Author: BEX Staff

A Request for Qualifications by the City of Chandler is seeking a developer to create a mixed-use project on 16 acres at Tumbleweed Park, at the SWC of Germann and McQueen roads. Desired uses include a hotel, restaurants, retail and entertainment options that will complement the park’s existing amenities while providing new economic stimulus and opportunities for residents. The project is driven by recent transportation infrastructure improvements and ongoing growth in the area. Chandler officials want an upscale-to-very-upscale hotel for the area. While there are no specific restaurants identified for the location, Chandler wants full-service, sit-down restaurants that do not…

By Roland Murphy for AZBEX The Arizona Center for Law in the Public Interest has filed a lawsuit in Pima County Superior Court on behalf of activists opposed to Beale Infrastructure’s proposed Project Blue data center project in southeast Tucson. The Arizona Daily Star reported the group filed the lawsuit against Pima County and the County Planning and Zoning Commission, alleging County staff violated Arizona’s open meeting law and misled the public leading up to the Commission’s recommendation for, and the Board of Supervisors subsequent approval of, a rezoning and land use plan change necessary for the 290-acre site for…

Awards & Accolades 1. The International Economic Development Council recently reaccredited the Queen Creek Economic Development Department. The department originally received its accreditation status in 2018 and has now been reaccredited twice. Boards & Commissions 2. Valley Partnership announced its 2026 Board of Directors, led by Nicholaus Fischer, Executive VP of Merit Partners, who will serve as Board Chair. Board Officers consist of: Chuck Carefoot of Ryan Companies as Vice Chair; Todd Weiss of ViaWest Group as Treasurer; Kate Kaminski of Howard Hughes as Secretary; Jay Kramer of FENNEMORE as Counsel, and Rob Bassett of Pederson Group as Immediate Past…

Sales Transactions 1. Bascom Arizona Ventures, LLC, an affiliate of The Bascom Group, LLC, acquired The Retreat at Speedway, a 304-unit multifamily community in Tucson, for $53.4M. The garden-style property, constructed in 2001, is located along Speedway Blvd. near the Catalina Foothills. Plans call for a value-add capital improvement program in the community. Institutional Property Advisors’ Steve Gebing, Cliff David, Hamid Panahi, and Clint Wadlund advised both the buyer and seller. Bryten Real Estate Partners will provide property management. 2. Cushman & Wakefield arranged the $23M sale of West 10 Business Center, a 146.7KSF industrial property at 4703 West Brill St. in…

By Roland Murphy for AZBEX Despite opposition expanding in several communities, new restrictions imposed by local governments and policy changes proposed at the State level, demand for data center capabilities continues to fuel new project proposals across the Valley. Two new data center developments—one near Luke Air Force Base and one in Mesa—were recently brought forward for discussion. Project Baccara In the West Valley, developer Takanockhas proposed two data centers and a natural gas power plant north of Luke Air Force Base at West Olive Avenue and the North Bullard Avenue alignment. According to the company’s application for a certificate…

A new $23.4M extension to John Wesley Powell Blvd. in Flagstaff could move forward more quickly with the Flagstaff City Council’s recent approval of a $2.3M state grant application to cover a portion of the costs. The currently approved budget for the project is $14.5M, to be provided by funds from the Proposition 419 sales tax. Council has approved an application under the Arizona State Match Advantage for Rural Transportation that will help complete the engineering design phase. The City will have two years to apply for federal construction grants if the AZ SMART Fund grant is approved. Plans for…

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company could expand its presence in Arizona beyond its current $165B total expected investment under a potential trade deal currently in discussions between the Trump administration and Taiwan. Under the proposed agreement, the U.S. would reduce tariffs on Taiwanese exports to 15%, down from the current 20%. Taiwan would, in turn, pledge more than $300B in foreign direct investment in the United States. The Taiwanese investment would expand on TSMC’s currently pledged $165B plan for six semiconductor fabs, two advanced packaging facilities and a research and development center at its north Phoenix site. TSMC could build “several”…

By Roland Murphy for AZBEX While shifts and tempo changes have rippled through the construction market, the uncertainty and across-the-board slowdown many predicted in 2025 never materialized. According to the Rider Levett Bucknall Q4 2025 Quarterly Construction Cost Report, construction spending was down slightly, dipping 1.8% versus Q4 2024. Activity levels varied across sectors, with data centers and other large-volume megaprojects maintaining momentum, while commercial and institutional projects shifted only slightly. Even though the Federal Reserve began lowering interest rates modestly in 2025, and lower rates allowed several projects to start moving forward, the fact that rates are still higher…

Groundbreakings 1. Construction is set to begin on the second segment of the I-10 Wild Horse Pass Corridor Project, a 26-mile highway widening between Phoenix and Casa Grande. The new phase covers a 10-mile stretch from Gas Line Road to south of State Route 387 and will expand I-10 from two to three lanes in each direction. FNF Construction, Inc. is the contractor for this segment. The four-phase project is scheduled for full completion by late 2029. 2. Construction has begun on the Lake Pleasant Pkwy. widening project in north Peoria, stretching from Loop 303 to approximately 1,000 feet north…

By Roland Murphy for AZBEX The Jan. 8 meeting of the Casa Grande Planning and Zoning Commission saw one of the first known instances of Arizona’s new law requiring administrative review and approval of site plans and some other project processes, reversing a previously issued denial. House Bill 2447 was passed by the Arizona State Legislature and signed into law by Gov. Katie Hobbs last year. Under the law, site plans, plats and design review requests now bypass public hearings and must be subjected to an objective administrative review based on standardized criteria. The new statute went into effect Dec.…