Author: BEX Staff

By Roland Murphy for AZBEX In an April 2 study session, the Gilbert Planning Commission met to discuss a requested rezoning and minor General Plan amendment to allow the development of Aura San Tan, a proposed 366-unit multifamily community with 9.1KSF of space on 14.26 gross acres near the SEC of Val Vista and Pecos Roads. The site is currently zoned residential commercial with a planned area development overlay. The development by Trinsic Residential Group would have the land use designation changed to Residential with a density of 25-50 units/acre and the zoning changed to Mixed-Use/Large. The project team has…

By BEX Staff for AZBEX Developer Vestar has begun a series of meetings to acquaint the public with its plans for a 195-acre mixed-use development south of Palo Brea, near the Harrah’s casino in Maricopa. A local news outlet reported Vestar’s plans for the undeveloped Maricopa Towne Center site include a grocery store, full-service restaurants and, potentially, multifamily residential and other commercial outlets. Vestar representatives say the final vision is not fully decided, and the project will be designed with “whatever best meets community needs.” Materials shown with the article show a conceptual use plan for a development called Avalea…

By Roland Murphy for AZBEX U.S. Customs and Border Protection has confirmed it will build a 24.7-mile segment of border wall south of Sonoita in the San Rafael Valley. News of the new pedestrian-blocking border wall segment broke after CBP notified Sierra Club in a monthly planning and activities update the environmental group receives under the terms of a 2019 lawsuit settlement. Separately, the agency confirmed details to AZBEX, The Arizona Republic and the Arizona Daily Star. The Sierra Club and other environmental groups have expressed concerns blocking off the comparatively isolated segment of grassland could impede migration and breeding…

By Associated Builders and Contractors Associated Builders and Contractors reported its Construction Backlog Indicator rose to 8.5 months in March, according to an ABC member survey conducted March 20 to April 6. The reading is up 0.3 months since March 2024. Backlog increased on a monthly basis for all nonresidential subsegments in March. Over the past year, however, only the infrastructure category has experienced a meaningful increase in backlog. ABC’s Construction Confidence Index reading for staffing improved, while the readings for sales and profit margins fell. The readings for all three components remain above the threshold of 50, indicating expectations…

Awards & Accolades 1. Four students from the East Valley Institute of Technology’s welding program participated in a “topping out” ceremony at SteelFab Inc. in Chandler. The “topping out” ceremony was for Arizona’s first American Institute of Steel Construction Tree teaching sculpture. The sculpture was constructed by EVIT students using steel provided by SteelFab. Following tradition, the beam was signed and raised with a Christmas tree and an American flag attached. The structure showcases every type of structural connection used in buildings and will be used as a long-term training tool. Groundbreakings 2. Renovations on the block the Pratt-Gilbert building…

By BEX Staff for AZBEX Editor’s Note: AZBEX has extensively covered Axon’s proposal for a corporate headquarters and campus master plan, as well as the efforts by opposition groups looking to stop the plan. While some of our reporting has only appeared in the AZBEX Digital Magazine, the majority is available on our website. Click here for the full background. In an April 10 vote, the Arizona House passed the latest version of legislation that will allow Axon to build a previously approved headquarters and corporate campus in north Scottsdale. The House approved its version of Senate Bill 1543 on…

Following The X Company’s failure to respond to a motion by general contractor Clayco in a case seeking payment for work performed on the failed second phase of the X Phoenix multifamily development at 2nd Avenue and Van Buren Street, Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Jennifer Ryan-Touhill has issued a summary judgment in Clayco’s favor. Clayco claimed $31.6M was owed for work performed on the project before it was halted in September 2023. The general contractor also sought $8.3M in interest on the debt through Jan. 31. In its motion, Clayco requested a judgment against The X Company and subsidiary…

By Roland Murphy for AZBEX Old Town Scottsdale may soon see a stylish new mixed-use multifamily and office development. Staff has recommended approval of a plan for The Bishop—a 17-unit, 4.3KSF boutique office/commercial development on 1.13 acres on the SWC of Bishop Lane and 2nd Street. The Scottsdale Development Review Board is scheduled to review the site plan, landscape plan and building elevations in its April 17 meeting. According to the project narrative, originally submitted by Helix Properties in May 2024, “The architecture will be anchored on the north end, facing the heart of the arts district and Camelback Mountain,…

By National Association of Home Builders Reps. Darin LaHood (R-Ill.) and Suzan DelBene (D-Wash.), along with 114 bipartisan cosponsors, have introduced National Association of Home Builders-supported legislation that will improve the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit and allow builders to increase production of badly needed affordable rental housing. The Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act of 2025 addresses the need to boost housing production to ease the nation’s housing affordability crisis. The bill would help finance more than two million additional multifamily units over the next decade. The Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act would: Increase 9% LIHTC allocations, which are generally reserved…

By Associated Builders and Contractors Construction input prices increased 0.5% in March, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Producer Price Index data. Nonresidential construction input prices increased 0.6% for the month. Both overall and nonresidential construction input prices are 0.8% higher than one year ago. While crude petroleum prices fell considerably in March, that decline was more than offset by rapidly rising natural gas, steel, copper and lumber prices. “Construction input prices increased at a rapid pace for the third consecutive month in March and have now risen at a 9.7% annualized…