The Dealmaker: 8/7/2018

Interim manager vows to make Johnson Utilities more than ‘third world’ utility. As the appointed interim manager of Johnson Utilities, EPCOR is “promising transparency and assuring residents” that it is “capable of bringing service up to acceptable levels.” What an EPCOR rep said at a recent gathering of “state lawmakers and a small group of Johnson Utilities customers” — in Casa Grande Dispatch. http://bit.ly/2Mrh673

Ranking Arizona honors Scottsdale-based homebuilder. Taylor Morrison “has been voted Top Production Builder 2018 by Ranking Arizona.” How many years in a row has TM won the award? Find out in Scottsdale Independent. http://bit.ly/2vsdOd9

Trammell Crow will develop 554K SF industrial building. • The West 202 Logistics Center • On a 38.5-acre site • 59th Ave. & Lower Buckeye • Rendering and design details at AZRE • PLUS: Trammell Crow’s Cathy Thuringer touts the overall industrial market as well as the new facility’s Loop 202 proximity. http://bit.ly/2Okjf54

The future of single-fame homes. “How big will they be? What will they be made of? And where can we expect to see the largest number of constructions moving forward?” Porch goes back to the future to get a bead on what single-family homes will look like in 2036. http://bit.ly/2vKp8AD

The case for rooms. “If closed floor plans are considered such a nuisance these days, why did they prevail for almost 100 years in single-family working- and middle-class suburban housing?” CityLab answers that question in this report on “open-concept interior design” — how it came to be and why it’s time to put it to bed. http://bit.ly/2APnvHJ

Tolleson Union to construct new high school in Avondale. At more than 300,000 sq. ft., the yet-to-be-named school will be situated at the NWC of “Avondale and Encanto boulevards.” West Valley View has more on ADM Group’s plans for the school, which will have “an estimated 1,200 freshmen and sophomores upon its fall 2019 opening.” http://bit.ly/2OROqph

Gilbert just named 2 parks: Here’s what locals suggested. “Town Council whittled 245 submissions received during the April 10 to May 10 submission period to four finalists — two per park — for an online town vote.” Finalists were: Gilbert Regional Park, Gilbert Centennial Park, Desert Sky Park, and Power Sports Park. What council went with, plus a run-through of a few names it rejected, at AZCentral. http://bit.ly/2ORq9Qi

Paradise Valley council hopefuls offer political insights at candidate debate. Progress on the Ritz-Carlton project. Doubletree expansion and the Visually Significant Corridor. Transparency and limited government. Town council candidates discussed these and other “municipal issues and topics at an August 2 forum at Mountain Shadows.” Paradise Valley Independent was there. http://bit.ly/2KwWYP6

Williams council concerned about loss of Route 66 control. “Williams City Council plans to meet with the Arizona Historic Preservation Association before deciding whether or not to support a bill that could designate Route 66 as a National Historic Trail.” Council concerns include “the portion of the bill stating the United States could acquire land within one-quarter of a mile on either side of the trail.” Daily Miner. http://bit.ly/2ngItWu

Pollack: An optimistic picture. An economic winning streak with “no end in sight.” That’s the big takeaway in this latest installment of The Monday Morning Quarterback. ‘Snapshot’ data includes: U.S.: Employment • Personal Income • Consumer Confidence • Manufacturing • Construction Spending • Pending Home Sales & Price Index. AZ: Home Prices. http://bit.ly/2vqnaWI

Dealmaker BONUS: The Netherlands will soon be home to a self-sustaining eco village. Vertical gardens, path-like roads, and houses without parking are just a few of the features planned for “the world’s first self-sufficient suburb.” Located “30 minutes outside of Amsterdam,” the 50-acre, “off-grid capable” development is a collaboration between “Silicon Valley-based construction company” and “Denmark-based architecture practice Effekt.” Read about it in Builder. http://bit.ly/2MbckO3

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!

Arizona, worried by a drying Lake Mead, is waiting for a Senate champion to secure its water needs. “[O]ne of the country’s hottest U.S. Senate races could turn on how to quench the state’s thirst — that is, if any of the candidates manage to come up with a coherent plan” to deal with the “decades-long drought” and “evaporation” of water that’s leaving behind an ever-increasing bathtub ring at Lake Mead. OZY. http://bit.ly/2vnUy0o

Ducey: Media not enemy of the people. While Gov. Doug Ducey’s relationship with the media hasn’t always been “smooth,” he “said Monday that he doesn’t consider the media the ‘enemy of the people.’ Cap Media Services’ Howard Fischer reports, however, that the “governor was a bit less firm on which side of the fence he is on in the latest dispute between [President Trump] and the billionaire Koch brothers.” Arizona Capitol Times. http://bit.ly/2MrBLI3

Court rejects challenge to Native American law on adoptions. “The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has dismissed a case challenging a federal law that requires Native American children removed from their parents to be placed with a Native family.” AZCentral. http://bit.ly/2KzxBMs

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