Author: BEX Staff

By Associated Builders and Contractors National nonresidential construction spending contracted 0.6% in September, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of data by the U.S. Census Bureau. On a seasonally adjusted annualized basis, nonresidential spending totaled $791.2B for the month. Spending was down in 11 of the 16 nonresidential subcategories, with spending in amusement and recreation unchanged for the month. Both private and public nonresidential spending declined 0.6% in September. “It is not surprising that nonresidential construction spending declined in September,” said ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu. “Nonresidential construction spending has generally been trending lower for several months and…

Groundbreakings 1. FCL Builders Phoenix office recently broke ground on a new FedEx Ground distribution facility in Prescott. The 217.3KSF facility will handle packages for Fed Ex Ground operations in central Arizona and replace an older facility in Prescott. The project is located in the Prescott Regional Airport Industrial area. 2. The Arizona Humane Society, along with construction partner Ryan Companies US, Inc. and architectural partner Animal Arts, held a groundbreaking ceremony November 4th for the Arizona Humane Society’s Rob and Melani Walton Papago Park Campus. The 72KSF facility will feature the state-of-the-art Watts Family Medical Complex and a resource and adoption facility, anchored by the Lazin Animal Foundation Trauma Hospital. The campus…

By Roland Murphy for AZBEX A shuttered cement quarry and vacant land on the far east side of Tucson could transform into a master planned community with up to 1,187 single- and multifamily units under a new proposal. The Planning Center has submitted a request to the City of Tucson on behalf of property owner CalPortland Company to rezone roughly 246 acres from Suburban Ranch and Heavy Industrial to Medium Density Residential for the Pantano River Planned Community. The Pantano Wash runs nearly through the middle of the proposed site two miles east of Houghton Road south of the Valencia…

Greenlight Communities and Holualoa Cos. plan to develop a 288-unit workforce-affordable complex at The Bridges mixed-use development near I-10 on Tucson’s south side. Apartments at Cabana Park at the Bridges will range between 468SF for studios and 828SF for two-bedroom models. Average monthly rents will be around $1,000. The development will be built around a “pod”-based design, each with its own amenities, but amenities will be open to all residents. Planned amenities include a pool, barbeque area, orchard seating area, lawn games and a hammock garden. Greenlight Communities purchased the vacant land for $3.4M. Construction costs are estimated at $50M.…

The Glendale City Council recently approved annexation and rezoning for the Hopewell Industrial and Sonoma Cotton master plan proposals near Northern Avenue and Loop 303. The two developments are part of multiple pending annexation requests in the area of Luke Air Force Base. Hopewell Industrial The Hopewell Industrial development will build a 1.6MSF, five-building industrial park on 104 acres at Reems Road and Northern Avenue. Nearby residents spoke in opposition to the project due to traffic concerns on Alsup Road and worries about noise from the development’s operation and during the construction process. Council member Joyce Clark expressed sympathy for…

Casa Grande City Council will consider the Hancock-Cottonwood build-to-rent community during its next regular meeting. The development proposal looks to build 330 single-story rental units and associated amenities. Council is considering zoning changes that will allow the project’s specific layout plans to go before the Casa Grande Planning and Zoning Commission later this week. (Source)

Salt River Project continues to experience significant increases in customer electricity demand as Phoenix and Maricopa County lead the nation in population growth and economic development. To meet customers’ growing needs, SRP has issued a Request for Proposal for additional power generation resources of all types to meet summer peak capacity needs. SRP is seeking competitive proposals for up to 400MW of peak generating capacity by summer 2024, and another 600MW by summer 2026, for a total up to 1,000MW by summer of 2026. Resources selected through this all-source RFP process will also support SRP’s 2035 Sustainability Goals and SRP’s goal to add 2,025MW of new utility-scale solar by 2025. The requested generation is needed in addition to SRP’s recently announced contracts for new renewable resources and plans to expand its Coolidge Generating Station. SRP will consider all technologies and currently serves customer energy needs from generation produced with a diverse fuel mix including nuclear, coal, hydroelectric, natural gas, battery storage and renewable resources including solar,…

Scottsdale City Auditor Sharron Walker has presented her findings on the Hohokam Elementary School rebuild project to the Scottsdale Unified School Board. The rebuild was funded under a voter-approved bond measure, and construction work was conducted between April and August of this year. The audit was undertaken as part of an intergovernmental agreement between SUSD and the City of Scottsdale. The audit process consisted of reviewing the District and contractor records related to the project for accuracy and appropriateness. Key recommendations from the report included: Creating requirements for closer review of subcontractor selection and construction costs, Setting procedures to review…

Licensed contractors who advertise in Arizona will now have an easier go of things under a regulatory change that went into effect at the end of September. Previously, licensed contractors were required to display their Arizona Registrar of Contractors license number for all “broadcast, published, internet or billboard advertising, letterheads and other documents used by the licensee to correspond with the licensee’s customers or potential customers.” This presented difficulties for ads other than print media. In March 2021, Governor Doug Ducey signed HB 2545 into law, creating an exception to the requirement. Now, licensed contractors do not have to display…

By Arizona Department of Environmental Quality The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality has published the Arizona Protected Surface Waters List called for by landmark surface water protection legislation signed by Governor Doug Ducey on May 5th, 2021. House Bill 2691 is the first Arizona-specific water quality protection legislation enacted since the Aquifer Protection Program in 1991. With ADEQ’s implementation of HB2691 and publication of the PSWL, Arizona has achieved a clear and meaningful surface water protection program that provides Arizonans with certainty about which waters are protected as the decades-long debate about the federal Clean Water Act continues. Arizona’s PSWL…