Author: BEX Staff

By Tasha Anderson for AZBEX The City of Phoenix Housing Department has recently issued a solicitation to gauge developers’ interest in building and/or rehabilitating more affordable rental housing. The Call for Interest, approved by Phoenix City Council on November 6th, allows the Housing Department to “facilitate construction, acquisition, and/or rehabilitation of affordable rental housing by providing financing at very low interest rates or through forgivable notes,” according to the CFI. The city is looking for developers, either non-profit or for-profit, and/or eligible Community Housing Development Organizations (CHDOs) with experience in developing quality affordable housing geared toward the homeless and special…

By Cindy Barks for Daily Courier The long wait is over for the new Prescott Regional Airport terminal project. During a Prescott City Council study session Tuesday, November 19th, Mayor Greg Mengarelli announced that he had just received word that the airport terminal project had been confirmed for a $10M Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) grant. And that means that the postponed groundbreaking on the terminal project could occur by as early as December. Mengarelli told the audience that he had heard from the office of U.S. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema just before the start of Tuesday’s meeting. City officials had long…

By Bill McMillen for Mohave Valley Daily News In perhaps the most historic meeting since incorporation 35 years ago, the Bullhead City Council on Tuesday took small steps that will affect the city’s future for years to come. The council approved an intergovernmental agreement with Clark County for construction of a bridge at the southern extension of the Bullhead Parkway, then accepted a bid for a little more than $3.2M from McCormick Construction Co. of Bullhead City to build that extension that will provide a connection from the new bridge that crosses the Colorado River from Nevada to Arizona. The…

Source: Rio Nuevo The Rio Nuevo Board unanimously approved an investment in one of the biggest projects in the history of the District. The Bautista, a $72.5M, mixed-use development near West Cushing Street and South Linda Avenue, will include 16.5KSF of retail space, 253 residential units and a restaurant. The central plaza of the development will allow visitors to walk to the Santa Cruz River, which now flows year-round. Other water features will harken back to canals associated with 18th-century farms that were in the area. After a request from Adam Weinstein, president and CEO of The Gadsden Company, the…

Source: Associated Builders and Contractors Associated Builders and Contractors reported that its Construction Backlog Indicator fell to 8.9 months in September 2019, down 0.1 months or 0.8 percent from August 2019, when CBI stood at nine months. “Today’s backlog reading indicates that pre-existing trends will remain in place,” said ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu. “In recent months, public construction spending has fueled industry spending growth, while private construction spending has steadily faded. This mirrors ABC’s backlog indicator segment data, as infrastructure contractors collectively reported a rising backlog while other segments declined compared to the Spring 2018 peak.” “Backlog associated with…

Awards & Accolades 1. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recognized 30 clean water and 25 drinking water infrastructure projects for excellence within the Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) and Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) programs. Among those recognized is the innovative water reuse project being in the Town of Marana in Southern Arizona. This year’s honored projects include large wastewater infrastructure upgrades, community driven green infrastructure development and the construction of new water treatment plants. Several projects also include lead service line replacement, furthering EPA’s goals to protect human health under the Federal Lead Action Plan. Groundbreakings 2.…

By Rebekah Morris for AZBEX Maricopa County Facilities Management continues to build facilities that serve the community with plans for upcoming capital projects at two animal care and control facilities and the Southeast Consolidated Justice Center and Adult Probation Facility. According to the annual Capital Improvement Program research recently completed by BEX staff, Maricopa County remains steady as the fifth largest public agency in the state with regards to capital spending. The current CIP pegs the 5-year spend by the agency at $1.418B. This appears to be a consistent allocation as it is nearly unchanged over the last three years.…

By Maria Vasquez for Eloy Enterprise Last month Community Development Director Jon Vlaming presented City Council with a draft of amendments made by city staff as well as a private landowner. City staff was involved in updating selected elements and chapters while the private landowner requested a land use map change from light industrial to general industrial on approximately 397 acres located along Sunland Gin Road between Frontier Street and Interstate 10. The area is for the proposed Interstate 10-8 Business Park and with the change it would permit all industrial, employment and commercial use. One of the landowners surrounding…

By Alison Steinbach for The Arizona Republic The Arizona Department of Transportation plans to extend State Route 24 in southeast Mesa, given its proximity to the growing Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport region. The plan is to add another five miles to Ironwood Drive in Pinal County. State and federal agencies are finalizing design plans, and road construction is expected to begin next fall. The extension should open in 2022, according to ADOT. The project is budgeted at about $260M and is funded with a mix of local, state and federal funds. The extension will feature two lanes in each direction with…

By Chris Caraveo for Independent Newsmedia Maricopa County officials are looking ahead to another five years of planning for roadway improvements. The Maricopa County Department of Transportation is doing so through the Transportation System Plan 2040. The plan sets the framework of the future transportation system as population, development, technology, and other factors impact the country’s fourth-most populous county. The plan will evaluate roadway needs, set performance measures, and provide a clear vision through 2040. MCDOT said the TSP 2035 focused on capacity-driven needs. However, TSP 2040 will incorporate recent MCDOT planning efforts to inform a broader scope of needs.…