Author: BEX Staff

Awards & Accolades  1. Keith Stanton, ASID, NCIDQ, CHID – Director of Design Development at Thoma-Holec Design, was named the 2020 Designer of Distinction by ASID AZ North, recognizing his high-quality body of work.  2. The Phoenix Business Journal has unveiled the finalists for the 2020 Small Business Awards presented by Pacific Premier Bank, recognizing excellence among entrepreneurs and small business owners around the Valley. Finalists include:  Dynamic Water Technologies – Micro Category  Agate Construction – Midsize Category  The Laughton Team/My Home Group – Midsize Category   Boards & Commissions  3. Bobby Walker, Senior Preconstruction Manager at PENTA Building Group, has joined the New Pathways for Youth (NPFY) Board of Directors. Walker also sits on the ASU Art Museum’s…

Sales Transactions  1. An undisclosed buyer purchased The Vineyard Apartments, a 300-unit multifamily community at 6706 N. Dysart Road, Glendale, for $41M. Newmark Knight Frank Director Chris Canter, Executive Managing Director Brad Goff and Senior Managing Director Brett Polachek represented the seller, Univest.  2. Western Wealth Capital purchased Villas de Azul, a 300-unit, garden-style multifamily complex at 2627 N. 45th Avenue, Phoenix, for $33M. The seller was Sterling Azul Holding Company.  3. Cowabunga Two, LLC purchased 32 Arcadia, a 104-unit multifamily community at 3211 E. Pinchot Avenue, Phoenix, for $14.8M. The seller was Moderne Living. Kidder Mathews’ multifamily investment broker, Karl Abert, represented the buyer.  Lease Transactions  4. Children’s clothing retailer, SpearmintLOVE LLC moved into an 18KSF warehouse…

By Tasha Anderson for AZBEX Coconino Community College (CCC) is looking for a partner to help develop a new student housing complex at its Page campus on the corner of Cameron Street and Lake Powell Boulevard. The Community College recently issued a Request for Qualifications for Public-Private Partnership services for the new complex. The chosen developer for this project would be required to finance and maintain the complex. According to the RFQ, the proposed project also includes, “short-term rental possibilities for the local workforce in Page.” Interested parties wanting to submit a statement of qualification will need to specify any…

Source: Glendale Office of Economic Development Global entertainment and experiential leader Crystal Lagoons® has chosen Glendale for a one-of-a-kind attraction. ECL Glendale, LLC will develop Crystal Lagoons Island Resort, a mixed-use project unique to the Southwest. As a first step in the process to bring this development to Glendale, the City Council has voted to approve a development agreement and Government Property Improvement Leases. The main feature of the project will be an 11-acre Public Access Lagoon™ that will be up to 10-feet deep. Crystal Lagoons is a leader in water innovation and technology, making them the perfect fit for the Sports &…

By Gabriela Rico for Arizona Daily Star Investor interest in Tucson’s upper-end apartment complexes has been high for several years and, while there was some breath-holding at the start of the pandemic, millions of dollars worth of transactions have transpired in the past few months. Investors are focused on the high-wage jobs the city has gained in recent years, the low rate of new multifamily projects and the fizzling out of formerly hot markets in states like Colorado and Oregon. “Tucson is at an all-time high because of demand, while supply is at an all-time low,” said Allan Mendelsberg, a…

Budget, Policy & Stimulus News Republican Stimulus Proposal Includes 2nd PPP, New Protections Small businesses could see a second round of Paycheck Protection Program loans and legal liability protections from COVID-19-related claims under a new, scaled-down stimulus proposal introduced by Senate Republicans. The new bill would create a second round of PPP loans for small businesses of 300 employees or less that have seen at least a 35% drop in revenue in one quarter in 2020 over the same quarter in 2019, according to a summary of the bill circulated by Republicans. (Source: Phoenix Business Journal) Economic News Biden Proposal…

By Tasha Anderson for AZBEX  Owner, Advanced Acquisitions, LLC is looking to develop a new 293-unit bungalow-style rental community located north of Pat Tillman Boulevard and west of 163rd Avenue in Surprise.  A request for site plan approval was submitted to the City of Surprise by LVA, an RVi Company, on behalf of the owner. The request was heard and approved at the city’s Planning and Zoning Commission.  The project, called Asante Bungalows, plans to include 76 one-bedroom, 139 two-bedroom and 78 three-bedroom multifamily rental units that will sit on approximately 25.23 acres. According to the project documents submitted to the city, the one-bedroom units will be designed as duplexes while…

Budget, Policy & Stimulus News  Many Businesses Opting Out of Payroll Tax Deferral  The decision to let employers defer payroll taxes is part of the Trump administration’s effort to boost the economy absent any action from a stalemated Congress on a relief bill. Taxes can be deferred from September 1st through the end of 2020, but must be fully repaid in 2021. Small business owners, experts and advocates say the nature of the program leaves businesses on the hook at a time of desperate need as they attempt to recover from the economic fallout of COVID-19. A payroll tax deferral lay…

By Victoria Harker for Chamber Business News  Arizona is positioned for a faster economic recovery than the rest of the nation, and with some strategic moves on the part of state policymakers and citizens, it should jump back to a leading spot within next year or so, according to local economists.    “We have the chance for this to be one of the best decades ever, but it’s going to take more work to be in the top five again in terms of economic activity,” said Jim Rounds, president of Rounds Consulting Group, Inc.   “If we can avoid a significant surge in the outbreak as we…

Source: Associated Builders and Contractors  Construction industry employment expanded by 16,000 jobs on net in August, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of data released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Over the last four months, the industry added 658,000 jobs, recovering approximately 61 percent of the jobs lost during March and April.  The construction unemployment rate, which reached 16.6 percent in April, stood at 7.6 percent in August, up 4 percentage points from the same time last year and down 1.3 percentage points from July. Unemployment across all industries declined substantially from 10.2 percent in July to 8.4 percent in August. This occurred despite an increase in the nation’s labor force participation…