Construction costs in metro Phoenix have risen 8.12% for the period from October 1st, 2020 to October 1st, 2021, according to the latest Rider Levett Bucknall North America Quarterly Construction Cost Report. The average for the 16 cities followed in the report was 7.42%. Local RLB representatives said ongoing supply chain issues and labor and materials disruptions from mega-projects like the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. plant in north Phoenix and the Intel expansion in Chandler, as well as upcoming public projects funded through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, are partly responsible. They add, however, the rising costs in and…

Awards & Accolades 1. KORE Power and the City of Buckeye have been recognized by Business Facilities magazine’s Deal of Year awards for the agreement that will bring the company’s advanced lithium-ion battery cell manufacturing facility to  Maricopa County. Groundbreakings 2. Greystar Development has begun construction on its 155-unit, 180KSF senior living facility Greystar 90th Street & Raintree Road. 3. Vistancia has announced it has begun its second phase of development in its Northpointe at Vistancia community, the fourth and final community in the 7,100-acre Vistancia master plan. 4. Johnson Carlier has started construction on the remodel of Southwest Contemporary Women’s Care. The remodel…

By Roland Murphy for AZBEX The Sedona Creative Life Center may soon add a resort experience to its spiritual and educational offerings under a proposal currently before the City’s Community Development Department. In the letter of intent, project representatives plan “to develop 23.61 acres with 101 lodging units, as well as meeting, therapy-health, dining, and out-door interactive and recreational elements for guests to enjoy the beauty of Sedona. The existing development includes the Sedona Creative Life Center, several residences, parking areas, and a Garden of Peace.” The letter goes on to say, “The resort is tailored to draw a caliber…

By Roland Murphy and Rebekah Morris for AZBEX Arizona’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate dropped to 4.1% in December, down from 4.7% in November, according to the latest report published by the Arizona Office of Economic Opportunity. The national rate decreased to 3.9% from 4.2%. In Dec. 2020, the state had a seasonally adjusted rate of 6.8%, and the national rate was 6.7%. The state had a net gain of 3,088 non-farm jobs over the month and a gain of 84,735 year-over-year. “Month over month, Arizona total nonfarm employment increased by 15,000 jobs or 0.5%,” the report states. “Year over year,…

By Roland Murphy for AZBEX Phoenix’s Paradise Valley Village Planning Committee has recommended the five-story, 261-unit Davis Kierland luxury apartment development for approval. This marks the third development near the Phoenix-Scottsdale border around Kierland to advance in recent months. In June 2021, Phoenix City Council approved a rezoning request for Manor Kierland (formerly known as RD Kierland), a 360-unit, 68-feet tall development near Kierland Boulevard and Greenway Parkway. In December, it approved plans for the Scottsdale and Bell Multifamily project, which will provide 255 units in a 141-foot tower. A fourth project, the 370-unit, 70-foot Icon Kierland, is also proposed…

By Rebekah Morris for AZBEX A ceremonial groundbreaking was held last week for Sunlit Chemical near the enormous TSMC chip manufacturing plant currently underway in north Phoenix. Sunlit Chemical purchased the land from Mack Real Estate Group, and the site is part of the larger Mack Innovation Park, also known as ASLD Supplier Site A. From the press release distributed by the Arizona Commerce Authority: “Representing a $100M total investment in two phases, the 900KSF facility located on 17 acres in north Phoenix will produce hydrofluoric acid and other high purity grade industrial chemicals in the first phase, which will…

The Gila County Board of Supervisors has approved a $21.1M Arizona Department of Transportation grant to build the Tonto Creek Bridge. The Board also approved a general fund transfer of $1M and a $1.8M transfer from the Transportation Excise Tax Fund to pay the county’s grant match to ADOT. ADOT will issue a bid request for the project in February, with bid returns expected in March and an award made in April or May. Construction is expected to take 18-24 months and begin somewhere between August and October of this year. A cell tower and some APS wires must be…

By The Arizona Attorney General’s Office Attorney General Mark Brnovich announced that Vernal “Vern” Lee Crow, of Glendale, has been indicted on four felony counts of Conflict of Interest in connection with his appointed position as a member of the Arizona School Facilities Board. Crow is alleged to have failed to disclose his interest and his son’s interest in Red Tree Consulting LLC, a construction consulting company that benefited from three projects awarded by the SFB while Crow was a participating board member. Crow previously owned Red Tree jointly with his son Michael until 2017. After 2017, Crow’s son was…

Giving Back 1. Native American communities in eastern Arizona will benefit from a new source of clean drinking water through a project sponsored by Resolution Copper and Stantec to deploy “hydropanel” technology. The companies are partnering with White Mountain Apache community members to provide 64 hydropanels on the Fort Apache Reservation and supporting hydropanel installation programs in other Native American communities. Hydropanels are a renewable water technology that uses solar energy to provide drinking water by drawing pure, constantly replenished water vapor out of the sky. Promotions 2. Orcutt | Winslow’s Managing Partners (Neil Terry, Vispi Karanjia, Carl Nelson and Erik Clinite) announce…