Author: BEX Staff

Giving Back 1. Two Achen-Gardner Construction employee-owners represented the company at Northern Arizona University’s Part-Time Opportunities Career Fairon Jan. 22. The representatives engaged with students, discussed career paths and built connections. Awards & Accolades 2. Steve Chanen of Chanen Construction Company was the recipient of ENR’s Legacy Award. The Legacy Award is granted to individuals in the design/construction industry who have dedicated their lives to the craft and given back to the community along the way. 3. The Arizona Housing Fund has named NexMetro Communities its 2024 Partner of the Year. The award recognizes NexMetro’s success in raising awareness about…

Sales Transactions 1.Ten years after UHS of Tucson, LLC announced the acquisition/operation of Palo Verde Behavioral Health at 2695 N. Craycroft Road in Tucson, the transaction has concluded. Tucson Medical Center sold the 83.6KSF medical facility to UHS for $19.1M in December. Cushman & Wakefield | PICOR’s Rick Kleiner represented the seller. 2. Oracle Limberlost Shopping Center LLC, an affiliate of Whirlygig Properties, sold Limberlost Retail Center at 4128-4146 N. Oracle Road in Tucson for $5.6M. The 38.4KSF retail center had two vacant spaces at the time of sale. SRS Real Estate Partners’ Patrick Luther represented the buyer, T Limberlost…

By Roland Murphy for AZBEX [UPDATE: We received a response from the City of Buckeye after this issue of AZBEX had already gone out to our subscribers. In the interests of thoroughness and timeliness, we are including the relevant section of Deputy Director of Communications John O’Halloran’s response here: “We greatly value our strong working relationships with both the media and the businesses considering Buckeye as their home. At this time, we have not received direct communication from KORE Power regarding their business decisions in Buckeye. Until we do, we are unable to provide an update on their plans.”] Wednesday…

By Roland Murphy for AZBEX Wood Partners is proposing a new retail and residential mixed-use development in Old Town Scottsdale on 6.14 gross acres at the NWC of Goldwater Blvd. and Indian School Road. According to the 5th & Goldwater project narrative submitted by Nelsen Partners, “This project proposes development of 232 luxury residential units and approximately 32KSF of a mixture of commercial uses including retail and restaurant. The site is located on 4.82 net acres of property at the northwest corner of Indian School Road and Goldwater Blvd. Existing buildings on site will be demolished and utilities relocated to…

By BEX Staff for AZBEX In its Jan. 15 meeting, Phoenix City Council approved a rezoning request that had accompanied a minor General Plan amendment request from The NRP Group that would allow the developer to build a 288-unit multifamily development on 10.75 acres at the SWC of 69th Avenue and Thomas Road. The Maryvale Village Planning Committee recommended approval for the request on an 11-0 vote in its Nov. 13 meeting. The Phoenix Planning Commission voted 8-0 to recommend approval when they met on Dec. 5. According to a local news report, the Planning Commission and City staff made…

The Glendale City Council has approved hiring two consultants to measure public attitudes toward a possible new General Obligation bond request for the November 2025 election. Areas of focus for the request would consist of libraries, government facilities, parks and recreation, and flood control. Parks and recreation could be the largest component of a GO bond request, as the City has no bond funds remaining for projects under that heading. Major projects include a $44M-plus Heroes Regional Park aquatic and recreation center, which had been planned for bond funding but no longer has money in place. Libraries have almost $6.2M…

Groundbreakings 1. A groundbreaking ceremony was held for the San Luis Community Hospital next to the Medical Mall at 151 S. Oak Ave. in San Luis. The Regional Center for Border Health originally announced the $75M project last year. The Medical Mall and Community Hospital will be connected to create one large building. 2. Creation announced the groundbreaking of Nexus Commerce Center. Creation acquired the 16-acre site in partnership with CrossHarbor Capital Partners and Amherst. Construction will consist of three buildings with a total footprint of 274KSF. 3. The Arizona Department of Transportation has begun a project to help bring…

By Roland Murphy for AZBEX In a Jan. 21 Casa Grande City Council study session, officials with Arizona Water Company presented plans to expand the firm’s services east of Interstate 10 to include wastewater treatment. Several large residential and potential commercial or industrial developments in the area have created a need to create wastewater plants to serve demand, AWC officials said. AWC is Casa Grande’s private water provider. Until now it has not been involved in wastewater treatment. Expanding into water recycling, however, is a major component of the company’s planning to address service capacity, as are measures to reduce…

By Roland Murphy for AZBEX The Arizona Construction sector dropped 3,700 jobs in December, making it the sector with the second greatest losses for the month. Arizona’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate rose to 3.8%, according to the latest report published by the Arizona Office of Economic Opportunity. The November rate was 3.7%. The national unemployment rate fell to 4.1%, down from 4.2%. In December 2023, Arizona had a seasonally adjusted rate of 4.2%. The national rate was 3.7%. Arizona had a not-seasonally adjusted loss of 300 nonfarm employment jobs month-over-month. “Prior to the pandemic (2010-2019), NSA nonfarm employment gained 5,600…

By Roland Murphy for AZBEX Worker Power—the Arizona political arm of the California-based Unite Here Local 11 labor union—is maintaining its efforts to derail the $1B-plus VAI Resort development in Glendale. Its latest campaign will result in a special election May 20 for a pair of ballot measures on the project’s land use. The VAI Resort master plan includes multiple components already under construction. With its opening targeted for this year, the development will include 1,100 hotel rooms in four towers, more than a dozen restaurants and retail spaces, and an amphitheater. The resort is expected to become Arizona’s largest,…