Local News

Awards & Accolades  1. National Association of Women in Construction bestowed its Civil/Heavy Highway award on the $54M C.C. Cragin Pipeline project to recognize the women who participated through Sunrise Engineering. A second award through the Arizona Water Works Association, gave the pipeline honors in its …

By Rebekah Morris for AZBEX  Next month, the BEX research team will present detailed market analytics at the fourth annual Construction Forecast Event. The topic will be an exclusive and deep analysis of the next three years of the Arizona …

Budget, Policy & Stimulus News  Expiring Aid Could Create Eviction Explosion  An end to aid for renters could lead to a spike in evictions for Arizona renters. Maricopa County has run out of funds in its $30M …

Budget, Policy & Stimulus News  Senators Propose $908B in New Relief  Following an appeal from Federal Reserve Chairman Jay Powell, a bipartisan group of senators has proposed $908B in new relief and stimulus spending in the wake of …

By Arizona Builders Alliance  The Arizona Builders Alliance is calling on construction workers across the state to help them make a difference in the lives of hundreds of children in need this holiday season. The ABA Community Service …

Awards & Accolades  1. The Sycamore Elementary & Corona Foothills Middle School solar project recently named Most Inventive by Solar Builder’s Editor’s Choice Awards 2020. Developed by SOLON Corporation in partnership with Vail School District, the project includes two large solar superstructures totaling over …

Budget, Policy & Stimulus News Tucson Budget Remains Healthy Tucson’s municipal budget is faring better than originally projected at the onset of the pandemic crisis, bolstered in part by revenues from online purchases and construction …

Budget, Policy & Stimulus News Opposition Mounts to New SBA PPP Questionnaire The Small Business Administration Paycheck Protection Loan forgiveness questionnaire has been revised to increase resistance from business and industry organizations. The questionnaire focuses …

Home Matters® to Arizona, which is planning a $100M fund over two years to finance affordable housing projects in Arizona, announced its first award recipients that will receive a total of $1.2M. “Home Matters to Arizona is honored to …

Economic News  Good News in Affordable Housing  A recent report from MRI Software offers some hope for the affordable housing sector. Rent payments last month reached past 80 percent year-over-year for the first time since June. Payments rose to 82 …

Groundbreakings  1. Westcore broke ground this month on a 720KSF, three-building industrial campus at 199th Avenue and Fairway Drive, Avondale. Westcore teamed with The Opus Group to serve as its development manager, as well as the design-build general …

Budget, Policy & Stimulus News  Federal Judge Delays PPP Info Release  A federal judge has granted the U.S. Small Business Administration‘s request for a stay in lawsuit seeking detailed information about the $659B Paycheck Protection Program. The SBA had …

Budget, Policy & Stimulus News  Phoenix May Extend Sky Harbor Rent Relief  Having already reduced rents for concession companies at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport through the end of the year, Phoenix City Council wants to ensure companies are …

By Chad Schleicher for Weitz COVID-19 has changed our environment over the last eight months and forced us into a new modality of working and competing for business. While each state has certain restrictions in place, there is a …

Groundbreakings  1. Tucson International Airport is undergoing a $300M remodel for the first time in 60 years. The project is primarily to modernize and configure the runways to make flying in and out much safer. Included will be …

Budget, Policy & Stimulus News  Judge Orders PPP Loan Information Release  Late last week a U.S. District Judge James E. Boasberg ordered the Small Business Administration to release detailed information on Paycheck Protection Program and Economic Injury Disaster Program loans by November 19th. …

Budget, Policy & Stimulus News  New SBA Forms Raise Concerns  The Small Business Administration wants approval to send revised Paycheck Protection Program loan questionnaires to businesses that received more than $2M under the program. Some experts have expressed concern …

Groundbreakings  1. On behalf of developer Merit Partners, Stevens-Leinweber Construction began a 153.7KSF tenant improvement at 7506 W. Lincoln St., Tolleson, for MiTek. SLC will customize the facility with 4.2KSF of Class A office space, new state-of-the-art dock loading packages, a custom overhead door to manage …

Budget, Policy & Stimulus News  New Aid Announced as Eviction Ban Ends  Just as Arizona’s moratorium on tenant evictions ends, Gov. Doug Ducey’s office has announced $7M in new aid for renters and landlords. The Rental Property Owner Preservation …

Budget, Policy & Stimulus News  Litchfield Park Revises Business Assistance Program  Litchfield Park has eased the requirements for businesses and nonprofits seeking COVID-19-related relief grants under its Business Assistance Program. Despite putting $180K in federal CARES Act monies aside in August …

Groundbreakings  1. Sky Plus Hotels, an affiliate of SkyBridge Arizona, announced the development of a new dual brand, 127-room Wingate/Hawthorn Suites hotel at Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport. The Sky Plus Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Hotel will open sometime in the first quarter of 2022.  …

Budget, Policy & Stimulus News  Floodgates Open on PPP Loan Forgiveness  The Small Business Administration is facing a mountain of Paycheck Protection Program loan documents and forgiveness applications as the “floodgates” open on small businesses asking for their loans …

Budget, Policy & Stimulus News  Glendale Introduces Landlord, Tenant Relief  The Glendale City Council approved a program designed to help tenants and property owners apply for assistance if they’ve been affected by the coronavirus pandemic. The Property Owner …