Author: BEX Staff

A 2006 voter-approved state law may end up forcing cities and other jurisdictions to pay landowners for damage to their properties’ value when zoning rules were changed to restrict data center development. Proposition 207 allows owners to seek compensation when new zoning rules reduce land values. In recent years, several jurisdictions around the state have shifted their zoning regulations to more narrowly define where data center development is allowed. AZBEX has covered these restrictions extensively. Our articles can be found here. Now, several landowners and developers are beginning to pursue compensation for impacts under the various restrictions, including demands from…

Awards & Accolades 1. AZ Big Media recently announced its 20th Annual Real Estate Development Awards. The awards given were as follows: Rescue Oasis as Recreation Project of the Year:Owner: City of Surprise;General contractor: Willmeng Construction; Architect: LEA – Architects. Tempe Municipal Operations Center as Public Works Project of the Year:Owner: City of Tempe;General contractor: Haydon; Architect: DWL Architects + Planners. Goodyear High School as Education K-12 Project of the Year:Owner: Agua Fria Union High School District;General contractor: CHASSE Building Team; Architect: ADM Group. Mohave College Advanced Manufacturing Training Center as Higher Education and Workforce Development Project of the Year:Owner:…

A bipartisan Arizona State Senate bill that looks to increase the state’s affordable housing supply by eliminating many municipalities’ home design aesthetic guidelines was recommended by the House Commerce Committee and will now go to the Rules Committee before advancing to a floor vote. Phoenix Sen. Shawnna Bolick is Senate Bill 1431’s primary sponsor. The proposal bans requirements for screening, walls or fences, and eliminates aesthetic design standards for a broad range of materials, design elements, architectural styles, floor plans, outdoor improvements, driveway surfacing and other components. Local jurisdictions would also be prevented from requiring the formation of homeowners’ associations…

By Roland Murphy for AZBEX In its March 11 meeting, the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community Council voted 8-0 to approve two resolutions that will enable the development of a 162KSF Costco warehouse store and fuel center on Community land at Pima Road and Montecito Avenue, north of Pima and Indian School roads The project will be one of only around 15 Costcos in the U.S. with an on-site car wash. The retail development has been rumored for nearly a year, but due to non-disclosure agreements, it had not been publicly announced prior to the March 11 Council meeting. Community…

By Roland Murphy for AZBEX The Mesa Planning and Zoning Board is scheduled to hold a site plan review on March 25 for Liv Eastmark, a 208-unit multifamily development planned on 8.55 net acres at the NEC of Ray Road and Bradley Way in the Eastmark area. According to the Liv Communities website, the company acquired the site in 2024 and originally planned the community as a 55+ age-restricted development. Reports from May 2024 list the transaction price at $5M. The original iteration of the project, planned at the time by PCS Development, was recommended for site plan review approval…

By Roland Murphy for AZBEX Commercial Café’s February Office Market Report shows the sector continues to deliver stable, if unenthusiastic, performance results for the Phoenix metro area. Listing rates in Phoenix were recorded at $29.83/SF, a 4.5% increase from February 2025. Vacancies dipped by 170 basis points, settling at a still stubborn 17.0%. Office sales year-to-date total $260M with an average price/SF of $160. In terms of space under construction, Phoenix is tenth from the bottom for the 23 cities tracked, reporting a total of 430KSF. Nationally, the average listing rate was $32.79, down 1.9% year-over-year. U.S. Office vacancy stands…

Awards & Accolades 1. AZ Big Media recently announced its 20th Annual Real Estate Development Awards. Awards for specific projects will be featured in our March 27 issue. Awardees for companies were: Subcontractor of the Year: PK Associates, Architecture Firm of the Year: Butler Design Group, General Contractor of the Year: Layton Construction and Developer of the Year: Lincoln Property Company. 2. AZ Big Media released its 2026 Ranking Arizona list of the Top 10 residential architecture firms in the state, which consists of: Candelaria Design Associates, SWABACK, Stratton Architects, Drewett Works, PHX Architecture, Poetzl architecture + design, dpa architects,…

Sales Transactions 1. Prologis purchased Cotton 303 Logistics Center, a 915.2KSF industrial facility in Glendale, for $104M. The property is on 54 acres at 6801 N. Cotton Lane and was developed by The Pizzuti Companies, in partnership with Heitman Capital Management LLC. Cushman & Wakefield’s Will Strong, Molly Miller, Jack Stamets, Michael Matchett and Madeline Warren represented the seller, with Don MacWilliam and Payson MacWilliams of Colliers providing leasing advisory services. The building was completed in 2022 and is fully leased to Cubework.com under a seven-year agreement. 2. TerraCap Management purchased Tresa at Arrowhead, a 360-unit multifamily community in Glendale,…

A Workforce Housing Strategy and Implementation Plan received Prescott City Council approval in a contentious vote during its March 10 meeting. The plan is intended to provide more reasonable housing options for workers in healthcare, public safety, education and local government. Often, Prescott residents are subject to paying in excess of 30% of their income on housing. The plan started in 2024 when the Arizona Department of Housing provided the City with $200K from the State Housing Trust Fund. Later, in 2025, Prescott hired Elliott D. Pollack & Co. to create it. A draft was presented to City Council on…

By Roland Murphy for AZBEX In its March 16 meeting, the Cottonwood Planning and Zoning Commission recommended approval of a rezoning request for a 96-unit apartment development on 3.25 acres at 1013 E. Mingus Ave., roughly 0.4 miles west of Main Street. Current zoning for the site is R-1 (Single-Family Residential). The development team has requested rezoning of the property to R-3 (Multiple Family Residential). The Cottonwood General Plan designates the site as HR (Residential/High-Density), which supports the rezoning request. According to the background information accompanying the request, “Additionally, the project site is adjacent to lots that are zoned R-1…