Author: BEX Staff

By Associated Builders and Contractors The construction industry had 413,000 job openings on the last day of January, 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 decreased by 21,000 last month but are up by 120,000 from the same time last year. “The number of construction industry job openings remained elevated in January,” said ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu. “Yet there were signs of potential softening…

Awards & Accolades 1. Beth Katz with KatzDesignGroup has been awarded two Network of Executive Women in Hospitality awards. Her first was given for the transformation of LATHA Restaurant & Bar in the 1900 Silva House at Heritage Square, which earned the Best Stand-Alone Restaurant Award. Her second award was the TOP Interior Design award for 2024, which she also won in 2022. Groundbreakings 2. The Trailhead, a 140KSF mixed-use development in Peoria, has broken ground after seven years of preparation. Pederson Group Inc. is the developer and Zach Pace and Cameron Warren of Phoenix Commercial Advisors handled the leasing.…

Coconino County Director of Public Works Christopher Tressler recently appeared before the Board of Supervisors to explain in detail cost increases—including an addition to the County’s matching funds obligation—for a project to improve Perkinsville Road. The project falls under the Federal Lands Access Program, managed by Central Federal Lands. CFL submitted a new cost estimate last fall, which included a request to increase the County’s match from 16.05% to 25%. Project resources are limited under the program, so if Coconino County wanted to remain competitive, its match would need to increase. Tressler told Board members the strategy of increasing the…

By Arizona Department of Transportation The Arizona Department of Transportation is targeting pavement improvements and expanding several key highways as major parts of its Tentative Five-Year Construction Program for 2025-2029. This proposed annual update to ADOT’s list of projects in design and construction is now available for public comment through late May. A major emphasis of the proposed $7.9B tentative program is improving highway pavement and bridge infrastructure throughout greater Arizona, which encompasses areas outside of Maricopa and Pima counties. The plan would provide more than $2.4B for these high-priority improvements during the next five years. This amounts to an…

By Roland Murphy for AZBEX A new, 193-unit, three-story apartment community could soon be added to the available units in Casa Grande. Monument Development, LLC and owner Sterling Pratt have requested a major site plan review for their proposed site plan, landscape plan, building elevations and other documents associated with the plans to develop an 8.48-acre site at the SWC of O’Neil Drive and Center Avenue. The mix for the O’Neil Apartments at Casa Grande is proposed as 94 one-, 94 two- and five three-bedroom units. Planned amenities include a pool, splash pad, clubhouse, pickleball courts, an on-site leasing office…

By the Office of Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes Attorney General Kris Mayes’ Office has filed a lawsuit against RealPage, Inc. and nine major residential apartment landlords operating in Arizona for conspiring to illegally raise rents for hundreds of thousands of Arizona renters in the Phoenix and Tucson metro areas. RealPage is a software company that offers what it calls “revenue management” to its clients, including those named as its co-defendants in this lawsuit. “The conspiracy allegedly engaged in by RealPage and these landlords has harmed Arizonans and directly contributed to Arizona’s affordable housing crisis,” said Attorney General Mayes. “In…

Faced with cost increases that have exceeded the combined budget for county building construction and remodeling projects from a 2021 total of $70M to a current estimate of $108M, the Yuma County Board of Supervisors has voted to realign the projects’ budgets and cut nearly $16.8M. The newly updated budget now stands at $91.6M. The Board will review the individual projects to see where or if additional funding can be procured. The projects addressed include: The Administration Services building (currently under construction); University of Arizona Cooperative Extension; Yuma County Public Health Services Expansion; A new facility for ITS, Public Fiduciary…

Giving Back 1. A group of Achen-Gardner Construction employee-owners participated in the Run For World Water 5K on Feb. 24. This event is hosted annually by the Water for People Arizona Committee with support from the AZ Water Commission. Registrations contributed to the Water for People nonprofit organization to support access to clean water in developing countries. Achen-Gardner won the Corporate Challenge Champions award for registering the most participants, and nine people from the company’s team placed in the top three of their respective age groups. Awards & Accolades 2. Kitchell Contractors, Inc. has been listed in Associated Builders and…

Sales Transactions 1. Two Sigma has bought 202 Business Park in Gilbert for $51.6M. The multi-building industrial park was sold by Greer Oliver and Connor Nebeker-Hay of JLL Capital Markets who represented both the buyer and seller Germann Road Land Development LLC. 2. Commercial Properties, Inc. announced the $9M sale of Building F of Venture Court Professional Plaza, an approximately 27KSF, two-story office building in Anthem. Eric Butler and Phill Tomlinson with CPI represented the seller, Liftable Media, Inc. Keith Lammersen of JLL Capital Markets represented the buyer, Maricopa County Libraries. 3. El Dorado Partnership LLC purchased 33.5KSF of office…

According to pre-application documents filed with the City of Maricopa, the Smith Family has plans to sell more than 420 acres of agricultural land at the NEC of Porter and Steen roads for a new subdivision. Stagecoach Springs at Smith Farms would place approximately 1,100 single-family homes on 300 acres and up to 990 multifamily units on 41 acres. Trails and park space would occupy more than 150 acres surrounding the property. Unit sizes and construction information are not yet available. (Source)