Author: BEX Staff

By BEX Staff for AZBEX The Apache Junction Planning and Zoning Commission has voted to recommend approval for a major General Plan amendment and rezoning of a nearly 37-acre property near the NWC of Cactus Road and Auto Center Drive for a 65.7KSF order and service management development planned by Sundt Construction. The introduction of the project narrative says, “The 134-year-old firm specializes in transportation, industrial, building, concrete and renewable energy work and is owned entirely by its approximately 3,500 employee-owners.” Sundt plans to build a light manufacturing and administrative training facility on the vacant property, which is currently designated…

By Roland Murphy for AZBEX The Surprise City Council voted unanimously last month to approve The Hampton Group’s request to rezone 295.6 gross acres north of the planned Beardsley Parkway and 251st Avenue alignments from rural residential to a combination of single- and multifamily to allow for future development. Council approved a development agreement for the project in May. According to the project narrative, the western edge of the property sits at the border with the City of Buckeye and the Festival Foothills Planned Community. The properties to the north, south and east of the site are undeveloped, zoned rural…

By Associated Builders and Contractors The construction industry had 245,000 job openings on the last day of May, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey. JOLTS defines a job opening as any unfilled position for which an employer is actively recruiting. Industry job openings increased by 3,000 last month but are down by 130,000 from the same time last year. “Industrywide labor demand continued to be subdued in May,” said ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu. “The year-to-date construction hiring rate is lower than in…

The Arizona Low-Income Housing Tax Credit program, established in 2021 to give tax incentives to developers of affordable housing, will sunset in December. A bipartisan coalition created the program under former Gov. Doug Ducey, but opponents blocked an expansion plan from moving forward in the State Legislature this year. A total of 31 states and the District of Columbia have LIHTC programs. Arizona is the first state to establish and then terminate a program. Affordable housing advocates say the loss of tax credit incentives will harm affordable housing development in the state. LIHTC opponents said they prefer broader tax cuts…

Giving Back 1. Wespac Construction joined Habitat for Humanity of Northern Arizona to dedicate the nonprofit’s first 10 starter homes in Flagstaff. The project involved more than 200 volunteers and aims to provide affordable homeownership for local families. 2. The ACI Foundation is accepting applications for fellowships and scholarships for the 2026-2027 academic year. A total of 48 awards are available to undergraduate and graduate students pursuing concrete-related degrees in the U.S., Canada or Mexico. Fellowships include a $10K stipend, and scholarships include a $5K stipend. Applications are due by Nov. 1. 3. Gensler volunteered with The Joy Bus on…

Sales Transactions 1. Knightvest Capital acquired Avana Desert View, a 412-unit apartment community at 17030 N. 49th St. in Scottsdale. The property last sold in 2019 for $96M. The property, which includes one-, two- and three-bedroom units averaging 933SF, will undergo renovations to interiors and amenities. 2. Camelback Collective, a four-story office building located at 2801 E. Camelback Road, was sold by Humphreys Capital. Koelbel & Co. purchased the property for $48.3M. JLL’s Will Mast, Ben Geelan, Charlie von Arentschildt, Jack Miler and Gigi Martin represented Humphreys. 3. Power Road-Williams Field, LLC acquired an 8.1KSF retail property at 2960 N.…

By National Council of State Housing Agencies (On June 16), Senate Finance Committee Chairman Mike Crapo (R-ID) released the much-anticipated text of the tax and Medicaid portion of the Senate’s reconciliation bill, with significant differences from the House-passed version of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Like the House bill, the Senate text includes a major expansion of Low-Income Housing Tax Credit resources, providing a permanent 12% increase in Housing Credit authority for the 9% program and permanently lowering the bond financing test from 50% to 25%. The House bill would increase Housing Credit authority by 12.5% and lower the…

By BEX Staff for AZBEX The Mesa Planning and Zoning Board has voted to recommend amendments to the City Code to establish zoning restrictions for data center development. The measure will now move to City Council. AZBEX has extensively covered proposed restrictions on data center zoning and development in Mesa, Phoenix and Tempe in recent issues, as well as opposition to those restrictions and their potential impacts on statewide economic development. (AZBEX: May 21; June 10; June 18) Local news reports say the amendments will define data centers in the City code and change the definition of indoor storage and…

By Roland Murphy for AZBEX Mary-T Inc. is planning a mixed-use development combining 77 age-restricted apartments and more than 30KSF of retail at the NEC of Cottonwood Lane and Peart Road in Casa Grande. The developer has submitted a major site plan to the Casa Grande Planning and Zoning Commission. City Council approved a rezoning to the Mary-T Marketplace & Senior Residences Planned Area Development for the undeveloped, roughly five-acre site at 1546 E. Cottonwood Lane last year. Plans call for two three-story mixed-use buildings with heights of 36 feet. According to the staff report, “Between the multifamily units in…

By Roland Murphy for AZBEX Project owner Kuber Development has submitted a pair of stipulation requests for a planned 108-room TownePlace Suites by Marriott hotel and conference center at the SWC of 48th Street and University Drive in south Phoenix. The roughly 5.5-acre site is comprised of two parcels and was zoned C-2 MR (Intermediate Commercial with a Mid-Rise designation) in 2007. That rezoning carried with it 12 general stipulations detailing the look and feel of any subsequent development, along with traffic and street development guidelines. In a submittal to the Phoenix Hearing Officer, GKI Architects has requested changes to…