Author: BEX Staff

By Roland Murphy for AZBEX While the approval of Arizona’s first Buc-ee’s convenience store was getting all the attention, there was plenty of newsworthy action on the industrial development front in Goodyear as well. The requests for the 75KSF travel center also included a 722KSF, four-building industrial proposal from EJM Development with structures ranging from 143KSF to 203KSF. That plan was mentioned in the Buc-ee’s project without much, if any additional detail in most outlets. Going almost completely unnoticed in the travel center hoopla, however, was a separate EJM proposal for a roughly 51-acre site located two parcels to the…

Gila County received $10.5M for a long list of projects under the American Rescue Plan Act, but little of that money is going to local contractors. In a Jan. 30 meeting, the Board of Supervisors was told the County has spent $9.1M of its allocated funds. Meeting the federal requirements proved challenging for County staff, who had to plan the projects, award the projects and get payment set up on a fast schedule. Those federal requirements, however, are one of the reasons little of the money is going to local contractors, since few are on the federal list of qualified…

By Associated Builders and Contractors National nonresidential construction spending increased 0.4% in December, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of data published by the U.S. Census Bureau. On a seasonally adjusted annualized basis, nonresidential spending totaled $1.174T. Spending was down on a monthly basis in eight of the 16 nonresidential subcategories. Private nonresidential spending was down 0.2% in December, while public nonresidential construction spending was up 1.4%. “Nonresidential construction spending finished 2023 up more than 20%—the 19th consecutive monthly increase—and will carry ample momentum in 2024,” said ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu. “While much of that strength is…

Giving Back 1. Valley Partnership has relaunched its ADVOCATES Program. ADVOCATES is a year-long program for young professionals in the development community focused on mentorship, networking, and policy education. The class is made up of 30 professionals aged 35 and younger from different sectors of the development community. The class will interact with each other and leaders in their fields to better understand and appreciate different segments of the development process. Awards & Accolades 2. President, CEO and Chairman of Sundt Construction, Inc., G. Michael Hoover received the Golden Beaver Award at the 68th annual ceremony held by ‘The Beavers,’…

Sales Transactions 1. A two-building portfolio of buildings located at 3925 and 3945 E. Broadway Road in Phoenix has been sold to Government Investment Partners for $17.4M. The seller was The Simone Charitable Foundation. Brian Ackerman of Colliers in Arizona handled the transaction and helped arrange the seller-financing. The two buildings total approximately 137KSF. The 3925 building is 75.1KSF and occupied by the State of Arizona Department of Child Safety and Imani Wellness. The 3945 building is 61.9KSF and is completely leased by the City of Phoenix. 2. Cushman & Wakefield announced the $8.5M sale of Arcadia Views, a 16-unit…

By BEX Staff for AZBEX Big box athletic and outdoor retailer Dick’s Sporting Goods may be planning a new facility with expanded offerings on an 11-acre site near State Farm Stadium in Glendale, according to a recent media report. Dick’s House of Sport combines the company’s standard sports-based retail product sales with enhanced customer experience opportunities, such as rock climbing walls, batting cages, indoor lacrosse and soccer areas, and golf simulators. The company website currently shows locations in nine states. If built, the Glendale location would be the first in Arizona. Records show Dick’s Sporting Goods paid $10.6M for the…

By Roland Murphy for AZBEX Every year, this turns out to be one of the hardest columns to write. It’s the classic conundrum of having too many good things to say about too many topics while still balancing priorities. When you’re a proud data geek reporting on the event that serves as the showcase for a year’s worth of work from your fellow proud data geeks, you want to repeat every nugget, but you also want to not bog down your busy readers with a 14-page data dump or shortchange your client base who paid good money to attend the…

By BEX Staff for AZBEX The Casa Grande Planning and Zoning Commission will hear plans this week to bring a zoning change and major site plan request that would allow a 72-unit market-rate luxury senior housing development on five acres on Pottebaum Avenue. According to the submitted site plan, a 4.3KSF residence already exists on the property. The plan for Olas Senior Village, as the facility would be known, would add a 5KSF “village center” and three new buildings of approximately 30.6KSF, 39.5KSF and 23.6KSF. According to the project description, planned amenities include pickleball courts, a swimming pool, community gardens,…

With the recent announcement of a $95M federal grant completing the necessary funding pool, the Arizona Department of Transportation is getting ready to start work on more projects in the Wild Horse Pass Corridor transportation plan. ADOT officials confirmed the first project will be bridges on Interstate 10 over the Gila River. The current two-lane twin bridges will be replaced with new bridges with three lanes in each direction. The Department will also start community consultation and outreach with the Gila River Indian Community and other stakeholders. After the bridges, the next phase will be the addition of extra lanes…

By Associated Builders and Contractors The construction industry will need to attract an estimated 501,000 additional workers on top of the normal pace of hiring in 2024 to meet the demand for labor, according to a proprietary model developed by Associated Builders and Contractors. In 2025, the industry will need to bring in nearly 454,000 new workers on top of normal hiring to meet industry demand, and that’s presuming that construction spending growth slows significantly next year. “ABC estimates that the U.S. construction industry needs to attract about a half million new workers in 2024 to balance supply and demand,”…