Author: BEX Staff

By Mark Cowling for Eloy Enterprise The Arizona Department of Transportation didn’t support the wish of Florence town officials for the proposed “North-South Freeway” to veer near downtown. ADOT has announced a draft environmental impact statement and preferred corridor for the potential freeway in Pinal County running from Interstate 10 to State Route 60. Florence Town Manager Brent Billingsley acknowledged it would cost more to build a bridge over the Gila River on such a route. “It’s a function of length, of skew. It is wider across there (near Florence).” But the town is still hopeful of benefiting from the…

By Mark Nothaft for AZ Big Media Over the past 15 years, the City of Glendale has invested more than $400M in infrastructure improvements to create a world-class environment for businesses large and small to thrive. The city’s Westgate Sports and Entertainment District straddling the Loop-101 has become a regional employment center with multiple Class A office buildings, Westgate Entertainment District, Tanger Outlets shopping, sprawling Cabela’s sporting goods and the Topgolf entertainment venue. The area is also home to 63,000-seat State Farm Stadium and the NFL’s Arizona Cardinals, the 17,000-seat Gila River Arena and the NHL’s Arizona Coyotes, and Major…

By Aly J. Yale for Forbes The new year is shaping up to be a good one for homebuyers—at least those interested in buying new homes. Not only are homebuilders more confident in the market than have been in 20-plus years, but recent construction numbers are surpassing expectations. In fact, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, residential building permits hit a 12-year high last month, surging 11.1 percent over the year. Housing starts were also up, jumping 13.6 percent over last November, while housing completions rose 7.3 percent. It’s the sixth consecutive month housing starts have grown. The developments, along…

Giving Back 1. PICOR Charitable Foundation (“PCF”) raised and donated nearly $79K in its 2019 cycle, 10 percent more than the previous high mark. With all event costs underwritten by in-kind community partners and PICOR corporate funds, 100 percent of the funds raised through the 25th Annual Pancake Feed were granted to Tucson-area youth charities. Per tradition, PICOR employees, family members and friends of the firm cooked and served pancakes and sausages for 1,600 visitors, alongside Starbucks Arizona’s willing volunteers. Awards & Accolades 2. Sheryl Palmer, president and CEO of Taylor Morrison Home Corp. was named Businessperson of the Year…

Sales Transactions 1. Partners Group purchased The Biltmore Center, a three building office complex totaling over 643KSF of office space on the NWC of 24th St and Camelback Rd, Phoenix, for $212M. Director Ben Geelan, Senior Managing Director Michael Leggett, and Analyst Nick Ray of JLL Capital Markets represented the seller, a partnership between Prospect Ridge and ViaWest Group. 2. Lincoln Property Company sold Grand 1, a four-story, Class A office space, totaling over 219KSF, located at 1101 W. Washington St., for $90M. Kevin Shannon, Ken White and CJ Osbrink from Newmark represented LPC in the sale of Grand 1.…

By Tasha Anderson for AZBEX The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers recently issued a Sources Sought announcement for preliminary planning information regarding a new ambulatory care center to be located at Railroad Avenue North and Irwin Street in Fort Huachuca. According to the announcement submitted to beta.sam.gov – the new Federal Contract Opportunities website that replaced FedBizOpps in November – the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have sent out the notice to, “gain knowledge of interest, capabilities and qualifications of various members of industry, to include the Small Business Community: Small Business, Section 8(a), Historically Underutilized Business Zones (HUB-Zone), and…

By Bill Helm for Verde Independent On Wednesday, December 18th, the Yavapai County Board of Supervisors approved three items related to building the county’s new jail in Prescott. Supervisors voted to approve the consent agenda item that allows the county to seek reimbursement of capital and certain other expenditures related to the construction and equipping of the $70M, property-tax-supported Yavapai County Prescott Criminal Justice Facility Project. The facility is to be located off Prescott Lakes Parkway, near the Juvenile Detention Center. According to the Yavapai County Supervisors’ agenda packet, the IGA would allow Yavapai County to seek reimbursement from the…

By Brandon Brown for Phoenix Business Journal A long-discussed entertainment district on Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community land near Scottsdale could finally be taking shape, now that the group that controls the land announced December 27th a partnership with a commercial investment and development company. The proposed project, which still has many unknowns, would be built on the 125 acres at Loops 101 and 202 controlled by the Solanna Group, an economic development and investment firm owned by tribal members. It would include professional sports facilities, as well as entertainment and media production businesses. Currently Phoenix Rising FC plays in…

Source: Arizona Association for Economic Development Four southern Arizona city/town managers will speak at the Arizona Association for Economic Development’s (AAED) January luncheon. Mary Jacobs, town manager for the town of Oro Valley, Jamsheed Mehta, town manager for the town of Marana, Kelly Udall, town manager for the town of Sahuarita, and Michael Ortega, city manager for the city of Tucson, will address “Southern Arizona Year in Preview: ED Talks.” The luncheon will be held on January 22nd from 11:30 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. at the Arizona Inn, located at 2200 E. Elm Street in Tucson. The panel will share…

Awards and Accolades 1. At the annual awards breakfast held by Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) Phoenix, Foundation for Senior Living, a frequent user of the Affordable Housing Fund, received the exemplary project award for its The Marist on Cathedral project in Tucson. Groundbreakings 2. Monroe Gardens Apartments, a 78-unit affordable housing project at 1441 E. Monroe St., Phoenix, recently broke ground, replacing the old A.L. Krohn East public housing complex. Completion is scheduled to open in late 2020. 3. CORE Construction has broken ground on the $23M Cherokee Elementary School rebuild project. Phase one will run through July 17,…