The Dealmaker: 7/18/2018

Appeals court sides with City, Apex. (Disclosure: Rose Law Group represents Apex Motor Club.) A three-judge panel from the Arizona Court of Appeals has ruled that the resident who brought the lawsuit alleging “personal harm” from Apex, failed to “present any evidence that there would be particular injury to her and therefore had no standing to sue.” In addition, the court ruled that the City of Maricopa and Private Motorsports Group are “entitled to costs.” The story at InMaricopa. http://bit.ly/2muxbxb

New hotel or affordable housing? Race is on to define ‘Opportunity Zones.’ (Disclosure: Rose Law Group represents Virtua Partners.) The WSJ  looks at how “developers, wealthy investors, nonprofit groups and local officials” are “racing to put their mark on the program…” That includes Virtua Partners, which is “raising $200 million for an opportunity zone fund including three Phoenix-area projects.” (Subscriber Content) http://bit.ly/2uLfFsh

Maracay Homes launches rebrand. The rebranding effort features a new logo and also shortens the company name from Maracay Homes to simply Maracay. View the new “Arizona landscape” logo, and learn more about Maracay’s rebrand via the news release in Rose Law Group Reporter. http://bit.ly/2uKAdRY

Tusayan prepares to break ground on Ten X housing complex. “After years of legal wrangling, the town of Tusayan is finally ready to break ground on the housing development at Ten X Ranch.” Grand Canyon News has a “lot layout” of the “development proposed by WestLand Resources,” along with a (tiny) bit of background info about the property. http://bit.ly/2LiZ0qu

The great equalizer may be inequality — for home prices. Builder has findings from a new LendingTree study that “shows the gaps between most and least expensive homes in top 50 markets.” How does Phoenix fare? Tap through to see. http://bit.ly/2NVJYW2

Phoenix single-family rent prices soar, driven by employment growth.“The Phoenix area saw the second-highest increase in single-family home rental prices across the country…” Get the numbers in PBJ’s rundown of the CoreLogic data. http://bit.ly/2Nm3YzW

No taxation without representation: Age-restricted community fights for equity. “Residents of the 1,650-home Corte Bella development, located just south of Loop 303 and just north of Sun City West, claim they must pay a portion of their property taxes to Peoria Unified School District while nearby retirement communities Sun City and Sun City West are exempt…” YourValley.  http://bit.ly/2LsZyH2

Court of Appeals declares FHFA structure unconstitutional. The ruling dealt with “whether a single director that wields as much authority as the CFPB director or the FHFA director is a violation of the Constitution’s separation of powers.” A previous legal opinion on the matter, authored by Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, figures prominently in this latest decision by the Fifth Circuit. HousingWire. http://bit.ly/2LpYPGF

Million-dollar contracts spark Scottsdale Stadium renovation efforts.“Elected leaders of Scottsdale got the renovation ball rolling last September… Since that time, three contracts have been approved.” Who those contracts went to and what they’re for, plus a list of Stadium improvements being “pursued,” in Scottsdale Independent. http://bit.ly/2L3saKR

Buckeye’s city manager elected as Chair of MAG’s Management Committee. “City Manager Roger Klingler was recently elected as the Chair of the Maricopa Association of Governments Management Committee. This is the first time in MAG’s 51-year history that a Buckeye representative has held this position.” Arizona Business Daily Reports. http://bit.ly/2uyXh6N

Scott Morrison, Legacy Partners SVP, dies. “Morrison had worked in the multifamily management industry since 1977 and joined Legacy Partners in 1992.” CEO of Legacy Partners, W. Dean Henry, says about Scott Morrison: “[Scott] had a significant impact on both our industry and our company as the senior vice president of operations in California, Arizona, Oregon, and Washington…” MFE. http://bit.ly/2L2n29M

Don’t miss anything… follow multiple winner of the Arizona Republic’s tweet of the week contest, and Senior Partner at Rose Law Group and Director of RLG Renewable Energy Department, Court Rich. http://bit.ly/Court_RichTwitter 

As a supplement to the Dealmaker, we thought you might enjoy these articles!

Mistrial declared in bribery case involving Arizona Corporation Commission. “A federal judge on Tuesday declared a mistrial in the bribery case involving a former Arizona Corporation Commissioner and the Johnson Utilities water company. The jury told U.S. District Court Judge John Tuchi that they were unable to reach a unanimous verdict.” AZCentral  (RELATED: “Majority of jurors in bribery trial voted for acquittal” — an Arizona Capitol Times exclusive interview with the jury foreperson.) http://bit.ly/2L59lqI

Study finds Arizona No. 43 in voter turnout. “Crisis” — that’s how a new study sums up the voter participation “situation” in the state. The study by the Morrison Institute of Public Policy at ASU also says that “poor, minorities and young adults who would benefit the most by voting are the very groups that participate the least.” (RELATED, also from Cronkite News: “Tribal leaders tell Senate voting barriers are persistent, systemic.”) http://bit.ly/2O1Iiu3

4 states just sued over the Federal Tax Law. Here’s why they might lose. “Connecticut, Maryland, New York and New Jersey argue that new GOP tax policies violate states’ rights and unduly punish their populations.” Governing. http://bit.ly/2O0RmzA