The Dealmaker: 11/12/2018

Shea Homes showcases Azure Paradise Valley. (Disclosure: Rose Law Group represents Shea Homes at Azure in Paradise Valley.) A recent private event marked the grand opening of “the first Shea Signature luxury community,” where some 350+ guests had a chance to check out “Azure’s two show homes” as well as “experience the boutique neighborhood” at Indian Bend & Mockingbird Lane. Details in PV Independent. http://bit.ly/2JVZ2kP

Construction of Union Park at Norterra Phase I nears completion. Sunbelt Holdings and USAA Real Estate are getting close to wrapping up the first phase of their 400-acre mixed-use community, located at 19th Ave. and Happy Valley. Set to open in December, it “includes seven models by builders Ashton Woods, Cachet Homes and David Weekley Homes.” AZRE. http://bit.ly/2B1P2UE

Apartments in San Tan Valley? SB Communities is seeking to “build a 276-unit apartment home community, called The Sterling” at the NW corner of Combs and Encanterra, SanTanValley.com reports that “the development will be the first set of apartments built in San Tan Valley.” http://bit.ly/2DAcISu

Metro Phoenix home prices dip. Interest rates up “a percentage point” from same time last year. Home prices down “2.8 percent” from July of this year. “The combination hasn’t made it easier for buyers or sellers.” Cause for concern? Housing analysts weigh-in, in this report from AZCentral real estate columnist Catherine Reagor. http://bit.ly/2qHwQtf

Chandler council approves Banner Health hospital. Work is expected to begin this month on the “245,000 square-foot hospital” at Alma School and Willis after council approved Banner Health’s $155 million project last Thursday. AZCentral reports, however, that it’s a nod that didn’t come without concerns from neighbors as well as concessions by Banner. http://bit.ly/2Dz0IAt

New senior living facility planned in Chandler. Planning Commission approved plans “from Global Senior Housing, with Cadence Senior Living, to build a new senior living center at the NWC of Arizona Avenue and Queen Creek Road.” Development and design details for the 191-unit facility at AZBEX. http://bit.ly/2DkW1cu

Tempe: A history of gentrification. “Tempe, one time an agricultural settlement, one time a post-agricultural suburb, is now urbanizing, and confronting the accompanying social challenges along the way.” The State Press looks into the “history of urban evolution of Tempe” an how it “points to some serious questions about future development.” http://bit.ly/2B2imdi  

[VIDEO] Cheers, tears as historic smelter from Magma Mine demolished in Superior. “Cheers erupted at 8:46 a.m. Saturday” as the “controlled demolition” brought the 94-year-old smoke stack smashing to the ground. However, many witnessing the “spectacle” were “sad to see the 293-foot brick stack fall.” WATCH the countdown, implosion, and impact at AZCentral. http://bit.ly/2PSSXen

Accused of shrinking national monuments for energy development, Zinke prepares to exit Interior. “The news comes just a day after Trump told reporters that word on Zinke’s fate may come ‘in about a week’ ” — and that was last Wednesday! So if we can hold President Trump to his word, news of Zinke’s fate should surface any moment. Meanwhile, head to POLITICO to find out what Zinke reportedly has planned should he get the axe. http://bit.ly/2PmhEk6

Why do we keep building houses In places that burn down? Having covered “countless wildfires over the years,” it’s “a question that continues to bother” environmental reporter Emily Guerin. So she’s “finally decided to answer it,” in laist. http://bit.ly/2PsOP5t

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, including Meritage Homes Chairman & CEO Steven J. Hilton and Christopher Todd Communities CEO Todd Wood. Plus, Belfiore Real Estate Consulting President & Founder Jim Belfiore provides an Overview on Housing. For the full list of speakers & panelists, along with registration info for Arizona Housing: Growth, Its Costs, Challenges & Opportunities, tap on! http://bit.ly/2LAvclq 

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

SINEMA IS LEADING LADY – Sinema claims ‘insurmountable’ lead, Dems make gains in statewide races. “Kyrsten Sinema is declaring that she will be victorious in the U.S. Senate race, after votes counted on Sunday put her ahead by roughly 32,000 votes.” As for the rest of the Democratic cast “in other statewide races,” they “also celebrated the Sunday vote counts,” in what’s turning out to be an election drama seemingly without end. AZ Mirror. http://bit.ly/2T7xhu3

Despite slight drop, Arizona still leads nation in women officeholders.“Arizona will actually lose one female elected official when congressional and legislative delegations take office in January. But experts say the one-seat drop is nothing to worry about…” Cronkite News. http://bit.ly/2qFUp5L

What happens now that Phoenix passed an anti-dark-money measure?“Voters in Phoenix overwhelmingly approved a measure to force non-profit entities that spend money to influence city elections to disclose their contributors… but the measure is in violation of a new state law and the stage is now set for a legal battle.” Arizona Mirror. http://bit.ly/2qGT5zF

You thought fake news was bad? Deep fakes are where truth goes to die.“A ‘deep fake’ – a computer-generated replication of a person… saying or doing things they have never said or done.” What started out as a “practical joke” could soon be “the next wave of (mis)information warfare.” The Guardian. http://bit.ly/2qKKewB

‘DOUBLE FEAURE: ‘SNL’ says goodbye to Jeff Sessions; The Jim Acosta Tangle. “With the news that Attorney General Jeff Sessions was fired Wednesday, Kate McKinnon was forced to retire her quirky impersonation of the Alabama Republican.” ALSO: “Cecily Strong played a sneaky, microphone-grabbing intern… in a goofy parody of an incident between a White House intern and CNN correspondent Jim Acosta.” WATCH in Rose Law Group Reporter. http://bit.ly/2zKSGQM