Author: BEX Staff

By Roland Murphy for AZBEX Planned apartments part of $1.15B in new development along 202’s 59th Avenue leg Developer P.B. Bell is the latest to add its name to the growing list of companies contributing to the dramatic private development growth along the 59th Avenue leg of the Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway. When the freeway extension was first proposed, transportation and economic development officials promised extensive development and revitalization when pitching the Loop 202 extension, the northern leg of which runs parallel to 59th starting at Estrella Drive until it ultimately connects with Interstate 10. The P.B. Bell 59th…

In response to a request from the City of Tempe, The Arizona Coyotes have proposed creating a $1.7B mixed-use development that features an arena, hotels, multifamily and retail. The team plans to finance the area through a blend of private investment for the core project and using Tempe sales tax dollars for $200M in additional costs for infrastructure development and remediation of the 46-acre former mining and landfill site. The National Hockey League would build and operate the 16,000-seat arena. Coyotes representatives estimate the overall project could generate $5.9B in direct spending and $154M in net new tax revenue over…

By Salt River Project On the heels of announcing signed agreements for three new solar power plants in Arizona, Salt River Project has announced its largest standalone solar power plant to soon be under development northwest of Flagstaff. The solar plant, “CO Bar Solar,” is scheduled to be commercially operational in 2024 and will deliver a total of 400MW of renewable energy to SRP customers. Clēnera, a developer of large-scale solar and storage projects, and a subsidiary of Enlight Renewable Energy LTD, will construct and operate CO Bar Solar. This development is one of many projects to help SRP meet…

The Gilbert Town Council is considering new agreements concerning a planned 25-acre water park for Gilbert Regional Park. Cactus Surf Park LLC has replaced The Strand @ Gilbert LLC as the project developer. The project has been on hold since at least December 2020. Changes under review by Council include adjusting lease agreements and revising the timeline for development. The construction start deadline has been shifted to June 30th, 2022, causing the planned opening date to shift from August 2022 to February 2024. (Source)

The Home Matters Arizona Fund has announced a third round of grants totaling $851K as part of its plan to distribute $100M over two years in support of affordable housing development in the state. The latest recipients are Native American Connections ($500K) for the 217-unit The Moreland in Phoenix and Housing Solutions of Northern Arizona, Inc. ($351K), for the 44-unit JoJo’s Place in Flagstaff. Development costs for The Moreland are estimated at $51.6M, while JoJo’s Place is expected to cost $5.85M. The Moreland is Native American Connections’ redevelopment of the City of Phoenix’s Deck Part Vista apartment community. The planned…

By The American Institute of Architects The Architecture Billings Index recorded its seventh consecutive positive month, according to a new report from The American Institute of Architects. The ABI score for August was 55.6, up from July’s score of 54.6. Any score above 50 indicates an increase in billings from the prior month. During August, scoring for both the new project inquiries and design contracts moderated slightly but remained in positive territory, posting scores of 64.7 and 56.6 respectively. “The surge in design activity continued in August, signifying an expected upturn in construction activity in the fourth quarter and continuing…

By U.S. Chamber of Commerce In the face of escalating challenges including worker shortages, materials shortages, and rising costs, commercial construction contractors are seeing a slowdown in the pace of their recovery from the pandemic, according to third quarter data from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Commercial Construction Index. Almost all (92%) contractors report some level of difficulty finding skilled workers, but this quarter, 55% indicate high levels of difficulty – a jump of 10 percentage points from Q2. The lack of workers has caused 42% of those contractors reporting difficulty finding workers to turn down work, up from 35%…

Awards & Accolades 1. Two of Achen-Gardner’s projects were selected as Projects of the Year by the Arizona Chapter American Public Works Association. The Twin Peaks-Blue Bonnet Road Gravity Sewer Design-Build project for Pima County Regional Wastewater Reclamation Department was selected as the Project of the Year in the Environment, $5M But Less Than $25M category. The Valencia Road Manhole Rehabilitation project for Pima County RWRD was selected as the Project of the Year in the Disaster or Emergency Construction/Repair, Less than $5M category. These projects were featured in the awards video on the AZ APWA Conference website. 2. Rosendin,…

By Rebekah Morris for AZBEX Is the third time a charm for Tempe to Redevelop Iconic Mill Site? The City has recently issued a development RFP for the site; proposals are due Thursday, November 4th, 2021 at 3pm. The City first purchased the property in 2003 and has since been looking for a private development partner to activate the site into a community amenity with multiple uses. Two previous agreements have expired without any development happening on the parcel. The most recent iteration was a development agreement with Baum Development that was initially approved by City Council in 2014. The…

An office-centric mixed-use development near State Farm Stadium recently took another step forward when Glendale City Council approved two agreements with Plaza Cos. to start preliminary planning work. Glendale will pay the developer $176K for a marketing plan and engineering design services. Other agreements are in the works. The developer will generate a set of rules detailing what will be allowed in the development. The covenants, conditions and restrictions will include design standards. Plaza Cos. also will create a phasing and site plan that will direct engineering, street design and infrastructure. (Source)