New Pavement Tech Could Cool Cities
By Brian P. D. Hannon for Associated Press Sunbathers understand the benefits of applying sunscreen, but in America’s hottest big city the same concept is being tested at street level in the hope of bringing some lasting relief from the relentless Arizona sun. A team from Arizona State University is working with the City of Phoenix on a pilot […]
Phoenix Office Market Outlook
Source: JLL Despite a sluggish first half of 2020, the Phoenix office market showed signs of growth during the third quarter, posting just over 300KSF of positive absorption. The Chandler submarket led the way in Q3 with over 176KSF of net gains coming from the finance and insurance sectors. The Tempe submarket was a close second experiencing more than 100KSF of […]
Uncertainty Forces Economic Developers to Pivot
By Rebekah Morris for AZBEX The diversity of East Valley cities was on full display at the August 12th, 2020 Leading Market Series discussion hosted by BEX. Economic development directors from the cities of Mesa and Scottsdale, along with the Town of Queen Creek, identified their unique challenges and goals in bringing in new employers to their municipality, especially during a time when […]
Communities Eye Water in Rural Areas
By Bret Jaspers for KJZZ via San Tan Valley Sentinel Central Arizona has been booming — more people, more houses, more need for water. There’s also a long-term drought, and less water to buy from the Central Arizona Project canal system. It’s leading Phoenix exurbs to cast about, looking for new buckets. Other regions of the state say: Don’t […]
Zoom Planning Phoenix-area R&D Facility
Source: Zoom Zoom has announced it will open two new research and development centers — one in the greater Phoenix area and one in Pittsburgh. Zoom will immediately begin recruiting software engineering talent in these areas. Employees will work from home until the offices are built and COVID-19-related isolation has abated, expected for fall 2020. While the company has not finalized […]
Pandemic Complicates Scottsdale Bond Picture
By Wayne Schutsky for Scottsdale Progress As Scottsdale city leaders grapple with the financial implications of the coronavirus crisis, they also are weighing whether or not to delay infrastructure projects connected to the $319M bond approved by voters last November. The city has already approved some smaller bond projects — including some needed fire department expenditures — but was planning to spend the bulk of bond […]
Where to Put 1 Million New Residents?
By Catherine Reagor for The Arizona Republic Metro Phoenix is expected to grow by 1 million people during the next decade. That will be like adding a city the size of San Jose, CA or Austin, TX, to the Valley. The billion-dollar question is where all those new residents will live. Most of the available […]
ASU Develops Concrete to Speed Up Construction
Source: AZ Big Media An Arizona State University engineering professor is trying to promote a method of speeding up the Valley’s endless construction projects that can reduce years to months and months to weeks. Transportation experts say the economic, safety and transit benefits could be huge. Barzin Mobasher’s magic bullet is made of fiber-reinforced concrete. […]
RFP Issued for New ASU Multi-Purpose Sports Arena
By Tasha Anderson for AZBEX Arizona State University recently issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) for a company to enter into a long-term ground lease for the new Multi-Purpose Arena planned on 10 acres of the Novus Innovation Corridor in Tempe. The 5,000 seat multi-purpose arena will be located directly northeast of and will attach […]
Dual-branded, 259-Room Hotel Planned for Tempe
Source: Mortenson With construction already underway on a number of new projects, master developer Catellus Development Corporation (Catellus) announced it will bring a 259-room, dual-branded hotel to the Novus Innovation Corridor (Novus) in Tempe through a partnership with national developer and builder Mortenson. The eight-story hotel, located just north of the NEC of the intersection […]