Author: BEX Staff

The Maricopa Planning and Zoning Commission is considering a proposal to change the land use map and zoning for nearly 17 acres of City-owned land from Public/Institutional to High Density Residential. The City has requested the change for the site north of City Hall, likely to enable the development of multifamily housing. The spaces around City Hall have been targeted for development after the mitigation of the nearby North Santa Cruz Wash floodplain is complete. When that is in place, 11 square miles of land will be open for economic development. City officials last year estimated the assessable value at…

Groundbreakings 1. Phase I of the 225KSF Gulfstream Aerospace Development in Mesa, which will serve as a West Coast maintenance/repair/operations facility for the company, broke ground last month. 2. Continental Properties has broken ground on Gilbert’s first Build-to-Rent single-family community – the 102-unit Avanterra Town Square development near Gilbert and Ray Roads. 3. Long-planned improvements at Tempe’s Clark Park, including a new pool and community center, restroom renovations, playground, sports field upgrades, and a community garden, will get underway with a groundbreaking ceremony June 10th. 4. Upgrades at Surprise Community Park are scheduled to begin on June 20th. Plans call…

Two Phoenix railroad crossing improvement projects have been awarded more than $7M in grant funding under the Federal Railroad Administration’s Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements grant program. Nationally, 46 projects in in 32 states and Washington, D.C. received more than $368M in grants under CRISI, which is targeted at modernizing rail infrastructure and reducing supply chain congestion. Funding for the projects is provided under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which allocates $1B/year for five years for rail infrastructure improvements. The up to $7M award to the City of Phoenix will go to install gate arms and signalization, along with widening…

Even though the Arizona School Facilities Oversight Board has a list of recommended building safety measures to minimize security threats, critics say the Board’s failure to include them under its “minimum guidelines” means the state is not required to fund their implementation. The issue of “school hardening” is also being tied to long-simmering debates about Arizona’s school facilities funding in general, which has left many districts – particularly those in poorer districts – struggling with improvements and new construction across the board. A 2017 lawsuit, which is ongoing, alleges state budget cuts have dangerously reduced capital funding for maintenance and…

A commercial and residential mixed-use proposal for Hudson Station has gained a rezoning and commercial site plan approval from the Queen Creek Town Council. The request included rezoning a 95-acre site at the SWC of Signal Butte and Queen Creek Roads and site plan approvals for a 24-acre commercial center anchored by a Fry’s Marketplace and EoS Fitness location. Twenty-five acres will on the site will feature a rental community, and the rest will go toward single-family housing. Barclay Development is the commercial developer, and Hancock Communities will manage the rental components. A single-family builder has not been finalized. Pew…

By City of Phoenix The City of Phoenix Planning & Development Department launched an innovative, easy-to-use system to better serve customers with projects that require a building permit. SHAPE PHX is the new Land Management Information System that replaces the Department’s primary business applications, including the Electronic Plan Review system and PDD Online. The first release of SHAPE PHX launched June 6th, introducing Single-Family Residential permit categories to the SHAPE PHX system, including: Submit applications,Check plan review status,Communicate with staff.Request meetings with staff,Upload documents,Request inspections, andPay fees online. The new SHAPE PHX Customer Portal will be available 24/7 with residential…

Following a public meeting lasting more than eight hours, the Tempe City Council voted 5-2 to begin negotiations with the Arizona Coyotes on a proposal to build a new arena and entertainment district on 46 acres of land currently owned by the City. The Coyotes’ proposal includes a state-of-of-the-art arena, retail, hotels, restaurant and entertainment spaces, office and hundreds of multifamily units. Hundreds of residents filled the Council chambers and overflow areas. Coyotes representatives gave two presentations; Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport representatives gave a presentation opposing the plan; dozens of citizens requested to speak, and more than 200 submitted…

By Thompson Thrift Real Estate Company Thompson Thrift Commercial, a wholly owned company of Thompson Thrift, announced the acquisition of approximately 68 acres of land zoned for industrial development, just west of the SWC of Germann Road and Meridian Road in Queen Creek. The new development will be located within a mile of LG’s newly announced 1MSF facility, which will generate 2,800 new jobs in the immediate area. The company plans to begin construction in December on Phase I of the project, which will feature approximately 400KSF of new manufacturing, warehousing and distribution space between five stand-alone buildings. When the…

The Mesa City Council voted last week on a proposal to put a $157M public safety bond request on the November ballot. Projects to be funded under the bond consideration include: $43.4M to modernize Police Headquarters;A $10M addition to the $10M approved in a 2018 for a Mesa Police Evidence Facility;$41.9M to add classrooms, parking and site improvements to the 57.5KSF Public Safety Training Facility;Building two new four-bay fire stations, andImproving an existing 1978-built fire station at Greenfield Park. June 11th is the deadline to put bond requests on the November 8th ballot. (Source)

Awards & Accolades 1. Avondale Public Works Operator Miguel Ayala has been named the AZ Water Association’s 2022 Large Treatment Plant Operations Supervisor of the Year. Ayala has worked for Avondale for more than 15 years and holds a Grade 4 ADEQ certification. 2. AZ Big Media has published the 2022 Ranking Arizona list of Top 10 Developers. They are: Ryan Companies US, Inc.ViaWest GroupOpus Development CompanySimonCRETrammell Crow CompanyLincoln Property CompanyMerit PartnersRED DevelopmentCreationWentworth Property Company Company News 3. Phoenix-based design firm Orcutt | Winslow has signed an agreement to acquire Helman Hurley Charvat Peacock Architects – an international master planning/architectural…