The Dealmaker is a daily note of the day’s top real estate stories served just in time for lunch. Bon Appetit! Subscribe here to receive the Dealmaker to your inbox
Offerpad taps Bryan LaFranchi to lead home builder program. (Disclosure: Rose Law Group represents Offerpad.) Former Zillow senior sales manager Bryan LaFranchi will head Offerpad’s Homebuilder Alliance. The program, which “enables homeowners to coordinate the sale of their existing home to coincide with the purchase of a new construction home,” has “agreements with Meritage, Maracay, Pulte and others.” Builder. http://bit.ly/2HXhkml
Phoenix looks at development, RFP at historic American Legion site downtown. What sort of development is the city seeking for the site at Seventh Ave. and Polk? And when will the RFP be issued? Reporter Mike Sunnucks has the info in RLGR. http://bit.ly/2IooK14
Dolce Vita of Apache Junction in top 50 master-planned communities.The age-restricted community on Goldfield Road is “one of seven master-planned communities in Arizona to be recognized this year in Where to Retire’s ‘The Short List: 50 Best Master-Planned Communities in the United States.’ ” API. http://bit.ly/2Mycb8U
Nearly 700 builders shine a spotlight on housing affordability in Hill visits. “In nearly 300 individual meetings” with members of Congress on Wednesday, builders sent “a loud and clear message,” urging them “to support policies that will increase the production of quality, affordable housing and keep the housing recovery moving forward.” NAHBNow. http://bit.ly/2XAWcYQ
Chandler homeowners say ‘hidden’ property tax penalty fees increases house payment [VIDEO]. “If you own property in Maricopa County, are you being overcharged for your taxes and not even know it?” 3 On Your Side investigates and the Maricopa County Assessor’s Office responds, at azfamily. http://bit.ly/2Wmp99a
Golf-home owners chip in to save struggling courses. This WSJ paywall piece looks at how “a few intrepid homeowners” are “banding together to buy golf courses and fix up fairways to keep their property values from landing in the rough.” (While Ahwatukee Lakes Golf Course isn’t mentioned here, this report should be of interest to anyone who’s been following that case.) http://bit.ly/2HYD3KM
QuikTrip plan may not need city approval. “The owner of the lot at the southeast corner of 40th Street and Cottonwood Way may be undertaking a legal end-run that would not require city Planning and Development Department involvement, closing an avenue that residents had hoped to use to stop the gas station from going in.” AFN. http://bit.ly/2WvdYjF
Tempe company granted Arizona’s first industrial hemp license. “Friday was the first day the Arizona Department of Agriculture could issue licenses for industrial hemp farmers,” and Tempe-based Hemp Consultants was first in line for a permit which will allow the company to cultivate hemp in what has the potential to be a huge new industry. KTAR. http://bit.ly/2ZbCeUC
Goodyear mayor receives honorary degree. Congratulations to Mayor Georgia Lord! She received a Doctor of Public Administration from Franklin Pierce University “in honor of the impact of her energy and vision on the people and sustainable future” of Goodyear. West Valley View. http://bit.ly/2HXKuBX
Tempe local, ASU alumna Arlene Chin sees city council position as new way to give back. “Chin is a lifelong resident of Tempe who has spent almost a decade working with ASU. Now serving until July 2020 in place of former Councilman Kolby Granville, she sees the new position as an extension of a long-standing commitment to both.” ASU Now. http://bit.ly/2Z8VLoL
Phoenix makes it illegal to feed pigeons. Seriously. However, it’s unclear how mother pigeons caught feeding their squabs will be able to cough up $2,500 to pay the fine for violating this new ordinance. Read Mike Sunnucks report in RLGR. http://bit.ly/2EXZ8at
Meet the Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 honorees for 2019. “The 2019 group of honorees marks the 19th year the Phoenix Business Journal has recognized the region’s best and brightest young leaders.” Among 40 Under 40 alum receiving a PBJ shout-out is someone who “started her law career with an idea on a napkin and an office in a storage closet” and “now leads the largest women-led law firm in Arizona’s history.” Hmm, wonder who that could be… (Subscriber Content). http://bit.ly/2MHwYqK
As a supplement to the Dealmaker, we thought you might enjoy these articles!
Click here for 2019 Arizona Legislative News
Arizona Wildcats facing ‘potentially significant sanctions and penalties,’ UA attorney says. <- And that’s just SOME of what University of Arizona general counsel Laura Todd Johnson wrote in a victim impact statement filed in federal court ahead of Book Richardson’s sentencing. More in the Star. http://bit.ly/2MxvuyX
[COMMENTARY] Much-maligned Clean Elections helps women seek and win elected office, and we should support that. Marshall Scholar and University of Oxford postgrad Ian O’Grady champions Clean Elections programs for those “who can’t afford to run themselves.” AZ Mirror (RELATED: “Republican women watch their numbers decline in state legislatures,” by Rose Law Group Reporter.) http://bit.ly/2MwU1o4
Tribal leaders, lawmakers push bill to ban mining near Grand Canyon [VIDEO]. “The ‘Grand Canyon Centennial Protection Act’ would prohibit all mining in the affected area, but supporters were focused on the uranium mining that has a troubled history on tribal lands.” Cronkite News. http://bit.ly/2ESrAuk
