The Dealmaker: 8/27/2018

John McCain’s final project: 45-mile development of dry Salt River bed. “A century ago, dams dried up the portion of the river that cut across the Phoenix area, leaving a jagged scar in its place. McCain wanted to bring life back to the riverbed with a project that could rival or even surpass the famous San Antonio Riverwalk and could be one of the most significant environmental and economic additions in Phoenix history.” AZCentral. http://bit.ly/2LuLo7J

Price to head League of Cities and Towns. Congratulations! to Maricopa Mayor Christian Price who moves from the organization’s treasurer to its president, replacing Chandler Mayor Jay Tibshraeny who has served out his two-year term at the helm. InMaricopa. http://bit.ly/2P6Jz2O

Anti-Apex appeal filed at Supreme Court (Disclosure: Rose Law Group represents Apex Motor Club.) The plaintiff in the case “claimed in court filings the as-yet undeveloped Apex had potential noise and traffic issues not properly considered by [City of Maricopa] reports.” As previously reported by InMaricopa, the plaintiff “lives more than five miles from the area in question.” More on the Apex case here: http://bit.ly/2P6L2Gm

Homes to replace golf course next to Phoenix’s South Mountain. Maracay plans “394 homes on the 83-acre former site of the Thunderbird Golf Club.” Housing reporter Catherine Reagor has details on Maracay’s new community “Avance,” plus real estate consultant Jim Belfiore weighs in on South Mountain’s “significant transformation” — in AZCentral. http://bit.ly/2LxLLhI

Optima Kierland breaks ground on Tower Two. The build has just begun on the 212-home, 12-story high-rise, but Optima already boasts “an interest list of more than 5,000 potential residents,” including “existing residents from the first tower” who are seeking “an additional home in the second tower.” Get the amenity and floor-plan overview at AZRE. http://bit.ly/2N16U8Z

Looking into the housing market in 2019. “Sam Khater, Chief Economist at Freddie Mac speaks to DSNews on what’s causing the affordability crunch and the factors that are likely to impact the housing market in 2019.” http://bit.ly/2LuMNv1

Metro EV Commerce Ctr. II planned in Mesa. The project, a proposal from “Puppyfeathers Limited Partnership and Metro Commercial Properties” for the corner of Horne and Auto Center Dr., “will be built as a follow-up to the nearby Metro I light industrial park built in 2015.” Rundown and rendering at AZBEX. http://bit.ly/2whBv8k

More storage and RV parking coming to Tempe. “Hines is continuing its expansion into the high-end storage market with a planned 700 unit ‘mini-warehouse’ and self-storage project [at Priest & Commerce].” As for the “shaded” RV spots, AZBEX reports that those “will be located on the northern part of the site.” http://bit.ly/2BSHcyQ

Big solar projects proposed in Pinal. Pinal County BOS recently “heard presentations on three different solar facilities,” but those projects are “stuck in the slow process of getting major amendments to the comprehensive plan.” So BOS staff is studying an “alternative to the clunky process” in order to speed things up. PinalCentral. http://bit.ly/2oeGeTS

Engineering firm bringing more than 300 jobs to Tucson. India-based Axiscades “serves heavy equipment, mining and other industries”— and Caterpillar is its “primary customer.” Arizona Daily Star. http://bit.ly/2wpJH5Z

Flagstaff’s Sears among 45 other stores closing across U.S. “The 66,098-square-foot building in which Sears is located is not owned by Cypress Equities, which owns the majority of the Flagstaff Mall.” But is the closure a sign that the mall itself is struggling? See what local insiders are saying about it, in Arizona Daily Sun. http://bit.ly/2MALkZd

Queen Creek town management to OK contracts for large capital projects at council direction. “The town’s procurement policy had required all contracts and agreements of $25,000 or more be approved by the town council.” Now, “large capital infrastructure projects” can be “approved by department directors or the town manager.” QC Independent. http://bit.ly/2MNSicX 

Central New Mexico Project? How a 50-year-old rule could let New Mexico use Arizona water. “As Arizona officials laid the groundwork for the Central Arizona Project 50 years ago, they made promises that critics now say could imperil habitat, weaken river health amid worsening drought and cost taxpayers in a big way.” AZCentral. http://bit.ly/2MzpQMs

10th Annual AZ DealMakers – January 11, 2019. Don’t miss out on the BIGGEST homebuilding industry event for real estate forecasting and analysis, featuring the best speakers in the industry and a mixer with the finest in AZ Real Estate! Includes an Overview on Housing provided by Jim Belfiore, President of Belfiore Real Estate Consulting. For the full list of ten keynote speakers & panelists plus registration info for the event titled Arizona Housing: Growth, Its Costs, Challenges & Opportunities, tap on! http://bit.ly/2LAvclq 

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!

John McCain’s ‘spirit, service and fierce independence’ shaped Arizona, Gov. Ducey says. “U.S. Sen. John McCain was a ‘giant’ and ‘icon’ whose passing creates a void ‘in the heart and soul of our nation,’ Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey said in a statement Saturday.” Gov. Ducey’s entire statement available via this report from USA Today. (ALSO, from Cronkite News: “Ducey faces ‘unenviable’ task in picking McCain replacement.”) http://bit.ly/2NnT8dm

The water crises aren’t coming — they’re here. “The symptoms are here: Multiyear droughts, large-scale crop failures, a major city — Cape Town — on the verge of going dry, increasing outbreaks of violence, fears of full-scale water wars. The big question: How do we keep the H20 flowing?” Esquire. http://bit.ly/2wjXrjb