Groundbreakings
1. Empire Group of Companies is preparing to break ground on The Whitney, a 24-story multifamily tower at the SWC of Central Avenue and McDowell Road in Phoenix. Construction is expected to cost $165M, and the tower will contain 328 units and 22KSF of retail space.
2. Construction began Jan. 26 on a 16-mile highway improvement project on US 93 north of Wickenburg. The Arizona Department of Transportation expects construction to continue through spring 2027.
3. A groundbreaking ceremony was held for Phase Two of the Desert Sky Park expansion in Gilbert. The expansion will result in five new athletic fields, multiple playgrounds, a splash pad and sports courts for various activities.
4. Chandler Unified School District will start construction in February on the roughly $42M rebuild of Hartford Elementary School. CORE Construction is the general contractor, and Orcutt | Winslow (now known as Grace Design Studios) is the architect. The campus will include a mix of one- and two-story classroom buildings and will be built north of the existing school while students remain in place. Occupancy is scheduled for July 2027, and full completion is anticipated in January 2028.
Progress Reports
5. Leasing has started at Verge, 29th Street Capital’s 201-unit Build-to-Rent community in Apache Junction.
6. Camelot Homes has rolled out The Edge at Joy Ranch, a luxury single-family community in north Scottsdale. Model homes are open Jan. 29 through Feb. 1. The development includes 52 homes spanning roughly 3.4KSF to more than 5KSF on approximately three-quarter-acre lots.
Completions
7. The City of Mesa is finishing the Central Mesa Reuse Pipeline, a $210M, 10.5-mile water supply project designed to bolster the City’s long-term water resources. Construction began in July 2023. Final pipeline work is expected by the end of January, and system activation is planned for later this spring. The project will add 8,000 acre-feet of water annually to Mesa’s portfolio through a reclaimed-water exchange agreement.
8. Vestar announced the 260KSF Vineyard Towne Center at the NWC of Gantzel and Combs roads in Queen Creek finished construction. Construction cost $100M and began in 2021. Additionally, the commercial center is 100% leased.
9. CapRock Partners has completed CapRock West 202 Logistics – Phase II, the final phase of the largest speculative industrial development in Phoenix’s history. Phase II delivers 825KSF across three Class A buildings, bringing the project to 3.4MSF on 183 acres along Loop 202. The development has had major leasing activity, including a 1.1MSF lease and a 532.7KSF manufacturing lease executed in 2025.
10. The Arizona Department of Transportation, in coordination with the Federal Highway Administration, has completed a $24.9M improvement project along a 22-mile stretch of State Route 260 east of Payson between Forest Lakes and Heber-Overgaard. The project added shoulders and implemented safety enhancements to improve travel along the corridor.
11. The Chicago Cubs Training Facility – Clubhouse Expansion and Technology Lab at Sloan Park recently finished construction. CCBG Architects designed the expansion at 2510 W. Rio Salado Pkwy. in Mesa. The expansion consisted of a 6.4KSF addition to the main clubhouse building, with a female staff locker room, umpire locker room and a multi-use open office area. Complementing the addition is an 18KSF stand-alone building that houses pitching and hitting tunnels, a video analysis room and a suite of support spaces.
12. Anchor Health Properties celebrated the grand opening of HonorHealth Complete Care – Lake Pleasant, the third Complete Care facility delivered in partnership with HonorHealth, Intuitive Health, Devenney Group Architects and JE Dunn Construction. The hybrid emergency department and urgent care center is 12.2KSF.
13. Sanctuary Camelback Mountain Resort & Spa announced it finished its renovation project. The 105-room resort is located in Paradise Valley. Renovations began last summer, spanned 8KSF and cost $7M.
14. Western Spirit: Scottsdale’s Museum of the West will celebrate the grand opening of its $12M expansion March 24. The project adds the two-story, 12KSF Louis Sands IV Center, bringing the total footprint to 55KSF in Old Town Scottsdale.
15. The 7.9KSF Banner Children’s at Diamond Children’s Medical Center in Tucson recently opened. Archsol was the design firm, and DPR Construction was the general contractor for the $11M pediatric emergency department.
16. Wespac Construction announced the completion of a facility expansion at Rosie’s House: A Music Academy for Children. The 3KSF expansion was designed to support the facility’s growth while enhancing the learning and working environment for students, instructors and staff. Aline Architecture Concepts designed the expansion.
17. A new Family Care Center outpatient behavioral health clinic opened at 37200 N. Gantzel Road in Queen Creek. The clinic will offer therapy, psychiatry, medication management and other advanced treatments.