Awards & Accolades
1. The Arizona Multihousing Association announced the winners of the 29th Annual AMA/Cox Communications Tribute Awards. The projects that were awarded were:
- Affordable Community of the Year: Cottonwood Crossing Apartments, Shelton Residential
- Renovated Community of the Year: Haven at South Mountain, Shelton Residential
- Developers Award for Best Community Design Garden Style: Acero Cooley Station, IDM Apartments
- Developers Award for Best Community Design Mid/Low Rise Style: The McKinley, Baron Property Services, LLC
Groundbreakings
2. Adolfson & Peterson Construction and Douglas Unified School District #27 broke ground on a $27M expansion and renovation project for Douglas High School. The project includes four new pre-engineered metal buildings encompassing 87.5KSF, additional classrooms, and new athletics equipment and facilities. Construction on the Douglas High School expansion project will begin in September and is slated for completion in the third quarter of 2022. Sketch Architecture is the design partner and Estimating Plus is the project manager for DUSD.
3. After selling out the condo tower at 7180 Optima Kierland, Optima has now broken ground on the 216-unit apartment tower at 7190 Optima Kierland. This represents the fifth and final residential tower at the Optima Kierland development.
4. The second phase of the forest restoration project on the slopes of Bill Williams Mountain will begin this month. Phase one of the project, which is a collaboration between Coconino County, the State of Arizona, the Kaibab National Forest, the Arizona Water Protection Fund and the National Forest Foundation, included about 300 acres and was completed in December of 2020. Conducting this phase of work will be the Markit! Forestry Management. Through that contract, the company will treat about 176 acres of the steep forested slopes just south of Williams.
Progress Reports
5. The $13.5M project to build a new, expanded Interstate 17 Bridge over Central Avenue in Phoenix is on schedule for completion this fall. Work started in May 2020. ADOT is building a wider I-17 bridge that also provides more clearance for traffic and future light-rail trains along Central Avenue. Stanley Consultants, Inc. is the design firm and Pulice Construction is the general contractor.
6. Construction is ongoing at the new Tolleson Civic Center. Haydon Building Corp is serving as construction manager at risk of the $22M, 47KSF facility at 9055 W. Van Buren Street. The completion date is third quarter 2022. Tolleson’s mayor and council hosted a groundbreaking ceremony back in June. Once completed, the project will be the new home of the Tolleson City Hall, Library and Senior Center. SmithGroup is the design firm.
7. The Agua Fria Food and Clothing Bank is getting a much-needed renovation to house the larger group of volunteers and clientele. After receiving funding, the organization decided to begin construction in January. That was postponed until May 31st, due to the pandemic. The completion date has yet to be determined. As construction continues inside the building, the showers and the clothing bank have been closed to the public, but the food services remain open.
Completions
8. LGE Design Build recently completed construction on SOLLiD Cabinetry, a new 251KSF custom cabinetry office, warehouse and manufacturing facility at 2615 E. Germann Road, Chandler. LGE Design Group served as the architect and interior designer.
9. In collaboration with the Phoenix Rescue Mission and its generous donors and general contractor GCON, Cawley Architects provided design expertise for the $9M, 56.3KSF project at 1801 S. 35th Avenue, Phoenix, that opened last month. The project includes new construction of a four-story administration and housing building that includes 280 beds, dividable chapel and classroom spaces, expanded meeting spaces, and inviting outdoor spaces.
10. Parkland Development recently completed the $6.5M Park 10, Shops C & Barrio Queen at 10331 W. McDowell Road, Avondale. The project included the ground up construction of a 13.9KSF retail shell building, a 6.1KSF Barrio Queen restaurant and 4.3 acres of site work. Butler Design Group was the design firm and A.R. Mays Construction was the general contractor.
11. Creighton University has welcomed its first students to its new, $100M, 185KSF Phoenix Medical Campus. Construction on the building at 3100 N. Central Avenue started in the summer of 2019. RDG Planning & Design was the architect focusing on conceptual and tenant design and improvement, with Butler Design Group as associated architect. Okland Construction was the general contractor.
12. West Point High School unveiled its new 12KSF, 865-seat Performing Arts Center. A ceremony was held on August 9th, which included board members, design firm ADM Architects, and general contractor Chasse Building Team. West Point High School opened in 2019, and the PAC project was initiated then. However, the building was completed right as COVID-19 hit, and the school closed for the academic year, leaving the new building unseen and vacant.