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Looking to build a home? Good luck in these Valley ZIP codes. “The Valley remains one of the more development-friendly regions in the country, but a clustering of three east Phoenix and south Scottsdale ZIP codes are less inclined to residential construction than anywhere else in the area.” Phoenix Business Journal. http://bit.ly/2uy5jvm
Clubs, escalators, highlight Phoenix raceway renovations. (Disclosure: Rose Law Group represents Phoenix International Raceway.) PIR’s vp of sales and marketing Scott Rovn discusses the raceway’s $178 million upgrade and its “high-end new look”: “This is an opportunity for us to modernize the venue and create a fan experience that is consistent with today’s expectations… while maintaining that connection with the past and the memories and the legacies that were contained here at Phoenix Raceway.” In PinalCentral. http://bit.ly/2h0yuUY
Van Buren Street to lose car lanes? Phoenix transportation projects to watch. “Some streets are losing vehicle lanes… Others are getting new street lighting, bike lanes and intersection improvements… The aim is to improve infrastructure for multiple modes of transportation.” AZCentral takes a look at 6 projects, including “Bike lanes on Oak,” “A more walkable First Street” and, of course, the “Van Buren Street transformation,” a project Republic columnist Laurie Roberts is none too fond of. (See below.) http://bit.ly/2uUgDor
[COLUMN] Roberts: Why in the world would Phoenix narrow Van Buren Street? Laurie Roberts: “The major city in one of the nation’s fastest growing metro areas is about to spend millions to narrow a major thoroughfare. Genius idea.” AZCentral. http://bit.ly/2uUoySN
Tribe to move ahead with plans for full-blown casino complex. The U.S. Department of Interior approval of the “changes in the gaming compact between the Tohono O’odham Nation and the state… marks the end of what has been a plan decades in the making…” Featuring a dazzling rendering and an aerial illustration of Desert Diamond Casino, this report by Capitol Media Services’ Howard Fischer in PinalCentral looks back at some of the twists and turns involved in the Tohono O’odham Nation finally being able to bring “full-blown casino gambling [to] the edge of Glendale.” http://bit.ly/2gZNaUj
Big League Dreams to Gilbert: There are no safety concerns at ballpark.Following a recent inspection in which “a consultant found major [‘dangerous’] deficiencies with the ballpark’s grandstands,” the town “unexpectedly closed the eight-field ballpark.” Yesterday, “Big League Dreams… announced… that Gilbert had no reason to shut down their facility…” Co-owner Jeff Odekirk: “I would allow my son to sleep under the stadium (wall) for a year, and I wouldn’t blink.” (Okay, but allowing your little kid to do such a thing? Great way to end up in the clink!) http://bit.ly/2vGbu0G
Lot supply a bigger worry than labor or lending to home builders. “Builder News is reporting that home builders worry about the lot supply in many markets lagging behind demand… [which] makes penciling in the next 24 to 36 months’ land strategy a big challenge. A big reason builders and developers give for land coming online so slowly is human bandwidth, and not just their own.” More in Real Estate Daily News. http://bit.ly/2uuJ3Ee
For first time in history the typical U.S. home worth more than $200,000. “According to the June 2017 Zillow Real Estate Market Report, the… national median home value is now $200,400… High buyer demand coupled with fewer homes for sale is driving up home values across the country — there are 11 percent fewer homes on the market than a year ago…” World Property Journal. http://bit.ly/2eL38ku
HPI CHILLIN’? –Home-price growth flattened in May. “The S&PCoreLogic Case-Shiller Indices… rose 5.6% in the 12 months ended in May, identical to a 5.6% year-over-year increase reported in April.” Read on –> http://bit.ly/2uUhOnV
Existing-home sales slide as prices surge on tight inventory. “Existing home sales fell 1.8% in June from the previous month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.52 million, the National Association of Realtors said Monday.” (Meanwhile, several humor outlets are reporting that, thanks in large measure to a recent crackdown on real estate scammers and swindlers combined with an overall decrease in extremely dumb consumers, the sale of non-existing homes in the U.S. fell to a record low of just 6.) http://bit.ly/2v5nz2D
Americans pour record sums into home improvements. “A shortage of new single-family homes across the U.S. is pushing up prices and locking many buyers out of the market. The silver lining: a boom in renovations of existing homes. Americans are expected to pour a record $316 billion into home remodeling this year, up from $296 billion a year earlier, according to Harvard University’s Joint Center for Housing Studies.” Read on –> http://bit.ly/2tH6VWp
Dealmaker BONUS:Technology shakes up how projects are planned, scheduled and built. “3-D laser scanning, building information modeling, digital drawings, virtual reality, augmented reality, 3-D printing.” AzBigMedia looks at the companies and projects (in Arizona and elsewhere) that are utilizing these innovations and how such “constru-tech” is “enabling incredible improvements… from communications to improved quality, production, savings and safety.” http://bit.ly/2eL0QBI
Cameron’s $5M + deals of the day – http://bit.ly/2h0w9ta
As a supplement to the Dealmaker, we thought you might enjoy these articles!
Tech companies are pushing back against biometric privacy laws; Lauren Reynolds, Rose Law Group litigation attorney who focuses on privacy and data breach issues, comments. “Privacy advocates cheered when Illinois passed its Biometric Information Privacy Act in 2008 regulating commercial use of finger, iris, and facial scans… Although the Illinois law was seen as a possible model for other states, aggressive lobbying by companies most interested in gathering biometrics has reshaped or killed similar efforts across the country.” — Bloomberg. Lauren Reynolds: “Consumers have become accustomed to providing information, including biometric information, without thinking about it. Educating oneself regarding a company’s use of such information is vital, especially given the efforts by these companies to oppose regulation in this arena.” The story and more from Lauren here: http://bit.ly/2uuDOED
McCain returning to Washington on eve of next Senate health care vote.“Less than a week after he was diagnosed with an aggressive brain cancer, Arizona Sen. John McCain will return to Washington [today]… ’to continue working on important legislation.’” And, as Cronkite News reports, it was an “announcement that… did not come as a surprise to those who have worked with McCain.” http://bit.ly/2h05hcC
Sen. Doug Ducey? No! “The governor is not considering appointing himself to the U.S. Senate should that become necessary if Sen. John McCain were to quit before the end of his term, according to press aide Daniel Scarpinato,” who had this to say: “Gov. Ducey has never and would never consider such a ridiculous notion… How much more clear can I be?’” More from this report by Capitol Media Services Howard Fischer at Arizona Daily Star. http://bit.ly/2uxRUU1
House to vote on $1.6 billion border wall funding. “The U.S. House of Representatives is expected to vote this week on a bill that includes funding to start building President Donald Trump’s border wall… The money would pay for the construction of 74 miles of physical barriers…” According to a recent KTAR poll “62 percent of respondents… indicated they do not want a border wall.” And it’s a safe bet that Congressman Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., was among the 62 percent — he says building the wall is “expensive and unnecessary.” As for Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., he’s all in. http://bit.ly/2uUTimm
No drugs, no executions in Arizona. “June marked the end of a three-year long legal battle to tighten up Arizona’s execution laws, but even after the state reached an agreement [on a new protocol for ‘medication used to execute prisoners’], the fate of those on death row is still uncertain, reports Arizona Capitol Times. http://bit.ly/2tWIWxM
Pension cap unconstitutional, judge rules. “A Maricopa County Superior Court has ruled a state law capping employer contributions rates to retirement funds for judges and elected officials is unconstitutional. Judge Timothy Thomason said it’s up to Arizona lawmakers to find a solution.” More from this Arizona Capitol Timesreport in Rose Law Group Reporter. http://bit.ly/2uUHoZU
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