The Dealmaker: 8/16/2018

U.S. housing market needs 6 million new homes. Because the permitting rate for SF homes since 2008 hasn’t kept up with years prior, it “would take about five years of building at the current pace of 1.3 million homes per year just to add those ‘missing’ homes.” That and other housing-shortage nuggets in this inventory report from World Property Journal. http://bit.ly/2OILwCC

Multifamily starts mixed in top 10 metros in H1 2018. Out of the top 10 metros for commercial and multifamily construction starts, five were UP and five were DOWN “during the first six months of this year compared with a year ago.” Highlights from the Dodge Data & Analytics study, including how Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale fared, in Multifamily Executive. http://bit.ly/2MUCwtk 

July 2018 Tucson housing statistics released. Housing data for Sales Volume, Average Sale Price, Days on Market and more, courtesy Tucson Association of Realtors via RED News. http://bit.ly/2MkZXjd

[EDITORIAL] Danger in water ruling. In an “Our View” commentary on last week’s water-rights ruling by the Arizona Supreme Court, PinalCentral urges the state to “do more to protect its water supplies.” http://bit.ly/2Mm9sPd

Why Pinal County could upend the Southwest’s drought plan. “While Arizona water users try to cooperate on a conservation fix, one group of [Pinal County] farmers stands in the way of a compromise.” NewsDeeply (RELATED, in AZCentral: “Arizona may have to cut back on water use in 2020, outlook says.”) http://bit.ly/2KY6ivG

Despite drought, Florence water supply in good shape. Town Councilman John Anderson: “We are fortunate, because we are one of the few areas of Pinal County that has a water supply under us.” Additionally, the “town has an even larger water supply that it doesn’t even directly use”(!). Read about it in Flo Reminder. http://bit.ly/2BiSEDC

UA students to tackle Pima County’s eviction woes in new law school course. “The interdisciplinary course will have 12 students from law, public administration, sociology, public policy and other disciplines, all tackling an issue that contributes to homelessness and poverty in Tucson.” Arizona Daily Star. http://bit.ly/2w95Xkg

Sedona firm looks at short-term rental issues. How many short-term rentals are there and how are they impacting the community? The city has hired a firm to find out, so it can “make better informed decisions about future land use planning, economic development initiatives, sales tax conditions” and more. Red Rock News. http://bit.ly/2w88lYB 

Inside the fortress: Apple’s 1.3 million-square-foot Mesa data center. “The company, known for its secrecy, would not share many specifics about what happens inside the facility filled with servers, citing security concerns.” But Apple DID allow the Arizona Republic to tour and take pics of the place. Here’s the SLIDESHOW, with captions! http://bit.ly/2wi2zUv

Phoenix investment market bounces back in second quarter. Office and industrial properties were sold at an accelerated pace while sales of shopping centers and medical office condos slowed. That’s the top takeaway from Colliers International 2018 Q2 Greater Phoenix Investment Report. Check it out, in full, at Rose Law Group Reporter.—> http://bit.ly/2MSdxXI

Coolidge council considers allowing marijuana growing at homes; consistency key, says Laura Bianchi, partner and director of Rose Law Group Medical Cannabis Department. State law allows homegrown under certain conditions. Coolidge Examiner reports on how the city is seeking to “loosen up some of those restrictions.” Meanwhile, Laura Bianchi tells RLGR: “It’s important on both a state and local level that we ensure consistency in the rules, regulations and application of the same, to ensure that qualifying patients and designated caregivers clearly understand what is allowed and what is not.” http://bit.ly/2Pc6QS1  

Pinal County Supervisors approve lower property tax rate. “A promise made by the current supervisors has been to lower the tax rate. Supervisor Steve Miller said they plan to continue lowering it.” How low did the BOS set it for FY 2018-19? Get the full tax-rate breakdown for the area in PinalCentral. http://bit.ly/2KYAXJh

Mesa city manager wins award. Congrats to Mesa city manager Chris Brady who recently “received the Gabe Zimmerman Award as the Community Builder Honoreefrom the Center of the Future of Arizona.” Details in East Valley Tribune. http://bit.ly/2OKN8f9

Scottsdale City Council candidates talk local threats to quality of life. The candidates — incumbents Kathy Littlefield, David Smith and Linda Milhaven, plus challengers Bill Crawford and Solange Whitehead — also chat about what they will do about the “threat” if they’re elected. In Scottsdale Independent. http://bit.ly/2nG9mmG

Litchfield Park City Council candidates. “Seeking a fifth term, Mayor Thomas Schoaf is uncontested. Four candidates seek three city council seats: Paul Faith (incumbent), Lisa Brainard Watson, Kerry Marie Giangobbe and Tom Rosztoczy.” Candidate profiles, plus a Q&A with each, in West Valley View. http://bit.ly/2MSe9MX

5 most affordable places for outdoor enthusiasts. Realtor.com® “evaluated the 150 largest metro areas, factoring in criteria like the share of homes with outdoor patios, outdoor kitchens, and decks; bike friendliness ratings; per capita kayaking, rafting, and outdoor gear stores,” and tons of other outdoorsy stuff that we don’t the space to list. One city in Arizona notches the No. 5 spot. See where in REALTORMag. http://bit.ly/2MmP9RS

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!

[BREAKING] Judge rejects bid to knock tax hike on richest in Arizona for education off ballot.“A judge has slapped down efforts by the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry to block people from voting on whether to hike income taxes on the rich to generate $690 million a year for education.” A fresh report by Howard Fischer in Arizona Daily Star. http://bit.ly/2nIw11K

Arguments in education tax on rich comes down to fine (percentage) points.“The question of whether Arizonans get to vote on a tax hike on the wealthy to raise $690 million a year for education could depend on what a judge thinks of a math teacher’s explanation of the difference between ‘percent’ and ‘percentage point.’ ” In the unpacking of that, Capitol Media Services’ Howard Fischer does some of the math himself, in Arizona Capitol Times. http://bit.ly/2Mkt3zv

Stop printing ballots in Spanish, Arizona candidate for secretary of state says. Que!?! Sí — y no solo español, tampoco! AZCentral reports that “Steve Gaynor, a Republican running for Arizona secretary of state, said last weekend that the United States should stop printing ballots in any language other than English.” El informe, aquí: http://bit.ly/2nFAcvk

Environmentalists want Glen Canyon Dam removed, but is that possible?Wouldn’t dismantlement be “too costly”? Hasn’t it “forever transformed the river from Page to the Grand Canyon”? That’s what those in favor of keeping it say. But greenies don’t give a dam. They want it gone. (RELATED, also from Cronkite News: “Tribally owned solar power plant beats skeptics, odds on Navajo Nation.”) http://bit.ly/2nI4CgD

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