Author: BEX Staff

Groundbreakings 1. Construction on the I-10 widening project, between Gas Line Road and south of Pinal Avenue in Casa Grande, will begin in mid-January. The project is in the Gila River Indian Community. The Arizona Department of Transportation is leading the $267.9M effort, which will add one lane in each direction, build a new Seed Farm Road interchange, widen the Gas Line Road bridge, reconstruct the Pinal Avenue/State Route 387 interchange and remove the Dirk Lay Road bridge. Work is expected to last approximately two years. 2. Construction is moving forward on the new Costco Business Center at the SWC…

By Roland Murphy for AZBEX Many times, the first issue of a new year will look back on notable changes and big wins of the last 12 months. Unfortunately, there is one trend that’s casting enough of a shadow on the national and Arizona A/E/C landscape that, rather than indulging in a bit of retrospective whimsy, leads us to ask our readers to sharpen their focus: Opposition to development project is getting more entrenched, better funded, better organized and more broad, and the development community is not responding quickly enough to the change. While evolution in the natural world is…

By Roland Murphy for AZBEX Worker Power, a politically oriented non-profit affiliated with California labor union Unite Here Local 11, has lodged three applications with the Casa Grande City Clerk’s Office to press for a referendum on City Council’s annexation and rezoning approvals for a 1,271-acre site between Interstate 8 and Selma Highway. Lucid Motors’ planned expansion may be the centerpiece of the annexation and rezoning. Worker Power is sponsoring the action by a Los Angeles-based political action committee called Arizonans for Responsible Development, according to a recent PinalCentral article. Lucid Motors, Pinal County and the City of Casa Grande…

The Town of Gilbert has found 96 potential transportation projects without funding sources in place. This comes as the projects funded by the Town’s 2021 $515M transportation bond are in the process of leaving the design phase and entering the construction phase. The additional 96 projects reflect $1.3B in necessary funding. Projects range from road widening and intersection improvements to street rehabilitation. The Town also said inflation and increasing construction costs have continued to make maintenance increasingly difficult, let alone expansion projects. The current funding program consists of 41 projects. Typically, once these projects move into the construction phase, spending…

Giving Back 1. Wespac Charities announced a donation of $100K to Habitat for Humanity of Northern Arizona. The announcement coincides with the appointment of Tyler Mark, VP at Wespac Construction, Inc., as the newly named President of Habitat for Humanity of Northern Arizona. Awards & Accolades 2. Mesa Gateway Airport Economic Development & Real Estate Project Manager Alex Smith was recognized as one of Airport Business magazine’s 2025 40 under 40. The award celebrates innovative leaders who drive the future of aviation. 3. B&F Contracting, Inc. announced Kristina Montano and Janessa Murphy graduated from the Arizona Builders Alliance Women in…

Sales Transactions 1. Westcore Properties purchased a 22-acre portion of Mack Real Estate Group’s Mack Innovation Park near Deer Valley Airport for $90.7M. The 22-acre site currently holds three multi-tenant industrial buildings ranging from 62.8KSF to 201.2KSF. Each building is fully leased. 2. JLL Capital Markets announced the $89.9M sale of Fairway Commerce Center, a 450.3KSF distribution facility in Avondale. The asset features a 10-year triple-net lease with the United States Postal Service. JLL represented the seller, Westfield Company Inc. and RGA ReCap Incorporated on behalf of RGA. Fairway Commerce Center is located at 12250 W. Corporate Dr. 3. BlackRock…

By Roland Murphy for AZBEX Recent federal defense spending bills are bringing major new projects to Arizona covering a range of essential services and needs for military facilities and servicemembers. Projects and their funding were both recently touted by Arizona U.S. Senators Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego. In addition to several program-related issues, Kelly’s announcement highlighted funding for a Child Development Center at Luke Air Force Base, water system improvements at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, and a new Communications Squadron headquarters and new hangar and maintenance facility at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base. The new developments were included in the…

The Mesa Design Review Board discussed and provided feedback on NTT Global Data Centers’ planned PH10 development at the NEC of Pecos and Crismon roads in its Dec. 9 meeting. The plan features seven two-story buildings with a build area of more than 2.25MSF on 170 acres. DRB met to discuss the landscaping and aesthetics of the project. Development could take place in multiple phases. According to project documents, the design will include sound mitigation measures both on- and offsite to comply with noise standards and maintain compatibility with nearby uses. Office components are included in the development plan and…

By Arizona Department of Transportation Several large Arizona Department of Transportation projects are set to get underway along Phoenix-area freeways in 2026, including the first projects funded under Proposition 479 approved by Maricopa County voters in 2024. Substantial progress also will be made during the new year on two Proposition 400-funded widening projects along Loop 101 and Loop 202. Voters approved Proposition 400 in 2004. Here is ADOT’s overview of the Valley freeway project heading into 2026: Loop 303 Improvement Project between I-17 and 51st Avenue: This $129M project, scheduled to start by late January, will add direct freeway-to-freeway ramps…

By National Association of Home Builders Sawmill production has remained essentially flat over the past two years, according to the Federal Reserve G.17 Industrial Production report. The most recent data release contained an annual revision, which resulted in higher estimates for both production and capacity in U.S. sawmills. This revision shows current production levels above 2017 by 7.5% and an increased production capacity estimate peaking in the fourth quarter of 2024. On a four-quarter moving average, production is 0.9% higher in the second quarter of 2025 compared to the first quarter. However, sawmill production remains just 0.3% above 2023 levels.…