Author: BEX Staff

The Coconino National Forest has published its final environmental assessment for its APS McGuireville to Oak Creek 69kV Transmission Line Project. The project’s intent is to bolster the power grid in the Red Rock Ranger District. The 13.7-mile transmission line will be constructed between McGuireville and Oak Creek. The line will connect to existing lines and create a looped system. A 45-day public objection period has opened for the project. The new transmission line will improve the reliability and resiliency of the system. It will open the opportunity to divert some of the power supply if a section of the…

By Salt River Project To help Arizona’s small and diverse businesses scale their operations and secure high-value contracts, Salt River Project and Arizona State University’s J. Orin Edson Entrepreneurship + Innovation Institute are hosting the Small Business Academy powered by SRP, a six-week program launching on Jan. 28 with workshops held every Tuesday evening. The program will culminate with a final pitch competition on March 4. The Academy will cover key topics, such as managing finances, meeting insurance requirements, boosting cybersecurity, scaling operations and perfecting a pitch. Workshops will be held at the SRP Heritage Center in Tempe and Skysong…

Groundbreakings 1. CapRock Partners announced the groundbreaking of Phase Two at CapRock West 202 Logistics. This is the final phase of the 825KSF warehouse distribution and logistics space project. The three-building project is at the NEC of N. 59th Ave. and West Van Buren Street in Phoenix. The project has a planned completion date of November of this year. Colliers’ Payson MacWilliam and Don MacWilliam are leading the leasing efforts. 2. LivAway Suites and West77 Partners announced the groundbreaking of an extended-stay hotel in Tolleson. This is one of six planned LivAway Suites locations planned in Arizona this year, with…

By Roland Murphy for AZBEX Anyone hoping for an in-depth look into how the group opposing Axon Enterprise’s master-planned corporate campus and headquarters development in north Scottsdale was funded may never get any actual satisfaction. Taxpayers Against Awful Apartment Zoning Exemptions filed its required campaign finance report with the City of Scottsdale on Jan. 15. That report, however, provides no real insight into the mechanics of TAAAZE’s operation or spending. The report shows zero individual contributions. Not a single Scottsdale resident contributed a single dollar to the campaign. Whether any attempted but had their potential gifts declined is not noted.…

By Roland Murphy for AZBEX In April 2023, plans came to light that Ryan Companies was planning an industrial development in Eloy that would have placed between 1.8MSF and 1.9MSF of space on 122 acres at the SEC of Houser and Estrella roads, east of Interstate 10 along the Union Pacific rail line. (AZBEX; April 14, 2023) Activity never got underway for the South Crossing Industrial Park, however, and now the company’s plan has shifted to develop the Southwest Crossing Data Park—a three-building data center development with more than 855KSF of building area and a 400-megawatt capacity. The request for…

By Roland Murphy for AZBEX A new 68-unit multifamily townhome development is making its way through the City of Mesa’s review and approval process. Lofts at 121 N Beverly was discussed in the Mesa Design Review Board’s Jan. 14 meeting, with no action being taken. The Planning and Zoning Board is expected to hear the proposal on Jan. 22. According to the submitted narrative, “The general plan designates the area as Neighborhood with a Station Area character overlay. Neighborhood is meant for residential along with small commercial areas. The Station Area overlay is intended to allow for the development of…

By BEX Staff for AZBEX A new report from CBRE shows construction volume in the Phoenix area industrial market declined in Q4 2024. There were 3.2MSF of deliveries and only 2.3MSF of new starts, according to the Q4 2024 Phoenix Industrial Market report. A total of 15.9MSF is under construction. The 3.2MSF in deliveries is made up of 21 buildings. Net absorption increased 11.4% from Q3’s results, for a total volume of 2.9MSF. Vacancy remains steady at 11.2%, and CBRE reports an average NNN/asking lease rate of $1.00. CBRE’s report does not detail the quarterly sales volume. For that information,…

Awards & Accolades 1. The U.S. Department of Energy Solar Energy Technologies Office announced Rayva in Gilbert and Solar Tech Collective in Tucson have advanced to the semifinal stage of the multi-million dollar American-Made Solar Prize Round 8. Semifinalists receive $50K and proceed to the next round. Four of the 20 semifinalists will receive a $25K cash bonus prize for winning the Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Contest. Rayva was also announced as a winner of the JEDIcontest. Boards & Commissions 2. The Central Arizona Water Conservation District Boardmet on Jan. 9 and administered an oath of office to the…

Sales Transactions 1. CBRE’s Rusty Kennedy, Joe Cesta, Rebecca Perlmutter, Evan Koplan, Geoff Turbow and Anthony DeLorenzo represented Bailard in the $27M sale of a 118.1KSF facility located at 7822 S. 46th St. in Phoenix. The space is fully leased to BAE Systems. 2. Commercial Properties, Inc./CORFAC International announced the sale of Key West Business Park at 700-734 N. Golden Key St. in the Gilbert/Queen Creek area. The 96.4KSF property was sold for $19.1M. Commercial Properties’ Cory Sposi, Kelli Jelinek, David Bean and Cory Breinholt represented both the seller, Key West Plaza, LLC,and the buyer, CenterSquare Investment Manager, LLC. 3.…

By Associated Builders and Contractors Associated Builders and Contractors reported its Construction Backlog Indicator inched down to 8.3 months in December, according to an ABC member survey conducted Dec. 20 to Jan. 6. The reading is down 0.3 months from December 2023. Backlog in the commercial and institutional category has fallen by almost a full month over the past year and is now at the lowest level since February 2023. Backlog in the infrastructure category, on the other hand, currently stands at the highest level since August 2023. ABC’s Construction Confidence Index readings for sales and staffing levels improved in…