Author: BEX Staff

By Lorraine Longhi for The Arizona Republic On Tuesday, Scottsdale narrowly approved Marquee, a 150-foot-tall office building planned for downtown, amid complaints that the project did not fit the aesthetics of Old Town or include enough parking. The approval highlights long-running clashes over development downtown. Marquee was approved in 2016 as a 90-foot-tall building to go up next to the Galleria Corporate Center in Old Town, but the city’s updated development plan has allowed developers to ask for greater height. The 271KSF mixed-use office building falls in line with changes made last year to the development plan that governs new…

Source: Valley Metro Voters in Phoenix defeated an initiative that would have ended all light rail construction, prohibited future rail investment and returned billions in federal dollars previously pledged to expand the regional transit system. Last night’s vote marks the fourth time since 2000 that Phoenix voters have publicly supported light rail through the election process. The vote means that Valley Metro will continue to build-out the regional rail system, including these Phoenix extensions currently underway: South Central Extension/Downtown Hub Northwest Extension Phase II Capitol/I-10 West Extension Valley Metro will continue to partner with the community and help local businesses…

Groundbreakings 1. CAI Investment LLC began construction on the 276KSF Westin by Marriott in Tempe, which totals 18 stories and 290 rooms, in early 2018 on a 0.85-acre parcel at 11 E. Seventh Street. RSP is the architect for the project and Kitchell is the general contractor. The hotel is anticipated to open in Q2 2021. 2. Construction recently started on the City of Scottsdale’s Thomas Groundwater Treatment Facility, located near the corners of Pima and Thomas Roads. The new facility will house a 1 MGD reverse osmosis system, chemical and pre-treatment systems, a laboratory, locker rooms, electrical and control…

By Tasha Anderson for AZBEX The Goodyear City Council recently approved a rezoning of approximately 27 acres at the NEC of Cotton Lane and Elwood Street at its August 19th meeting, for the development of a new multifamily community. Applicant, Withey Morris, PLC, on behalf of developer, Vita Communities, requested to amend the El Cidro Planned Area Development on that property from Low-Medium Density Residential to Multi-Family Residential. Goodyear’s Planning and Zoning Commission unanimously approved the rezone at its August 7th meeting before moving it to City Council. The project, called Vita at El Cidro Ranch, is proposed as a…

By Karen Schutte for Real Estate Daily News Word is getting out about the plans for the former Platinum Fitness location at 7315 N. Oracle Road, near the NWC of Ina and Oracle Roads in Oro Valley. Platinum Fitness closed in April 2019 and investors led by Larsen Baker and Volk Company teamed up to purchase the 53KSF property for an adaptive re-use development, as Oracle Ina Investors, LLC and SRP Two, LLC. Previews of the rendering show a dramatic re-imagining of the multi-story project. The garden level, consisting of 17KSF faces Tohono Chul Park to the west, and mountains…

By Josh Martinez for Paradise Valley Independent Officials from Orcutt | Winslow, an architect firm working on the rebuild of Cherokee Elementary School, stood before the Scottsdale Unified School District Governing Board Tuesday, August 20th to give an update on their ongoing project. The update included a design concept, which the firm presented previously at an August 12th community meeting, and tentative dates for the project. Tom O’Neil, Orcutt | Winslow senior associate, said the firm is about 80 percent done with the design phase and will submit its plans to the town in October. Campus Design Scott Sowinski, design…

By Tasha Anderson for AZBEX The 13th annual Phoenix Canstruction Design and Build event took place on August 17th through 23rd, resulting in a donation of nearly 64,000 pounds of non-perishable food for St. Mary’s Food Bank. Easily one of the most creative ways for local A/E/C firms to give back to the community in a meaningful way, Canstruction Phoenix invites design and construction firms to dream up, design, and build a structure made entirely of canned food, where the only constraint is the size: it must fit within a 10’ x 10’ x 10’ space. The completed can-structures are…

Awards & Accolades 1. Kidder Mathews has been named an Inc. 5000 Fastest-Growing Private Company in America by Inc. Magazine. This is the sixth time the firm has received this prestigious recognition, also earning the distinction in 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, and 2013. Inc. Magazine tracks private company growth and ranks it against national peers. The list represents a unique look at the most successful independent companies in the nation. 2. Kidder Mathews’ Chairman and CEO, Jeff Lyon, has been honored with the pinnacle Lifetime Achievement award by the Puget Sound Business Journal’s Commercial Real Estate Leadership Awards. New Hires…

Sales Transactions 1. Nike paid nearly $70M for the Lincoln Logistics 40 building in Goodyear near the Phoenix Goodyear Airport for their manufacturing facility. Nike anticipates opening the facility in 2020 and being fully operational within three and a half years of opening. 2. Santan Gem, LLC purchased Santan Gateway North, a 123.2KSF Walmart shadow-anchored shopping center at 1005 S. Arizona Avenue, Chandler, for $16.9M. Michael Hackett and Ryan Schubert of Cushman & Wakefield’s Phoenix office represented the seller, GCCFC 2006-GG7 South Arizona Avenue, LLC (an entity formed by LNR). 3. Canvas Capital purchased two medical buildings owned by SKI…

By Sammy Williams for AZBEX Applicant, Huellmantel & Affiliates of Tempe announced plans that owner, Farmer Arts Lot 4 LLC will open the country’s second Vib (pronounced “vibe”) hotel on a vacant lot on the SEC of Farmer Avenue and 5th Street in Tempe. The 102-room, five-story Vib is an urban, boutique hotel brand operated by Best Western in Turkey, Thailand and Springfield, MO. The property will occupy 50KSF of the 1.26-acre parcel and will feature food and beverage services in the base of the hotel, in the pool area and on a portion of the rooftop. An outdoor dining area will be provided for the ground…