Groundbreakings
1. Attesa, the multi-use, advanced transportation technology development near the City of Casa Grande, broke ground on the Podium Club, its inaugural project at the 2,351-acre site. The Podium Club will offer a bi-directional, 15-turn, 2.25-mile paved road course and leased garages for phase one, followed by residential and industrial areas, track expansion, and an RV park. It is expected to open 4th quarter, 2021. The project was designed by Rose Design of Arizona and engineered by Apex Circuit Design. DanRick Builders is the general contractor.
2. Sun State Builders announced that the MyDogToys.com building, located on the SEC of 137th Avenue and Test Drive, Goodyear, will break ground on August 1st. The building totals 95.4KSF, with two 1.5KSF office suites inside of the facility. The expected completion date for the project is March 1st, 2022. Balmer Architectural Group is the design firm.
3. Prescott Center for the Arts announced they will partner with the Prescott Chamber of Commerce to hold a public groundbreaking ceremony on Monday, July 19th, 3:30-4:30 p.m. for their new multipurpose Studio Theater project. The Studio Theater will be an 8.3KSF two-story structure, built on the parking lot space adjacent to the current PCA administration building on North Marina St. in Prescott. An outdoor amphitheater is also included in the plan. Bill Otwell, FAIA is the design firm and Haley Construction is the general contractor.
4. The Arizona Department of Transportation will begin an $82M project to add new lanes along Interstate 10 between Verrado Way and State Route 85 in Buckeye on July 18th. Initial construction will include pavement improvements along the right shoulders of I-10 within the project’s work zones. The project is scheduled for completion in summer 2023. Kimley-Horn & Associates, Inc. is the design firm and FNF Construction is the general contractor.
5. Construction on new car condos for APEX Motor Club starts in the next two weeks. They will be finished this fall and are currently sold out with a waiting list. Construction also starts late this year on a 10KSF clubhouse with fitness, pool, restaurant and bar. It will be opening in early 2022 and a second track will also be finished in the summer 2022. Motorsports Services International is the design firm and RJT Companies is the general contractor.
6. IHP Capital Partners and Cachet Homes have formed a joint venture (JV) to acquire a 66.7-acre parcel in North Phoenix for the development and construction of 162 single-family homes. Within the Union Park at Norterra master-planned community, the project includes 102 alley-loaded lots and 60 traditional front-loaded lots. Development is underway and project completion is anticipated in Q3 2022. Sales are scheduled to open in summer 2022.
7. The City of Coolidge is beginning a complete reconstruction of Northern Avenue between 9th Street and Arizona Boulevard. The work was necessary in order to replace a leaking irrigation pipe within the San Carlos Irrigation and Drainage District. Most of the construction on Northern Avenue is expected to be completed in time for the beginning of the school year on Aug. 2. Haydon Building Corp is the general contractor.
Progress Reports
8. Banner Desert Medical Center opened a new space with 24 beds on July 7 as part of a larger tower expansion project in Mesa that will be finished in 18 months. The new beds meet the facility’s need for increased medical surgical (med/surg) capacity while the rest of the expansion is under construction. Once the expansion is finished, the area will be re-designated as an antepartum unit. Cuningham Group Architecture is the design firm and DPR Construction is the general contractor.
9. Less than a year after the groundbreaking ceremony, new employees have begun moving into Nikola Motor Company’s Coolidge manufacturing plant. Although no official date has been set for the grand opening, the site’s 0.5 construction phase is nearly complete. Nikola put the finishing touches on the main building, it was simultaneously starting a new phase of construction to add more truck assembly space. Walbridge is the design firm and general contractor.
10. Construction on the Gila County Complex in Payson is progressing, but people are concerned over the flat roof design due to snow. According to the county, The structural design accounts for snow loads of 40 PSF. This is the expected weight of a two-foot layer of saturated snow. Construction is scheduled to be complete by December 2021. Architekton is the design firm and CORE Construction is the general contractor.
11. The City of Flagstaff announced that Ponderosa Park will receive brand new pickleball and basketball courts. Through the Rebound Project, the Arizona Public Service and the Phoenix Suns teamed up to renovate the Sunnyside park’s basketball courts with new concrete and fresh paint. A first concrete pour already took place, and the project is likely to be completed sometime next month.
Completions
12. Wespac Construction Inc. recently completed Cowden Logistics Center, a 285.1KSF industrial space in Tolleson, developed by Trammell Crow Company and featuring Butler Design Group as the architect. Cowden broke the record for the heaviest panel lifted in the U.S., as recorded by the Tilt-Up Concrete Association, by almost 15,000 lbs. with a panel weighing 418,900 lbs. With a dimension of 57’ tall, 30’11” wide and 14” thick, the panels required 32 pick points, topping the average panels that generally require 11.
13. Johnson Carlier and Swan Architects recently completed the Pinal County Complex in Maricopa. The new complex consists of two new single-story buildings totaling more than 32KSF. The larger building wraps 
around the existing courts building, which also received various renovations and additions. This building houses courtrooms, judge’s chambers, and new facilities for the Pinal County Sheriff including holding cells, interview rooms, office space, and K9 kennels. The smaller facility is now home to general offices for employees, including the assessor’s office and the recorder’s office, as well as space for the District 4 supervisor.
14. Spellman Brady & Co. has completed the expansion and renovation of Sagewood Senior Living in Phoenix for Life Care Services. Renovations included a four-story, 276.5KSF, 101-unit independent living building with an underground parking garage.
15. Meritage Homes announced the opening of its exclusive Spur Cross community model in Queen Creek. Spur Cross homes come with high-quality finishes, gourmet kitchens, upgraded appliances, and designer-curated interior and exterior packages.