Author: BEX Staff

By Roland Murphy for AZBEX – BEXclusive A proposal to rezone and expand an existing data center in Chandler will eliminate an outdated, water-intensive cooling system, resulting in significantly lower usage and adding 243KSF of new space. CBRE Investment Management has requested a rezoning from light industrial to planned area development and approval for a preliminary development plan for a data center on 14.5 acres at 2500 W. Frye Road. The data center was part of a campus acquired by Bank of America in 2008, according to the staff report. In 2019, BofA split the parcel and sold the data…

By BEX Staff for AZBEX Caliber Companies’ long-standing attempt to develop a residential mixed-use community on 6.6 acres on 92nd Street near Shea Blvd. will go back before the Scottsdale Development Review Board this week. According to local news reports, the latest proposal for Mercado Village features 255 multifamily units, 13KSF of coworking space and on-site live/work units. The planned three-story residential component would wrap around an existing structure. Planned amenities include a fitness center and a rooftop pool. Caliber has submitted various proposals for the development and started the approval process before. The redevelopment plan was originally known as…

By Associated Builders and Contractors Construction input prices decreased 0.9% in May compared to the previous month, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Producer Price Index data. Nonresidential construction input prices decreased 0.8% for the month. Overall construction input prices are 2.1% higher than a year ago, while nonresidential construction input prices are 2.2% higher. Prices decreased in two of the three energy subcategories last month. Crude petroleum prices were down 8.7%, while unprocessed energy materials prices decreased 6.6%. Natural gas prices were up by 1.7%. “For contractors, this data provides excellent…

Following a contentious bidding war, 521.6 acres of land in Flagstaff went for $17.5M in an Arizona State Land Department auction earlier this month. The property is situated south of Interstate 40 west of University Heights and surrounds the Equestrian Estates community. The minimum bid for the site was $11.38M. After four bidders presented a total of 27 bids, Scott Roberts of Roberts Communities, Roberts Resorts and Ascent Real Estate Holdings came out on top. Roberts has properties in Arizona and at least five other states, and his businesses focus on manufactured homes, luxury RV sites, and outdoor and RV…

Groundbreakings 1. Cushman & Wakefield announced the start of construction for Shorehaven, a 724-unit multifamily community in Tempe. Shorehaven is the first phase of the $1.8B South Pier master plan that will offer residential, dining, entertainment, shopping, hotel and office spaces. 2. Ryan Companies will begin construction on the three-building, 432KSF Schrader Farms Business Park at the NWC of McQueen and Queen Creek roads in Chandler after having purchased the property. Ryan was represented by Pat Harlan, Kyle Westfall and Jason Moore of JLL. The seller was represented by JLL’s Steve Larsen and Bill Honsaker. Ryan will develop and build…

Consultant J2 Engineering and Environmental Design recently delivered its feasibility study for a sports complex under consideration along Interstate 10 between Dysart Road and Bullard Avenue. The findings were then discussed by Goodyear City Council and Parks and Recreation officials. Goodyear obtained the 129-acre property from Maricopa County in 2016 with the condition that it use the site for recreational purposes and maintain the location’s flood control function. The idea for the sports complex includes up to 15 soccer fields that can also be used for other purposes, such as special events. A 48-court pickleball facility, trails and walking paths…

By Roland Murphy for AZBEX – BEXclusive A trio of recently proposed hangar developments show the part Industrial; part Office niche continues to thrive and serve the Valley’s ongoing Landside Aviation needs. In April, we reported on the state of development and economic benefits of hangar and aviation-related development around the state. Since then, we’ve covered the planned expansion at Mesa’s Falcon Field—including six specific parcels slated for development—and a proposed four-hangar project coming to the Scottsdale Airport area. (AZBEX, April 2; April 10; May 14) Now, our up-and-coming project list shows three more potential projects in the development queue…

By BEX Staff for AZBEX A flareup of resident resistance has led to a continuance for the Cosanti Commons multifamily and mixed-use proposal in Scottsdale. As originally reported by AZBEX last July, the initial plan by High Street Residential for the 8.5-acre site at Shea Blvd. and Scottsdale Road was to redevelop a retail lot into a 239-unit multifamily community. That plan was subsequently revised downward to 196 units, and the development was renamed from Sundown Commons to Cosanti Commons. The name change reflects a partnership between the developer and The Cosanti Foundation, which will use part of the property…

Editor’s Note: Our June 4 column, “Land Use Attorneys and Strategic Planning Boost Projects’ Chances for Success,” called attention to the potential benefits of bringing legal counsel into the development review and approval process early. Some members of the planning and architectural community took exception to the scope of some statements in that article. In the interest of fair and complete coverage, we asked for and are running the following response from two industry leaders in that segment. (AZBEX, June 4) The recent article about navigating the complex process and political avenues in municipalities hopefully opened a few eyes on…

Company News 1. DQD Demolition and Saw Cutting has announced several changes to its leadership lineup, triggered by the impending retirement of Founder and President Richard Dickens at the end of 2024. Dickens will take on a new role as Executive Chairman of the Board and will continue as a shareholder. Twenty-six-year company veteran and shareholder Chris Christensen will be promoted and assume the role of President at the end of 2024. The transition has already begun. Project Managers Austin LaMotte and Mike Walz will, respectively, be promoted to head DQD’s Sales and Estimating group and lead DQD’s Production. 2.…