Author: BEX Staff

By Roland Murphy for Arizona Builder’s Exchange A long-running back-and-forth battle between the letter and intent of workplace safety regulations recently added another voice to the choir in a ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit. The court ruled the Occupational Safety and Health Administration has the power and authority to cite general contractors for hazardous workplace violations even if the conditions on a job site only affect subcontractor workers and not the GC’s own workforce. This is the latest of many rulings that undercut the circuit’s 1981 decision in Melerine v. Avondale Shipyards, Inc., which…

By Tasha Anderson for Arizona Builder’s Exchange Arizona’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate increased to 4.7 percent in November, up from the revised October rate of 4.6 percent, according to the latest report published by the Arizona Office of Economic Opportunity. The national rate remained at 3.7 percent. In October 2017, the state also had a seasonally adjusted rate of 4.7 percent, and the national was at 4.1. The state had a net gain of 32,700 non-farm jobs over the month, which exceeds the post-Recession (2010-2017) average gain of 26,100 jobs. Trade, Transportation & Utilities had the largest increase with 17,700.…

Giving Back 1. The PICOR Charitable Foundation awarded a record $72,000 in grants this month. 100 percent of the funds raised were granted to youth-serving programs. 2. The Sundt Foundation has donated $69.5K in grant awards to 29 local charities during its fourth-quarter distribution. The foundation awards grants each quarter to area charities that support disadvantaged children and families. 3. Flagstaff-based Loven Contracting has established a $2,000 scholarship at Coconino Community College for students studying the construction trades. 4. To spread cheer this holiday season, Achen-Gardner Construction collected toys to donate to ICAN, an after-school program for at-risk youth located in Chandler. Awards & Accolades 5. Trammell Crow Company leads the nation’s CRE development activity with nearly 38MSF…

Progress Reports 1. U-Haul International Inc. is in the midst of turning a former Kmart store in south Phoenix into a self-storage facility. As construction is completed within the next year, the 8.74-acre lot will feature services including self-storage units; towing equipment and professional hitch installation; propane; and a U-Haul Re-Use center for used household furnishings, Completions 2. Sundt Construction, Inc. recently completed the APS Four Corners Selective Catalytic Reduction Retrofits. The design-build project added four selective catalytic reduction systems for nitrogen oxide emission control for Units 4 and 5 of the APS Power Plant. The selective catalytic reactors used are the tallest…

By Roland Murphy for Arizona Builder’s Exchange The last vacant parcel in Tempe’s Liberty Center development area may soon be filled with a two-story, 72KSF specialty medical office and headquarters building for Donor Network of Arizona. The Tempe Development Review Commission late last month recommended approval for an Amended Planned Area Development Overlay to reduce required parking and a Development Plan Review for the proposal project at 2010 West Rio Salado Parkway. The proposal was submitted on Donor Network of Arizona’s behalf by Benjamin Ayers of Shepley Bulfinch. The proposal had undergone multiple preliminary reviews and recommendations prior to the…

By Joshua Bowling for The Arizona Republic Microsoft’s secretive metro-Phoenix project, which documents describe as “a five-building technology center,” is set to go before the Goodyear City Council. A brief, 14-minute discussion before the city’s Planning and Zoning Commission included a staff presentation that was light on details. The commission recommended that the council approve the rezone request, which included: Increasing building height from 50 feet to 60 feet. Increasing how much of the land can have buildings. Building with a metal facade. Using chain-link fencing. The applicant’s attorney, Scottsdale-based Jordan Rose, made no mention of the tech giant by name and declined to give…

Sales Transactions 1. Raintree Corporate Center, a two-building, 345KSF office complex located at 8800 and 8888 E Raintree Dr., Scottsdale, has sold for $91.7M. Equus Capital Partners Ltd. sold the complex to an affiliate of Cypress Office Properties and Oaktree Capital. Kevin Shannon, CJ Osbrink, Ken White, Brad Burton and Paul Jones of Newmark Knight Frank Capital Markets represented Equus in the transaction. 2. Toll Brothers, Inc. has paid $60.6M for 258 acres of vacant land in north Scottsdale. The Crown Family was the seller. Nathan & Associates Inc. brokered the transaction. 3. Cushman & Wakefield completed the sale of River Ranch, 6152 W. Oakland Street…

By Roland Murphy for Arizona Builder’s Exchange After a tenacious lobbying attempt to persuade Mesa planners to revise a 30-year-old land use designation that never bore fruit, negotiations with city staff have resulted in a turnaround for developer Bela Flor Communities, LLC. The company is moving with its intent to build its proposed mixed-density residential community Bella Encanta at Hampton Avenue and Crismon Road. A narrative and request submitted in July by Pew & Lake, PLC, on Bela Flor’s behalf sought a change in the designation from Employment to Neighborhood Suburban. As originally proposed, the project would have consisted of…

By AZBEX Staff for Arizona Builder’s Exchange Plans to develop the $200M GrandeVita, a BioCity Enterprise, project in Mesa have advanced. On December 10, the City of Mesa moved forward a plan for the 20-acre, multi-use, campus-style community at Crismon Road and Hampton Avenue. (AZBEX, Oct. 19) Mesa planners previously approved a zoning request for the development in October. The site was approved to be rezoned from Light Industrial to Limited Commercial. According to the proposal, the unique and wide-ranging uses of the property also required the developer to request a Planned Area Development overlay, a Council Use Permit and…

Boards & Commissions 1. AZCREW has named Jennifer Cranston, shareholder, Gallagher & Kennedy, its president for 2019. Other officers for 2019: Cindy Winters, Eagle Commercial Realty Services, past president; Dana McDonald, North American Title Company, membership; Lorna Banister, Ballard Spahr, sponsorship; Lindsey Carlson, Colliers International, programs; Lisa Tinnion, CIS, and Amber Coleman, CBRE, public relations; Francine Moore, Macerich, special events; (Cindy) Winters, legacy; Heather Fox, Wells Fargo, foundation; Terry Martin-Denning, NAI Horizon, treasurer and president elect; and Mara Atwell, VEREIT, secretary. 2. Jennifer Hall, Rose Law Group senior project manager, has been named chair of Paradise Valley Village Planning Committee. Company News…