Author: BEX Staff

By BEX Staff for AZBEX The Queen Creek Planning and Zoning Commission has recommended rezonings for two properties for the development of Elanto at Queen Creek—a proposed 320-unit rental community. The larger, 128.9-acre “Elanto” parcel sits at the NEC of Meridian and Queen Creek roads, while the smaller, 20-acre “Downzone” site is south of the SWC of Ironwood and Germann Road. “… the applicant requests to rezone the Downzone Property from High Density Residential (HDR) to Planned Area Development (PAD) with underlying Medium Density Residential (MDR); and, the Elanto Property from R1-5 and C-2 to Planned Area Development (PAD) with…

By BEX Staff for AZBEX Amazon has filed presubmittal documents with the City of Mesa detailing plans for two new data centers, according to media reports. The first proposed site is on nearly 43 acres next to the Apple Data Center at Signal Butte and Elliot roads. The second is on 71.3 acres on Pecos Road near the Legacy Park sports and entertainment complex. The Pecos site was previously considered for a last-mile delivery hub known as Project Cork. The Elliot site had been planned as a 278KSF warehouse project known as Project Galway. Both have been listed as “On…

Citing the need for more housing and more density to promote commercial growth, the Goodyear City Council recently approved a requested rezoning for a 284-unit apartment community planned on 11 acres near the SWC of Estrella Parkway and Van Buren Street. The Planning and Zoning Commission had recommended denial of the request, and several residents spoke out against its potential traffic and noise impacts, density and the perception it could diminish property values. Plans for The Statler at Estrella Parkway call for one four-story and two three-story buildings. The planned unit mix is comprised of 156 one-bedroom, 118 two-bedroom and…

Awards & Accolades 1. The Arizona Department of Transportation’s 4.5-mile State Route 24 extension in the southeast Valley has received a regional Best Projects Award from Engineering News Record, which honored SR 24: Gateway to the Southeast Valley in the Highways/Bridges category among projects in Arizona, New Mexico and Nevada. The project was designed by Stanley Consultants and constructed by FNF Construction, in collaboration with the Maricopa Association of Governments, Maricopa County and the Town of Queen Creek. Groundbreakings 2. Construction began on Lanai, a 444-unit multifamily community in Buckeye. Holualoa Companies and Countrywalk Community Developers partnered on the development,…

Axon’s plans for a major expansion to its planned corporate campus in north Scottsdale have hit a snag after an email from an anonymous whistleblower cast doubts on the plan’s legality. Axon has a development agreement in place with the City of Scottsdale, and it looked as though the plan, which included more than 2,500 multifamily units, a hotel and retail space, would proceed in a fairly straightforward manner. A rezoning request was scheduled to go before the Airport Advisory Commission on Sept. 20 but was removed from the agenda following a warning from the City Attorney after receiving the…

By Freepoint Eco Systems LLC Freepoint Eco-Systems LLC announced the development of a commercial-scale advanced plastics recycling facility located in Eloy. The ISCC Plus Certified facility will recycle end-of-life waste plastic otherwise destined for landfills or incineration. It will span 40 acres of currently undeveloped land and have the capacity to recycle approximately 180,000 tons of waste plastic per year, making it one of the largest advanced recycling facilities in the world. “The development of our Arizona advanced recycling facility represents an expansion of our advanced recycling footprint in the United States. From construction to the launch of operations, the…

By City of Scottsdale The Scottsdale City Council approved two separate projects at the Paiute Neighborhood Center campus. With distinct and separate funding sources, efforts are being focused simultaneously on improving aging facilities at Paiute while also addressing the growing need for affordable housing in Scottsdale. Some residents expressed concern about using voter-approved bonds for an affordable housing project that was not part of the 2019 bond package—this is not happening. Bonds will only be used for their stated purpose: improving the Paiute Neighborhood Center. Separately, a combination of federal housing money administered by Maricopa County and Scottsdale General Fund…

By Rebekah Morris for AZBEX After years of lackluster K12 school construction activity in Arizona, the market sector is on track for a substantial upswing, thanks to significant new funding coming if voters approve bond questions at the ballot box in November. Altogether, BEX research teams have identified more than $3.5B in K12 bond questions for the November election. Since BEX started tracking K12 bond issuances in 2012, the average ask has been $922M/year. 2023 is on track for a three-and-a-half-fold increase over that historical norm. Arizona schools are woefully underfunded, ranking 48th in the nation according to the most…

By Roland Murphy for AZBEX The LG Energy Solution battery plant in Queen Creek continues inching closer to reality, and this week the Pinal County Board of Supervisors will meet to discuss and vote on agreement updates to keep that progress advancing. Under consideration are an amendment to the development agreement between LGES, Pinal and the Town of Queen Creek for the plant development; an amendment to the intergovernmental agreement between Pinal, Central Arizona College and the Arizona Commerce Authority for the Workforce Training Facility required under the development agreement; and an agreement between Pinal and ACA for Pinal to…

While the infusion of federal funding for tribal water infrastructure funding under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the American Rescue Plan Act are “a welcome first step” toward enhancing water access on tribal lands, additional funding and designations are needed for system operations and maintenance if that access is to be preserved long-term. In a testimony before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, Inter Tribal Council of Arizona Tribal Water Department Director Brian Bennon said funding for preventative maintenance is essential if users are to get as much benefit from systems as possible and to keep systems…