Author: BEX Staff

By CJ Jorgensen and Roland Murphy for AZBEX The Arizona construction industry remains strong in the face of uncertainty and slowing growth across the state as the demand for different developments and project types continues to shift. On July 15, BEX held its 2025 Mid-Year Update at the Arizona Heritage Center in Tempe. BEX Founder and President Rebekah Morris, Researcher Andrea Howard, Researcher Aaliyah Koelzer and DATABEX Manager Lya Parrish each presented their respective findings on construction across nine separate market sectors. Economic Factors Morris began the presentation by discussing various data points that are essential to understanding markets across…

By Roland Murphy for AZBEX Cavan Commercial has proposed development of a 45KSF warehouse/light industrial facility at the NEC of Signal Butte and Germann roads in Mesa and has requested a major site plan modification, design review and lot split of the 4.1-acre property to facilitate the project. The Mesa Design Review Board met to discuss the project details and aesthetics on July 15. According to the submitted project narrative, the site was split off from a larger 640-acre general industrial parcel earlier this year. The surrounding uses include undeveloped land to the north and west, industrial to the east,…

By BEX Staff for AZBEX The three-parcel Potato Barn property at Ray Road and Seaver Avenue in Mesa could soon move to full development. Potato Barn owners, The Bongiorno Family, have submitted a proposal for a 48KSF one-story warehouse. The rest of the complex is occupied by an existing Potato Barn store and the 60KSF concert venue The NOX, which is expected to open in 2027, according to a local news report. The warehouse will include a small showcase area, an open floor plan and shell space, according to planning documents. The Mesa Design Review Board discussed the plans and…

By Roland Murphy for AZBEX New data from CBRE Research shows the Phoenix Industrial market experienced its first decrease in vacancy in nearly three years. The firm reports Industrial vacancy was down 30 basis points in Q2 2025 to settle at 11.9%, which marks the largest decrease since Q1 2022. Most absorption happened in the Southeast Valley and Southwest Valley submarkets, both of which saw availabilities decrease by more than 1% as new developments continue to attract tenants. “This is a very good sign for the market overall as businesses that may have hit their limit in second-generation space can…

Groundbreakings 1. Willmeng Construction has broken ground on a 110.1KSF self-storage facility for Garrett Development Corp. in Peoria. Designed by RKAA Architects, the project includes 1.1KSF of office, 53.9KSF of first-floor storage and 55.1KSF of basement storage. The site sits along Lake Pleasant Parkway in a county island. Work is scheduled to finish by Q3 2026. 2. LivAway Suiteshas broken ground on a 126-room extended-stay hotel at 1680 E. Tucson Marketplace Blvd. in Tucson. The four-story project is the brand’s first in southern Ariz. and fourth in the state. West77 Partners acquired the 3.2-acre site in June for $2.2M. VOLK…

The Arizona Department of Transportation’s recently announced 2026-2030 Five-Year Transportation Facilities Construction Program includes a significant focus on “Greater Arizona”—regions outside the state’s major metro areas—and pavement preservation to extend investments made in Arizona roadways. La Paz and Mohave counties will both see prominent expansions in projects and funding, including more than $200M targeted toward highways, bridges and border facilities. ADOT’s La Paz and Mohave priorities will focus on aging infrastructure, border access, repairing weather damage and addressing modernization needs. La Paz County Projects Two major projects are planned in La Paz. The first is California Border to Dome Rock…

By Roland Murphy for AZBEX Even though a proposal to allow churches to build housing on their property died in the State Legislature in the most recent session, affordable housing developer Gorman & Company and Scottsdale United Methodist Church have presented a proposal to do exactly that on SUMC’s property at 4140 N. Miller Road in Scottsdale, just inside the eastern edge of Old Town. Gorman has a highly successful track record with workforce and affordable housing development in Arizona. DATABEX shows the company has completed 14 developments around the state since the project database was launched in mid-2016. Another…

By BEX Staff for AZBEX A Fry’s Marketplace will serve as an anchor for the commercial portion of the Hermosa Ranch Technology Campus North at the SWC of Avondale Blvd. and Lower Buckeye Road in Avondale. According to the project’s DATABEX listing, Fry’s is planned for 125.9KSF on 11.6 acres. The overall retail section is known as The Marketplace at Tres Rio in Avondale and covers 24 acres. The greater Hermosa Ranch Technology Campus master-planned area also includes the Prime Phoenix data center development, which is currently under construction on 66.5 acres. A local news outlet reported Prime Data Centers…

By Roland Murphy for AZBEX While national construction cost trends are encouraging, fluctuating national policies and ongoing exacerbating factors have impacted industry confidence. According to the Rider Level Bucknall Q2 2025 Quarterly Construction Report, construction cost increases around the U.S. have been relatively steady between Q1 and Q2, rising by just 0.15%. Costs have also dropped year-over-year. In April 2024, the YoY cost change was 5.42, versus 4.4% in April 2025. National construction unemployment increased 0.2% between Q4 2024 and Q1 2025, but it dropped to 3.5% in April. Construction unemployment continues, however, to outpace the overall employment level by…

Boards & Commissions 1. Jennifer Lindley, the Downtown Development Manager for the Town of Queen Creek, was selected to head the Executive Committee of the Arizona Association for Economic Development. She has worked with Queen Creek’s economic development department since 2014. Her term with AAED began June 1. Company News 2. The Healthcare Real Estate Services team at Kidder Mathews has surpassed $100M in sales and completed 100 lease and sale transactions year-to-date. The team consists of Aneesa Daas, Michael Dupuy, Emily Ernst, Perry Gabuzzi, Rachael Thompson, Fletcher Perry, Chad Sutton and Zack Harris. 3. Provident Industrial announced the opening…