Author: BEX Staff

By Associated Builders and Contractors The construction industry added 4,000 jobs on net in May, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of data released today by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. On a year-over-year basis, industry employment has increased by 126,000 jobs, an increase of 1.5%. Nonresidential construction employment increased by 11,300 positions, with growth in all three subcategories. Nonresidential specialty trade added the most jobs, increasing by 4,500 positions, while heavy and civil engineering and nonresidential building added 3,700 and 3,100 jobs, respectively. The construction unemployment rate decreased to 3.5% in May. Unemployment across all industries…

Giving Back 1. Multifamily development, construction and management firm MC Companies recently honored one of its long-time residents. Bess Berk, a resident of The Place at the Fountains at Sun City since 1997, turns 104 in June. To commemorate Berk’s longevity and decades of residency in their community, MC Companies officials presented her with a personal letter signed by MC’s owners and executives, chocolates, flowers and free rent for her birthday month. Awards & Accolades 2. LGE Design Build topped Ranking Arizona’s list of the state’s Top 10 Industrial Contractors for 2025. The remainder are as follows: Willmeng Construction, Clayco,…

Sales Transactions 1. Regent Properties acquired a three-property, 323-unit multifamily portfolio in downtown Phoenix for $90M. The portfolio includes the 104-unit Linear complex at 295 E. Roosevelt St., the 111-unit iLuminate complex at 290 E. Roosevelt St. and the 108-unit The McKinley complex at 280 W. McKinley St., all located in the Roosevelt Row neighborhood. Baron Properties was the seller. CBRE represented the seller and arranged acquisition financing. This purchase is Regent Properties’ first multifamily investment in the Phoenix market. 2. Texas Instruments acquired a 124.1KSF Class A office building at 5411 E. Williams Blvd. in Tucson for $11.6M. BP…

By Roland Murphy for AZBEX The Wolff Company is proposing a mixed-use multifamily and commercial development on a 12.45-acre portion of an existing 1,327-acre planned area development. The request before the Pinal County Planning and Zoning Commission would amend the Circle Cross PAD overlay district to remove the subject site and establish the Homestead Mixed-Use PAD at Gantzel and Algarve for the development property at the NEC of Gantzel Road and Algarve Place in San Tan Valley. The Circle Cross PAD was established for 1,409 acres in 2000 and saw three amendments in 2006. The property in the current request…

By Roland Murphy for AZBEX Mesa’s Planning and Zoning Board has approved a site plan application for the 6.6-acre first phase of development at EastMarket, a 32-acre area at the NEC of Ray and Ellsworth roads in the larger 3,200-acre Eastmark area. Phase I will include a 23KSF Sprouts Farmers Market. Local news sources report Sprouts has signed the lease and plans to open the store in 2027. The first phase will have a total build area of approximately 55KSF. In addition to Sprouts, there will be four other commercial and retail tenants ranging between 4.7KSF and 7.2KSF. A bank…

By Roland Murphy for AZBEX A 124-room Premier Suites extended stay hotel could soon join businesses at the Casa Grande Mercado under requests before the City’s Planning and Zoning Commission this week. The Commission met the evening of June 5, after this issue went to press. According to the staff report, Casa Grande Mercado is one of the city’s oldest planned area developments, established as a 10-lot subdivision in 1990. The original PAD called for a mix of commercial and retail uses with a maximum building height of 24 feet. One lot included an exception to the height rule for…

The Pima County Board of Supervisors has approved a $250M 10-year plan to address affordable housing. The plan will be implemented in the fiscal budget for 2026-2027 and will invest a minimum of $200M over 10 years in addition to the $5M the Board has included in the budget since 2022. The plan’s architect, Supervisor Matt Heinz, said the measure was “a bold step” but “not nearly enough,” given the current state of affordable housing. The measure passed on a 3-2 vote. The plan will have the County consider a possible yearly increase of up to $0.03 on the primary…

Groundbreakings 1. Wespac Construction has broken ground on the new Sprouts Farmers Market Headquarters, a mixed-use campus in north Phoenix. The campus, located near 56th Street and Loop 101, will span more than 180KSF on seven acres. The development includes a four-story, 144.5KSF Class A office building, a 25KSF flagship Sprouts grocery store, 11KSF of retail and restaurant space, and a three-story parking garage. The project team includes Trammell Crow Company as the developer, RSP Architects as the design firm, and Keyser and JLL as brokers. Sprouts will transition from its current 96KSF headquarters to the new campus by August…

By Roland Murphy for AZBEX Diversified Partners announced its new 14-acre commercial development at the NEC of Loop 202 and Dobbins Road in Phoenix will be anchored by The Rush Funplex, a 75KSF indoor family entertainment center. The design firm is RKAA Architects. A general contractor has not been selected. Construction is expected to start later this year or early next, with a grand opening expected for December 2026. According to the announcement, this will be the second Arizona location for The Rush Funplex. The other is in Goodyear at the NEC of Yuma Road and Estrella Parkway in another…

Arizona Land Consulting and a group of investment partners have paid $51M for 2,000 acres of unincorporated land in Maricopa County west of the White Tank Mountains that is expected to serve as the location for a 1 gigawatt, $25B data center development. In a post on X, investor Chamath Palihapitiya, CEO of Social Capital, said the data center focuses on serving the artificial intelligence industry’s capacity needs. Palihapitiya was connected with ALC’s Consulting CEO Anita Verma-Lallian through another investor—Ethan Agarwal of DYA Capital. The Hassayampa Ranch Data Center site will require a rezoning approval from the Maricopa County Board…