Author: BEX Staff

By Arizona Office of Economic Opportunity Gov. Katie Hobbs and the Arizona Office of Economic Opportunity have announced $1M in funding for the next phase of the BuildItAZ Apprenticeship Initiative, which aims to connect Arizonans with the skills they need for construction and trades jobs. After the Governor launched BuildItAZ in 2023, Arizona saw growth in enrollment of construction and trades apprentices, marking progress toward her administration’s goal to double the number of construction and trades registered apprentices by 2026. To continue the efforts, OEO will grant $1M in federal workforce funds to registered apprenticeship programs to recruit more apprentices,…

By National Association of Home Builders Bipartisan legislation tailored specifically to ease the severe residential construction labor shortage was introduced in the House this week. Reps. Juan Ciscomani (R-Ariz.), Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-Wash.), Ryan Zinke (R-Mont.) and Don Davis (D-N.C.) introduced the CONSTRUCTS Act, companion legislation to the Senate bill introduced earlier this year by Sens. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) that will support the construction workforce, help improve the housing supply and bend the rising housing cost curve across the nation. The CONSTRUCTS Act directly addresses the lack of workers in the housing sector by expanding opportunities…

Progress Reports 1. Crews have begun clearing land for new travel lanes, removing sound walls and preparing the foundations for new bridges for the I-40/US 93 Interchange project in Kingman. This progress comes six months into the Arizona Department of Transportation’s $106M project to eliminate delays that can occur for passenger and truck traffic on the main route between Las Vegas and Arizona. Construction is expected to continue into 2027. Completions 2. P.B. Bell introduced pre-leasing at its apartment home complex Everly at Morrison Ranch. The development is a part of the Morrison Ranch master-planned community on Elliot Road east…

The Casa Grande Board of Adjustment delayed its decision regarding an appeal against rulings related to Buckthorne, a proposed 80-acre immigrant detention center at Gila Bend Highway and Ethington Road. Target Logistics Management LLC has requested consideration of a major site plan to build Buckthorne. If built, the detention facility will be able to house approximately 1,500 unaccompanied minors who cross into the United States seeking asylum. In October, Rose Law Group filed an appeal against the City’s administrative decision classifying Buckthorne as “essential public service use.” The administrative decision would permit the construction of the detention center. The appeal…

By BEX Staff The Laughlin Town Advisory Board is considering asking Clark County or the State of Nevada for funds intended to improve the Laughlin-Bullhead City International Airport, also known by the airport callsign IFP. According to local news reports, the consideration arose after Airport Director James Scheller presented a five-step plan to the LTAB, which included the plea for funds. The City of Bullhead City has already committed to investing in the project, which has an estimated cost of $40M. Nevada has previously aided in funding the airport projects, such as the existing runway. Improvements to the airport consist…

By Roland Murphy for AZBEX AZBEX has been looking into the efforts and actions of labor union Unite Here and its affiliated group Worker Power Institute to influence major Arizona development projects for several months. We were simultaneously happy and a tad bit surprised to see the Arizona Republic article, which we have summarized below, hit the street this past weekend before our own inquiries were concluded to our satisfaction. Be on the lookout for our findings in an upcoming article. The Republic’s Dec. 14 article reports Unite Here Local 11, a union representing service workers in Arizona and southern…

By National Association of Home Builders The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has published a final rule revising its personal protective equipment fit requirements for the construction industry. The revised standard will go into effect on Jan. 13, 2025. According to a U.S. Department of Labor news release, the revision to the standard adds specific language requiring that employers provide PPE that “properly fits” construction industry workers, and the change aligns the construction industry standard with the standard already in place for general industry. The news release also states this matter has been a longstanding industry safety concern—particularly among some…

By Roland Murphy for AZBEX Offices and parking garages at Canyon Corporate Center—an office complex on Dunlap Avenue east of I-17 and the former Metrocenter Mall, will be redeveloped into nearly 400 multifamily units under an adaptive reuse proposal currently under review by the City of Phoenix. Caliber Companies bought the Opportunity Zone-located property from ViaWest Group in September, paying “in the low $20M range,” according to local news reports at the time. The same article said Caliber expected to invest at least $40M in renovations and improvements that could ultimately yield as many as 700 units. Caliber CEO Chris…

Awards & Accolades 1. Information Management Network announced its 2024 Single-Family Rental Award winners. Lifestyle Homes was named the Architect, Engineer & Construction ServiceCompany of the Year. Lifestyle Homes provides general contracting services with a specialization in Build-to-Rent communities. 2. Camelot Homes was named 2024 Builder of the Year by Pro Builder Media. Pro Builder Media visited the company’s headquarters this past summer to learn more about its operations. Pro Builder Media recognizes one home builder every year. Boards & Commissions 3. NAI Horizon announced Joan Krueger has been appointed to the SRP Customer Utility Panel. Krueger was appointed at…

Sales Transactions 1. Cushman & Wakefield announced it advised the sale of an approximately 322.1KSF industrial asset located at 7980-7990 W. Buckeye Road in Tolleson. The fully leased facility was acquired for approximately $48.8M by SENTRE. The seller was Brennan Investment Group. C&W’s Phil Haenel, Will Strong, Foster Bundy and Katie Repine represented the seller. 2. ABI Multifamily announced the $21.1M sale of Cabo del Sol Apartments. The 136-unit multifamily community is located on S. Midvale Park Road just north of W. Drexel Road. Both the buyer and the seller were represented by ABI’s Alon Shnitzer, Rue Bax, Eddie Chang,…