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
Criticism ‘an opportunity to improve,’ Pinal manager says. A few weeks into his new role as Pinal County Manager, Louis Andersen talks “citizen feedback” and “front burner” issues in this chat with PinalCentral. http://bit.ly/2N0NTBh
[COLUMN] Solution to Pinal water shortage? Could an idea floated by Casa Grande City Councilman Dick Powell be the key to fixing Arizona’s water woes? Or is it a mere pipe dream? PinalCentral. http://bit.ly/2P3KJiV
Mesa considers infill housing plans. City Council will look at a rezone request tomorrow for a vacant parcel near the Loop 202 and Southern. Reporter Mike Sunnucks has project details in RLGR. http://bit.ly/32v2ETv
Infill housing plans look to overcome skeptical neighbors. Brighton Companies is looking to put up duplexes on Guadalupe near Loop 202, but neighbors are worried. Sunnucks has the lowdown in RLGR. http://bit.ly/31yImXR
Pepper-Viner planning Tucson SFR infill project. Built in 1955, shuttered in 2013, Corbett Elementary School near Craycroft could soon be replaced with a 75-lot residential infill project. Details in RED News. http://bit.ly/35RioCl
Home sales skyrocket in Greater Phoenix area. Sales and prices UP. Days on market and inventory DOWN. Get the numbers in AZ Business Magazine. http://bit.ly/35ToB0F
What $1 million will get you in today’s housing market in Arizona. When it comes to the amount of square footage ten-thousand Benjamins can buy in 15 Arizona cities, East Valley locations dominate. PBJ. http://bit.ly/32AIO9x
Where the tiniest homes are in America. Out of 200,000 listings analyzed and 50 markets tracked, one Arizona city notches the No. 3 spot on Apartment Guide’s list of places with “the smallest average studio homes.” REALTORMag. http://bit.ly/2W0C7eb
Phoenix approves $800,000 reimbursement for arena, hotel development. Legacy Sports Arena LLC will receive the payback funds for infrastructure improvements in developing the arena and hotel project near I-17. More on the project in this report from Mike Sunnucks in RLGR. http://bit.ly/2p0d2nL
MOO SHOOED AWAY? –Undercover testers report racial bias at low-income senior housing facility. A federal complaint alleges that a “Phoenix apartment complex for low-income seniors shooed away prospective residents,” telling “black and white applicants they probably wouldn’t get accepted as residents because they weren’t Chinese.” NT. http://bit.ly/31zMire
Maricopa ‘State of the City’ address to tout ‘If you build it, they will come.’ This week Maricopa Mayor Christian Price delivers his State of the City address with a focus on opportunities, challenges and achievements — not the least of which is a cool poster the city has come up with for the Field of Dreams-themed event. Check it out! InMaricopa. http://bit.ly/2Bw1xXL
Longtime Litchfield Park councilman resigns, council seat open. Peter Mahoney, an LP “councilman for nearly two decades,” has “abruptly” and “somewhat reluctantly” resigned “after repeated pressure… to recuse himself from downtown development discussions and voting.” WWV. http://bit.ly/2P44eYu
Safford approves entertainment district. “Following a number of citizen comments during the [Oct. 14] meeting, the council approved a resolution to designate an entertainment district for Downtown Safford as part of the city’s continuing revitalization effort.” Eastern Arizona Courier. http://bit.ly/32BzvpE
Say hello to the most expensive listing in the U.S. And then say adios to $225 million should you end up plunking down that wicked asking price for Casa Encantada, a 60-room Bel Air home belonging Global Crossing Founder and Chairman Gary Winnick. Forbes. http://bit.ly/33OH0d5
Utah lawmaker floats use of eminent domain for trails but runs into barriers. “Trail advocates hope to build a paved path on both sides of the river that runs the length of the Salt Lake Valley, but a proposal to allow the use of eminent domain to acquire land for such trail projects received a harsh reception in the Utah Legislature.” SLT. http://bit.ly/2MyZf0t
Eat, drink & be merry in 2 Weeks at 9th Annual Bentley Scottsdale Polo Championships – http://bit.ly/2J0JkFU
RLG HIRING: Rose Law Group is seeking a receptionist for our fun, fast-paced firm that offers opportunities for advancement.http://bit.ly/2UgnCCk
As a supplement to the Dealmaker, we thought you might enjoy these articles!
Audit: Arizona Department of Child Safety doesn’t give foster parents information needed to keep kids safe; new portal will help, says Rose Law Group family attorney, Audra Petrolle. DCS “isn’t giving foster parents the information they are legally entitled to, so they can properly care for children the state places in their homes” reports AZCentral. • In RLGR, Audra Petrolle highlights how a new Foster Care Portal will go a long way in ensuring that “these children get the resources and protections they need.” http://bit.ly/2PhfpNV
Records show Petersen’s firm planned Native adoption, raising legal questions. “Assessor Paul Petersen… helped facilitate at least one planned placement of a Native American baby, according to documents obtained by Phoenix New Times.” http://bit.ly/32BFSt1
[OPINION] Listen up nasty people. With the “future of humanity” hanging in the balance, RLGR Senior Reporter/Writer Phil Riske turns to an unlikely pairing for guidance: The Beach Boys and late, great physicist Stephen Hawking. http://bit.ly/2MxDpug
PG&E chief says blackout ‘cannot become the status quo’ “PG&E’s chief executive said Thursday night that the utility did a poor job in executing the blackout, even if its intentions — pre-empting wildfires caused by its equipment — were sound.” NYT. http://bit.ly/2pKx5q7
ASU president says state lacks innovation, has ‘big issues.’ Speaking before a large crowd of business leaders at an event in Chandler last week, ASU President Michael Crow sounded the alarm about “how unprepared the state’s workforce is for the future.” EVT. http://bit.ly/2Bw4CHj
Port of Mars: ASU’s social science experiment plans for an interplanetary future. “Odds of survival on Mars may hinge on game experiment by ASU.” New Times. http://bit.ly/32Buayy
Star investigation: Arizona’s border wall is being built with anti-drug money. But it won’t stop hard drugs. “Federal officials are diverting $1.2 billion in anti-narcotics funds to build a border wall across marijuana smuggling routes to Arizona — although marijuana seizures at the border already are plummeting without it.” http://bit.ly/2MY5RVb
When the student newspaper is the only daily paper in town. “As more than 2,000 newspapers across the country have closed or merged, student journalists from Michigan to Arizona have stepped in to fill the void.” NYT. http://bit.ly/2oRq8Ur
