Metro Phoenix falls on list of most affordable cities for homebuying. “Because of steadily rising home prices, the Valley now ranks 19th among the top 50 U.S. metro areas.” At one point, we were “among the top 10 most affordable major metros” and “the most affordable big city in the West to buy a home.” See if we can still boast Best in the West for affordability, plus get other highlights from the HSH report, at AZCentral. http://bit.ly/2AdVFmZ
[OP-ED] Town Triangle: Thank you Paradise Valley for a job nearly done.In their co-authored Paradise Valley Independent piece, the homebuilding dynamic duo of Geoffrey Edmunds and Rod Cullum express gratitude to their community and to PV Town Council for “the input, improvements and, ultimately the endorsement” that has brought them “closer than [they] have ever been to channeling a positive result for a perplexing Paradise Valley property.” http://bit.ly/2BkakKv
[EDITORIAL] Enough with Deep Well and its naysayers. “After two months of [P & Z] meetings, the Deep Well Ranch development proposal is expected to culminate [TONIGHT] with a vote by the Prescott City Council. The issue and its debate have gone in many directions.” After giving us an overview of those issues,The Daily Courier calls for an end to any further delays, urging “councilors” this evening to “vote in favor” of moving ahead with the 1,800-acre, 8,000-home project. http://bit.ly/2nhylQf
Experts say multifamily is key to Arizona’s economic growth. But in an industry which “provides $13 billion economic contribution to the state,” a “skilled labor shortage” may stymie such growth. In their piece at AzBigMedia, Arizona Multihousing Association president and CEO, Courtney Gilstrap LeVinus, and Capitol Consulting exec, Jake Hinman, touch on some of what the AMA is doing to address “skilled labor shortage” problem. http://bit.ly/2AEQDRj
Entry level buyers drive solid new home sales. “Purchases of newly built single-family homes… increased 6.2% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 685,000 in October from the previous month… Sales of homes in the $200,000 to $300,000 range increased more than 35%… from a year earlier.” Zillow chief economist Svenja Gudell: “The market is starving for affordable new homes, and builders cannot and will not ignore this hungry market…” The Wall Street Journal(Subscriber Content) http://bit.ly/2BxdD1R
Millennials want to own homes too, if U.S. economy would consent.Bullet-pointed for your reading pleasure: • Ownership up more than 1 point among young people in past year • But precarious jobs, high prices keep many out of the market • Bloomberg. http://bit.ly/2k7LYQG
Michael Pollack builds a legacy of giving back. (Disclosure: Rose Law Group represents Michael Pollack in various capacities.) “Michael A. Pollack’s… impressive work on more than 11 million square feet of commercial real estate projects represents a total value of more than $1 billion, but what he gives back to the communities that he lives and works in through various charities and nonprofit organizations is even more valuable…” AzBigMedia. http://bit.ly/2hYVUrp
Great Hearts Academies begins build-out process meant for Archway Scottsdale. (Disclosure: Rose Law Group represents Great Hearts Academies.) “[The build-out] will include upgraded classrooms, labs, library, art studios, music rooms and a full-size gymnasium, in addition to other amenities. The site will also provide Scottsdale Prep space for a long-awaited football and soccer field…”Scottsdale Independent. http://bit.ly/2hYDtD4
Lucid moving to larger, new headquarters. (Disclosure: Rose Law Group represents landowners who helped make this project a reality.) PinalCentral reports that Lucid Motors “is outgrowing its current headquarters in Menlo Park, California, and is relocating across the San Francisco Bay to Newark.” What kind of impact if any will the move have on the electric car manufacturer’s plans for a Casa Grande facility? –> http://bit.ly/2k8hEoY
Watch a crane lift seat section out of Chase Field during stadium repairs.“Construction workers have begun tearing apart seat sections in the lower deck at downtown Phoenix’s Chase Field as part of ongoing repairs to the popular venue during baseball’s off-season.” AZCentral calls it “an incredible sight” and notes that the “Chase Field construction project recently was named one of the three best concrete projects in the world by the International Concrete Repair Institute.”http://bit.ly/2j0Ic8m
Grijalva, accused of drunken shenanigans, revealed another secret ‘hush fund,’ ‘Washington Times’ reports. “Rep. Raul M. Grijalva quietly arranged a ‘severance package’ in 2015 for one of his top staffers who threatened a lawsuit claiming the Arizona Democrat was frequently drunk and created a hostile workplace environment…” http://bit.ly/2AGEHhT
Cameron’s $5M + deals of the day – http://bit.ly/2juyGd4
As a supplement to the Dealmaker, we thought you might enjoy these articles!
Supreme Court cellphone case puts free speech – not just privacy – at risk; could be precedent setting, says Evan Bolick, Rose Law Group litigator. “On Wednesday, the Supreme Court will consider whether the government must obtain a warrant before accessing the rich trove of data that cellphone providers collect about cellphone users’ movements.” Evan Bolick: “The case represents the tip of the iceberg facing the legal system when it comes to application of centuries-old legal doctrine and fundamental rights to newtechnology.” More on the case from Evan — and from The Guardian — here: http://bit.ly/2n9dY7A
Supreme court divided over legality of patent reviews; possible rulings analyzed by Rose Law Group intellectual property lawyer Jeremy Kapteyn. “In one of the most important Supreme Court patent cases in years, the nine justices heard an hour of arguments in a dispute over the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s patent review proceeding, known as inter partes review (IPR). A decision to strike down the reviews could fundamentally change the way patents disputes are litigated in the United States.” — Reuters. In a snippet from his analysis, Jeremy Kapteyn is more to the point: “The pending Oil States vs. Greene’s Energy Group, et al. case has the potential to create significant chaos if it determines that IPRs are unconstitutional.” READ ON: http://bit.ly/2Ajha3y
Risking their necks on the political chopping block earn McCain, Flake Democrat pundit’s recognition. Fox News political analyst and contributor toThe Hill, Juan Williams, has “a year-end tradition of recognizing the member of Congress who, for better or worse, made the biggest impact on national politics in the preceding year.” This year, Williams gives the award to “Arizona’s two Republican senators, Jeff Flake and John McCain” for “speaking out forcefully for political decency and against their own party’s president.” (OTOH, even before Trump, didn’t the phrase “political decency” have a somewhat oxymoronic ring to it?) http://bit.ly/2hYzy9g
Flake comes up with the ‘Word of the Year.’ And the word is “complicit.” There was a big spike in searches at Dictionary. com when “Sen. Jeff Flake used it [in] explaining his decision to announce his retirement: “I have children and grandchildren to answer to, and so, Mr. President, I will not be complicit.” (This KTAR report got some of us around Dealmaker HQ wondering if Dictionary also considered the word “toast” as a possibility for its “Word of the Year,” as that word also came from Sen. Flake, just a week or so ago, when he said over a hot mic: “…[if we] become the party of Roy Moore and Donald Trump, we are toast.”) http://bit.ly/2AgUDEh
A host of water pollutants basis for 75 pages of lawsuit against the proposed Rosemont Mine. “The Forest Service has long stated that it can’t say ‘no’ to the mine as long as it meets all applicable federal laws and regulations.” But four environmental groups disagree. “Save the Scenic Santa Ritas and Center for Biological Diversity, the Sierra Club’s Grand Canyon Chapter and the Arizona Mining Reform Coalition… [all] sued the U.S. Forest Service Monday, charging that its approval of the proposed Rosemont Mine violated 10 environmental laws and seeking to have the approval overturned.” Arizona Daily Star. http://bit.ly/2Ai2T6Y
State officials blow whistle on regents, call penalty on ASU over football coach buyout. “[Rep. Mark] Finchem said the board has not been a good steward of public dollars.” For “proof,” the Pinal County Republican lawmaker points to ASU’s firing of football coach Todd Graham this past weekend, and reports of a $12 million buyout. Telling Capitol Media Services that “Quite frankly, a lot of us have had it,” Finchem wants the Legislature to have the ability to “legally clamp down” on the regents. More in Howard Fischer’s report at Pinal Central. http://bit.ly/2AdzddI
Newsmaker BONUS: UA basketball throws up air ball, while Devils make top 25. “Arizona became the first team in 31 years to drop from No. 2 all the way out of the Associated Press Top 25 poll the next week after a disastrous trip to the Bahamas, breaking a string of 100 straight appearances… ASU (6-0), meanwhile, jumped into the polls at No 20 after beating Xavier to win the Las Vegas Invitational.” Arizona Daily Star. http://bit.ly/2BvmMaY
 |
