Author: BEX Staff

By Roland Murphy for AZBEX Conditions imposed by the City of Yuma on a requested rezoning for a 50-acre parcel at the SEC of State Route 195 and 40th Street have not been well received by the landowner. The disagreement prompted the Yuma Planning and Zoning Commission to continue a discussion and vote on the request during its April 28 meeting. In the March BEX Leading Market Series event dealing with housing, land use attorney Benjamin Tate of Withey Morris Baugh told attendees he is more frequently encountering situations in which cities and other jurisdictions impose greater portions of development…

A new 19-story apartment tower could soon get underway at the NEC of Campbell Avenue and Speedway near the University of Arizona campus in Tucson. Mortenson Development’s plans for Theory Tucson include 395 apartments/1,064 bedrooms of market-rate multifamily residential in a tower totaling 686KSF. The planned unit mix is comprised of 52 studios, 59 one-, 70 two-, 43 three- and 171 four-bedroom apartments targeted at students and young professionals. The project will also have a retail component, although no specifics have been announced yet. Theory Tucson will occupy the site of the current Palm Shadows apartment community, which will be…

By Roland Murphy for AZBEX Despite being one of the leading markets in the U.S. for data center development, the City of Phoenix is considering new zoning restrictions on where they can be built. City leaders, including Mayor Kate Gallego, have expressed concerns about data centers’ power usage and perceived negative impacts to surrounding areas, including noise pollution, monolithic aesthetics, low post-construction job creation numbers, and impacts on walkability and neighborhood vibrancy, according to a recent article on Axios. Metro Phoenix consistently ranks in market-leading positions for data center development, absorption and land availability, all of which have combined to…

Giving Back 1. Willmeng Construction served as the presenting sponsor of the Construction in Indian Country Student Endowment Golf Tournament. The event supports American Indian students pursuing careers in construction management. 2. Brycon announced it has supported the ASU ACI Annual Concrete Cup for nearly a decade. The golf tournament is hosted by the ACI Student Chapter at Arizona State University. Money earned goes toward student programs. Awards & Accolades 3. Ranking Arizona has announced its 2025 list of Top 10 Arizona Heavy Construction Companies. Companies are ranked based on public voting. The winners are: Haydon, Hunter Contracting Company, Sandstorm…

Sales Transactions 1. Phelan Development sold Building C at Phelan Pecos Center in Mesa to Libitzky Property Companies for $29.4M. The 141KSF Class A industrial facility at 8341 E. Pecos Road was completed in 2024 by Alston Construction and LGE Design Build and is fully leased to Cyclic Materials. Cushman & Wakefield represented the seller. 2. Costco Wholesale acquired Costco Plaza, a 14.5KSF retail strip center at 3821 W. Costco Dr. in Tucson, for $4.2M. The 3.8-acre property, purchased from Bay Shore Oil Company, will support the expansion of Costco’s adjacent gas station. Dave Hammack of Cushman & Wakefield |…

By Roland Murphy for AZBEX Faced with cost escalations, uncertain economic conditions, budget constraints, leadership changes and a host of other both day-to-day and ongoing issues, city engineering leaders presenting at the BEX Leading Market – Series Upcoming Public Works Projects event May 14 focused on maintaining flexibility to manage the hundreds of projects on their books and encouraged better ownership and collaboration from the Architecture/Engineering/Construction community to move those projects to completion. Led by moderator Danielle Intorf, business development at event sponsor Sundt Construction, Scottsdale City Engineer Alison Tymkiw and Mesa Assistant City Engineer Marc Ahlstrom presented overviews of…

By BEX Staff for AZBEX The Tempe Development Review Commission has recommended approval of a zoning amendment and planned area development overlay for The Marshall on Spence, a 105-unit, 271-bed student housing development planned on East Spence Avenue, southeast of Rural Road and Apache Blvd. The property address is variously listed as 1026 and 1034 E. Spence in project materials and submissions. Aptitude Development’s plan constitutes redeveloping a site currently occupied by Tempe Palms Apartments. Aptitude has another student housing redevelopment project, The Marshall at Tempe, under construction to the north at 1057 E. Apache Blvd. That project is redeveloping…

By Roland Murphy for AZBEX Glendale voters have until May 20 to mail in their ballots for two measures concerning the $1.2B VAI Resort development. Both ask for either approval or rejection of City Council approvals for the project. Proposition 401 would uphold the rezoning for 10 acres the development owns next to the resort and plans to use for office space and parking. It had previously been zoned for parks and open space, though no plans were ever created to develop or use it as such. Proposition 402 involves approval of an updated planned area development for the resort.…

By Associated Builders and Contractors Associated Builders and Contractors reported its Construction Backlog Indicator rose to a 20-month high of 8.7 months in April, according to an ABC member survey conducted April 22 to May 6. The reading is up 0.3 months since April 2024. Backlog has increased significantly over the past year for contractors with greater than $100M in annual revenues. While backlog has also risen modestly for the smallest contractors, it is down on an annual basis for those with $30M to $100M in annual revenues. ABC’s Construction Confidence Index reading for profit margins improved in April, while…

Awards & Accolades 1. Kimley-Horn & Associates earned a National Recognition Award from the American Council of Engineering Companies for its engineering work on the Tonto Creek Bridge in Tonto Basin. The 1,980-ft structure was funded by a $23.9M federal grant and built by Ames Construction. Ethos Engineering, Inc., Logan Simpson Design, Inc., J.E. Fuller, Inc., Newton Environmental Consulting, LLC and Commonwealth Heritage Group, Inc. also assisted with the project. 2. Green Ideas Building Science Consultants announced the Chase Sapphire Lounge at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport achieved LEED-CI Gold certification on April 14. The 3.6KSF lounge in Terminal 4…