Author: BEX Staff

By Roland Murphy for AZBEX Even though not a single brick has been laid and the first product is two to three years from rolling out the doors, the LG Energy Solution battery plant in Queen Creek is already being hailed as a success story. Also, despite a narrowing window to put all the necessary bureaucratic and process components in place, local and company officials remain optimistic about breaking ground this year. An Aug. 16 blog post from the advocacy group U.S. Environmental Defense Fund names the project as one of five high-profile endeavors benefitting from incentives under the Inflation…

A group consisting of Bela Flor Communities, VIVO Development Partners, Hawkins Companies and Greystar Worldwide has proposed creating Medina Station, a 60-acre master-planned residential and commercial project on 60 acres at the SEC of Southern Avenue and Signal Butte Road in Mesa. Preliminary plans call for 851 multifamily units and 246.8KSF of retail and restaurant space, including an anchor tenant site of approximately 148KSF. The retail and restaurant section will be developed by VIVO as Parcel A. Company representatives said VIVO is in negotiations with the prospective anchor tenant but declined to identify the party. Hawkins Companies will develop most…

By Roland Murphy for AZBEX News reports state permitting is underway for a planned 69KSF facility by NRS Logistics America Inc. in Casa Grande to store hazardous chemicals used in semiconductor and electric vehicle battery manufacturing. The new plant will be located on 40 acres at the SWC of Ethington and Illinois roads, south of the Maricopa-Casa Grande Highway. An Aug. 7 announcement distributed by the Arizona Commerce Authority reported, “The facility will feature temperature-controlled storage for specific hazard classes for flammable, corrosive chemicals and oxidizers for use in semiconductor chip production and electric vehicle battery manufacturing. In addition, the…

The Glendale City Council appears to have thwarted plans to put development incentives for the $1B VAI Resort and Mattel Adventure Park before voters. An opposition group called Worker Power Institute—the same group that forced the Arizona Coyotes’ Tempe Entertainment District to a vote that led to the project’s defeat—had submitted more than 5,500 signatures on a petition in July to force incentives under an amended development agreement between Glendale and the project owners onto a referendum ballot. WPI said it was notified earlier this month its petition met the signature requirement. The project is already under construction and is…

Groundbreakings 1. American Battery Factory, Inc. is looking to break ground in October on a 267-acre lithium-iron-phosphate battery cell plant site in the Aerospace Research Campus area in Tucson. The first phase consists of a 400KSF building. 2. Mosaic announced it has broken ground on Avilla Palomino, a new Build-to-Rent community in Glendale from NexMetro Communities. The project features 197 cottage-style units and will include one-, two-, and three-bedroom options in duplexes and single-family detached homes with private backyards and front patios, from 690 to 1,265SF. 3. Thompson Thrift has started construction on the first six acres of a planned…

By Roland Murphy for AZBEX A 222-unit apartment development planned for the SWC of Broadway and Rosemont boulevards in Tucson had been scheduled to go before the Tucson City Council this week but has been removed from the agenda and continued to a later date. Property owner Broadway-Rosemont LLC has requested a rezoning of 6.02 acres of a seven-acre site from Residential and Commercial to Office/Commercial/Residential. According to details in the Tucson Zoning Examiner’s report, “The proposal includes six 40-foot-high buildings, with 43 to 45-foot-high “pop-outs” in some areas, four 26-foot-high buildings, and a two-story-high clubhouse, 29 to 31 feet…

Residents opposed to the City of Mesa’s plan to buy the 72-room Grand Hotel on Main Street and Power Road and convert it to a shelter for seniors, families and domestic violence victims as part of the Off the Streets program are pressing to require a supermajority vote of the City Council if the project is to proceed. A Council Use Permit is required for the project to go forward. Under the Mesa city code, if 20% or more of the total property owners within 150 feet of the site sign a written protest against a proposed rezoning, a supermajority…

By Roland Murphy for AZBEX KB Devco is planning a new 167-unit, five-story mixed-use apartment community called Apache Square at the SWC of Apache Blvd. and McClintock Drive in Tempe. The company paid $5.75M for the 1.95-acre former PepBoys site in May 2022. According to the project letter of explanation, in addition to the multifamily units, the plan includes: 3.9KSF of flex restaurant/retail/office, 1.3KSF of outdoor dining area, 810SF of street level office space in live/work areas, 2KSF of street level leasing space, A 2.2KSF clubhouse and fitness center, A five-level, 251-space parking structure and 180 bicycle parking spaces. The…

By The Home Builders Institute Home Builders Care, the 501(c)(3) charitable arm of the Home Builders Association of Central Arizona, announced the grand opening of the Home Building Academy located at 3100 E Broadway, Ste. 100 in Phoenix. The Academy is a new educational facility for training in skilled trades for residential construction. At the Academy, students participate in a nine-week rapid worker training, resulting in industry-recognized certificates in either carpentry or electrical. The first four weeks of the training provide basic construction knowledge such as reading a tape measure, using hand and power tools, and safe work practices, including…

The City of San Luis may take on nearly $15.1M in debt to finance water distribution and sewage treatment improvements. The San Luis City Council has voted to create applications for two loans from the Arizona Water Infrastructure Authority. Once prepared, the applications will require a final Council vote of approval before being submitted to WIFA. The loans will only cover part of the City’s needed water and sewage infrastructure and improvement project needs. In addition to more than $40M in improvements to the sewage plant on the west side of San Luis, the City also need to upgrade wells…