Awards & Accolades
1. Wespac Construction, Inc. announced its Surprise Crossings project has achieved LEED Silver Certification. This honor reflects the commitment to sustainability shared by Wespac and its partners, including Panattoni Development Company, Cawley Architects, JLL and EXP. Located at 13301 N. 137th Ave., the project covers 274KSF on 16.2 acres. Notable features leading to this certification include sustainable site development, water efficiency, optimized energy performance, quality transit options, eco-friendly materials and high-efficiency ventilation systems.
Groundbreakings
2. Greenlight Communities has announced the groundbreaking for its Cabana Kyrene apartment complex in south Tempe. In collaboration with Holualoa Companies, the development will feature 229 apartment units, including 90 studios, 93 one-bedroom and 46 two-bedroom apartments. The complex has been represented as attainable workforce housing.
Progress Reports
3. The University of Arizona is pausing construction on the 200KSF UA Center for Advanced Molecular and Immunological Therapies, also known as CAMI, citing uncertainty about the current and future states of federal research funding following Trump administration policy changes. The $300M development in the downtown Phoenix Bioscience Core broke ground last November and is being constructed by a design-build team featuring McCarthy Building Companies and SmithGroup. While UA officials say they remain committed to the project, they are evaluating “all research-intensive university infrastructure needs, including capital investments and operations.” There is currently no information on when work might resume.
Completions
4. The Arizona Department of Transportation has finished a six-mile pavement improvement project on Interstate 17 between Happy Valley Road and SR 74, lifting all major restrictions. The $10.2M project, which started in May 2024, involved diamond grinding concrete, resurfacing new asphalt, and replacing outdated steel bridge deck joints. Another resurfacing project on I-17 between SR 74 and Anthem Way is set to begin this summer.
5. Nollie, a 219-unit luxury multi-family development in Tempe, is complete. The Qualified Opportunity Zone project includes two four-story wood frame buildings on a 4.5-acre site. The complex also offers 6KSF of amenity space. Key players in the development include general contractor McShane Construction Company, developer Milhaus and architect CCBG Architects, Inc.
6. A new build-to-rent community by BB Living is now leasing. BB Living Desert Ridge will include 108 luxury single-family rental townhomes at 21022 N. 59th Run in Phoenix. The community spans 12.4 acres, with each home offering a two-car garage, driveway and private landscaped backyard. All homes either contain three or four bedrooms.
7. LGE Design Build announced it has completed a tenant improvement office renovation for Cardone Ventures. Serving as both architect and general contractor, LGE’s work at the 43KSF space near Scottsdale Road and Frank Lloyd Wright Blvd. incorporated high-end finishes and state-of-the-art technology, including large LED TV walls requiring extensive coordination.
8. General contractor A.R. Mays Construction has completed the transformation of a 15.8KSF shell space into TC Script Pharmacy, an office and warehouse facility at 8275 N. Pima Road, Suite 1, Scottsdale. The $2.1M project lasted from March to October 2024, in partnership with developer Mercalis Inc. and architect Redline Design Group.