The Dealmaker: 7/12/2017

Challenger Space Center forced to move. “After more than 17 years in Peoria, the Challenger Space Center is being forced to relocate after the property owner announced they had sold the building.” The Glendale Star mentions both Phoenix and Glendale as a possible relocation, and that “the center would need little assistance from whichever city they move to.” http://bit.ly/2sQm8A5

Artspace Lofts construction moving in downtown Mesa. Expected to open in 2018, “[t]he 50-unit complex [at 155 S. Hibbert St.] is designed to offer artists a live-and-work environment by including 2,900 square feet for creative exploration with spaces for classes, studios, galleries, food pantries and more… [O]ver 400 artists [have] expressed interest in moving into the lofts.” Which got us wondering: Did Artspace recruit any of those artists to create the renderings? Check ‘em out at East Valley Tribune. http://bit.ly/2uf1LAf

‘AT HOME’ IN THE S.E. VALLEY – At Home opening 108,000 SF store in Gilbert. “The store is part of an approximate 33 acre development that is planned to have an additional 170,000 square feet of retail space including big box anchors, shops, pads and restaurants. The project is located in the San Tan Regional Mall trade area a major retail hub for the growing southeast Valley.” Real Estate Daily News. http://bit.ly/2ueZFQR

QUEEN CREEK TONIGHT! – P&Z commission to review General Plan update draft line-by-line; hearings include design review for Shea Homes community. “The review will take place starting at 6 p.m… in the Queen Creek Town Hall council chambers… Public hearings regarding a design review for a Shea Homes residential community; a proposed text amendment to the town’s Zoning Ordinance; and a proposed minor General Plan amendment are scheduled for the commission’s regular meeting… at 7 p.m.” Get details on the proposed amendments and view images of Shea Homes’ design plans at Queen Creek Independent. http://bit.ly/2tNM4h5  

Planners approve permit for Valero, Corner Store in Surprise WinCo center. “The Surprise [P&Z] unanimously approved a conditional use permit for a Valero gas station and Corner Store market in the Surprise Farms at the [S.W.] corner of Bell Road and Loop 303.” And what about the Valero station “almost directly across the street”? No problem. YourWestValley reports that “volume” is big enough for both of ‘em. http://bit.ly/2vdA9IS

Former junior high becoming park for Mesa residents. “Following the closure of Mesa Junior High School in 2012 after years of declining enrollment and increasing costs of renovation, the city of Mesa found an opportunity in the space… Eagles Park will open [in Sept. of ’18]… offering soccer fields, a renovation of the old school gymnasium and dance room, a creation of multipurpose community rooms, and staff offices for the center.” Further details and layout in East Valley Tribune. http://bit.ly/2t4tWT4 

WE SAW, WE CAME, WE PURCHASED – Tucson’s El Conquistador apartments sells for $7.5 million. Real Estate Daily News: “Scottsdale-based CCA-El Conquistador Apartments, LLC purchased El Conquistador Apartments, located at 1881 East Irvington Road in Tucson, Arizona… from Oksenholt F&S Tucson I LLC of Lincoln City, Oregon.” More on the deal here: http://bit.ly/2tJwq87

Ash Fork: Down, but not yet out. Ash Fork lies “about 50 miles west of Flagstaff… In its more than 100 years of life, the town has seen a lot of growth and a lot of struggle” In the 1950s, the “railroad moved” north. In 1960, “the federal government built Interstate 40, which bypassed downtown.” The most recent “blow” came with the “housing market crash in 2008.” But as the housing market turned around, so too did the economy in the town “billed as the ‘Flagstone Capital of the World.’” Arizona Daily Sun. http://bit.ly/2tJ1PYc

Builders starting to report shortages of framing lumber. “For several years now, the recovery in single-family home building has been hampered by shortages of labor and lots. Availability of building materials, meanwhile, has not been much of an issue. But that may be starting to change… [and it is] virtually certain that an underlying factor contributing to the shortages and price increases is the ongoing softwood lumber trade dispute between the U.S. and Canada…” EyeOnHousing. http://bit.ly/2t4qW96

Dealmaker BONUS: Rose Law Group Litigation Attorney Lauren Reynolds making her mark as the Valley’s legal leader in cybersecurity.Biltmore Lifestyles Magazine profiles Rose Law Group Litigation Attorney Lauren Reynolds. Read it here: http://bit.ly/2sQBLrg

Dealmaker Footballing BONUS: Peter Ramage lifts the lid on life at Phoenix Rising. “[The] team has an English core, with six of the regular starting [11] born on British shores. One of them is Peter Ramage… who headed [to Arizona] for a new challenge in the twilight years of his career.” Ramage talks with The Daily Mail about playing for the Rising, the team’s “passionate” fan base, and what it’s like living in the desert heat — “Stick the kettle on, boil it, pour that over your face and then you’ll start to get acclimatised.” (Don’t try that at home.) http://bit.ly/2vdqbr7

Cameron’s $5M + deals of the day – http://bit.ly/2tNjDzJ

Net metering is dead. Long live net metering; Court Rich, Rose Law Group senior partner and director of Renewable Energy Department, calls Arizona the ‘Concord and Lexington’ of net metering conflicts. “The must-see panel of Intersolar North America… discussed the most pressing issue in distributed solar today: What’s happening with net metering — and where does the industry go from here?… The assembled experts attempted to grapple with these big-picture issues, fragmented as they are in the individual experiences of different states.” pv magazine. http://bit.ly/2vdzyXC

McCain: Many shoes yet to drop; Biggs: ‘Smoke on a wet log.’ “Days after President Donald Trump’s oldest son acknowledged meeting last year with a Russian in hopes of getting dirt on Democrat Hillary Clinton’s campaign, Arizona’s congressional delegation largely viewed the matter through the usual partisan prism.” Sen. McCain “repeated his comparison of the investigation… to a ‘centipede’”; Sen. Flake “kept his distance from the developing story”; U.S. Rep. Biggs sees it as “smoke on a wet log that the Democrats keep trying to light on fire.” Meanwhile, “Democrats see vindication.” AzCentral. http://bit.ly/2t4p68r

Slippery slope? Citing race, crime, addiction disease, Oregon moves to decriminalizing hard drugs. “Oregon, which first approved physician-assisted suicide and decriminalization of marijuana, continues on its path as the nation’s most liberal state with a move to decriminalize six controlled drugs including cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine and the so-called “date drug” ecstasy.” Senior Reporter/Writer Phil Riske examines the factors behind this decriminalization effort, in Rose Law Group Reporter. http://bit.ly/2t4HP3B

[IN-DEPTH] For opioids’ youngest victims, is help too little, too late? “As a growing number of people have become addicted to prescription opioids and heroin, many child protection agencies are seeing a surge in abuse and neglect cases…. [B]ut there are signs that leaders at the state and national level now at least understand the severity of the problem.” Governing. http://bit.ly/2vdA4ow

Russell Pearce threatens suit over ‘dreamers’ policy. “[F]ormer state Senate President Russell Pearce claims that a 2006 voter-approved law requires that those not here legally can attend universities only if they pay full out-of-state tuition” Now, Capitol Media Services’ Howard Fischer reports that Pearce “is giving Attorney General Mark Brnovich 60 days to sue the Board of Regents over its policy to let ‘dreamers’ attend school paying resident tuition or he will go to court himself.” Arizona Capitol Times. http://bit.ly/2teNBLm

Group hopes to stop school voucher expansion before it takes effect.“Save Our Schools Arizona has until Aug. 1 to collect the more than 75,000 signatures needed to petition SB 1431 to the 2018 ballot and put it on hold before it is scheduled to take effect Aug. 9. The group claims there are not enough safeguards on the law and that it would siphon much-needed funds from public schools to serve students who may not need the financial help.” Cronkite News. http://bit.ly/2u9PNIs