Author: BEX Staff

By Aaliyah Koelzer and Roland Murphy for AZBEX Preliminary construction is under way at Queen Creek’s massive LG Energy Solution Battery Plant, with an at-risk grading permit having been issued in late September. Normally, a preliminary construction start would be relegated to our Arizona Projects section. Given the size and impact of LGES on Queen Creek and the overall region—and the fact that AZBEX has been first to report on most of the happenings related to the project (including its existence, its temporary shift to on-hold status and the revised development agreement after LGES expanded its commitment), we felt the…

The Chandler City Council met in a work session earlier this month to discuss changes and increases to development fees for future projects. A report presented in the session showed annual development fee revenue over the last five years has fluctuated between $15.5M and $23M. Changes in the fee structures could help direct developer payment for City services and let Chandler encourage or discourage certain types of projects and growth. One example provided noted that industrial permits would increase 1%, while institutional development permits would increase 70%. The changes could also promote growth in specific parts of town. Multifamily permits…

By Associated Builders and Contractors Construction input prices decreased 0.3% in November compared to the previous month, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Producer Price Index data. Nonresidential construction input prices decreased 0.3% for the month as well. Inputs to construction are still nearly 39% higher than at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Overall construction input prices are 0.8% lower than a year ago, while nonresidential construction input prices are 0.4% lower. Prices decreased in two of the three energy subcategories last month. Crude petroleum input prices were down 9.5%,…

Awards & Accolades 1. SOLON Corporation has been awarded Microgrid Project of the Year by Solar Builder Magazine. The project converted an existing microgrid in Peach Springs from diesel generators to solar and a battery energy storage system. The installation is expected to provide 50% of the needed energy for Grand Canyon West operations including the Grand Canyon Skywalk. Groundbreakings 2. Diversified Partners’ The Shops at 75th, a 3.71-acre development in Glendale, has broken ground. This groundbreaking is part of Diversified Partners’ $100M investment in commercial real estate featuring four different restaurants and shops, including Dutch Bros. Coffee, Cali Tacos…

By BEX Staff for AZBEX After a nearly two-and-a-half hour discussion of Mack Real Estate Group’s proposal for Phase 1 on 61.5 acres of its master-planned industrial park on 124.7 acres at 9100 E. Bell Road, the Scottsdale Development Review Board ended up continuing the case on a 6-0 vote. The hearing had been planned for approval of a site plan, landscape plan, building elevations and site improvements for the new Mack Innovation Park industrial development at Bell and Loop 101. The proposal calls for four one-story buildings totaling more than 608KSF on 61.5 acres of the overall site, according…

By BEX Staff for AZBEX Developer SimonCRE has announced it acquired the 15.6-acre Roosevelt Commons site in Buckeye and plans to proceed with plans to develop it into a retail center with retail, restaurant and other commercial offerings in support of the growing community around Interstate 10 and Verrado Way. Local news sources report the $15.9M sale to SimonCRE closed Dec. 9. According to the developer’s press release, “The center, which sits at the corner of Roosevelt and Verrado Way, is just off the I-10 Freeway and will provide shops, pads, and restaurant space to the quickly growing number of…

Flagstaff voters’ rejection of Proposition 408, which would have rezoned land for Northern Arizona Healthcare’s relocation of the Flagstaff Medical Center and development of a Health and Wellness Village master plan, is having ripple effects and repercussions on several infrastructure projects that were planned to support growth in the area. Many infrastructure plans geared around Phase I of the development are no longer moving forward. NAH, the Arizona Department of Transportation and the City of Flagstaff would have shared responsibility for the projects. NAH has withdrawn its contributions to the projects following the referendum’s defeat. Among the $77M NAH would…

By Roland Murphy for AZBEX A plan for a 307.5KSF, rail-served logistics center on 36.4 acres at the NWC of Cotton Lane and MC 85 in Goodyear is the latest such consideration up for review in the West Valley. National developer Bet Investments, Inc. is requesting a zoning change for the project—known as Logistics 85—from the current El Cidro Planned Area Development to I-2 General Industrial Park with a PAD overlay. Under the El Cidro PAD, the property is primarily designated as General Commercial. According to its website, Bet Investments has projects in 11 states, including eight other properties in…

By National Association of Home Builders Bipartisan legislators in both the House and Senate introduced the Workforce Housing Tax Credit Act, which would establish a new tax credit to produce affordable rental housing for households earning 100% or less of the Area Median Income. Sponsored in the Senate by Sens. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), along with Reps. Jimmy Panetta (D-Calif.) and Mike Carey (R-Ohio) in the House, this bill builds on the successful Low-Income Housing Tax Credit, which finances the construction of rental housing generally serving households earning up to 60% of AMI. Under the Workforce Housing…

By Associated Builders and Contractors The construction industry added 2,000 jobs on net in November, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of data released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. On a year-over-year basis, industry employment has increased by 200,000 jobs, an increase of 2.6%. Nonresidential construction employment increased by 1,400 positions on net in November, with growth concentrated in one subcategory. Heavy and civil engineering added 3,300 positions, while nonresidential building and nonresidential specialty trade lost 1,100 and 800 jobs, respectively. The construction unemployment rate rose to 4.8% in November. Unemployment across all industries decreased from…