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
Sam Fox slated to develop upcoming Phoenix hotel. The project, 44|Camelback (44th St. and Camelback), would include hotel with residential condos, plus “five-story Class A office building, parking structure and a four-story mixed-use building with ground-floor retail and restaurants.” More info in PBJ. (Subscriber Content). http://bit.ly/2HrTYER
Glendale looks to give Arrowhead Mall flexibility amid changing economy. Could apartments, hotel or offices be coming to the now vacant Sears at Arrowhead Towne Center? YourValley reports on how the city is looking at changes that could bring such “land-use options.” http://bit.ly/3266bqQ
You can’t find a house for the Valley’s median price in these cities. The Valley’s “median home price is still hovering at a record $280,000, but finding a house for that price can be tough,” if not impossible. So where are such homes and how many are there? AZCentral has a rundown. http://bit.ly/2zk9Bd4
Single-family rents rising fastest in southwest. “Phoenix continues to outpace many other large metros for single-family rent increases,” with Tucson nipping at its heels. REALTORMag. http://bit.ly/2Zpx2Br
Lawsuit challenges federal approval of Benson project near the San Pedro River. “The suit accuses the Army Corps and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service of violating four federal laws in approving” the 28,000-home Villages at Vigneto. In this Daily Star report, however, El Dorado Holdings’ rep Lanny Davis pushes back on the suit’s “unproven allegations.” http://bit.ly/2ZfUlxa
Fulton, Mandalay earn Indoor airPLUS Leader Awards. The EPA has recognized homebuilders with an airPLUS Leader Award for “promoting a healthier, safer, and more comfortable environment for their home buyers.” AZ Business Magazine. http://bit.ly/32833uG
Seventh-day Adventist Church, Ryan file redevelopment plans for Scottsdale Road campus. Plans call for the Seventh-day Adventists to continue to use 30 acres of the campus. As for the rest of the property, reporter Mike Sunnucks has the info in RLGR. http://bit.ly/2MDG7zB
Flagstaff looks to lower allowed building heights. “The changes are the first in a series of zoning adjustments staff is looking to make in the aftermath of the Hub development that caused a public outcry over what and where developers could build in Flagstaff.” Daily Sun. http://bit.ly/2Pf7EJE
Payson town attorney abruptly retires. Town council turmoil continues up north as Hector Figueroa tenders his resignation roughly a week after the termination of Town Manager LaRon Garrett. The latest drama follows a “dust up at the Payson Rodeo” where “Figueroa reportedly wore a gun,” reports Roundup. http://bit.ly/2ZtftiP
Where are the hardest workers? See where Arizona ranks. WalletHubranked U.S. states on hours workers put in each week, volunteer hours, workforce participation rates, number of teenagers and younger adults working and number of workers with multiple jobs. http://bit.ly/2Zwq2BM
Phoenix City Council asked to study, potentially restrict facial recognition, surveillance technology. Council will hear a citizen’s petition item at its meeting Wednesday. Mike Sunnucks previews in RLGR. http://bit.ly/2ZvbzWS
TINY PROBLEMS IN BIG APPLE – NYC landlords illegally convert two condos into 18 ‘micro apartments.’ Landlords apparently cut the “condo units horizontally in order to create” the nano spaces — units that are a mere 70 sq. ft. with ceiling heights 4.5 feet to 6 feet. (npr via MFE). http://bit.ly/2ZjXmN1
Your next home might be appraised by a robot. Backers say robo-appraising will help “save money” and get deals done “faster,” while those opposed “argue that it introduces new risks.” WSJ (Subscriber Content). http://bit.ly/2ZsFECj
As a supplement to the Dealmaker, we thought you might enjoy these articles!
Did Venus Williams ever get her due? “If you’re not deliberately looking through Serena’s glare — if you don’t hold up a prism and refract Serena’s achievement into its constituent parts — you’ll lose sight of what a star Venus is. Venus is at peace with this.” NYT. http://bit.ly/2LncG1R
How a bitter divorce battle on Earth led to claims of a crime in space. “A complaint involving bank access from the space station is just one of a number of complex legal issues that have emerged in the age of routine space travel.” NYT. http://bit.ly/2zm0wAr
How Uber got lost. “The once-swaggering company is losing more money and growing more slowly than ever. What happened?” NYT. http://bit.ly/2PcnR2d
From medical privacy to traffic, new laws effective Tuesday. Tomorrow, “most of the 321 measures approved by the Legislature take effect,” while “some of what was approved this year won’t happen for a while.” A Cap Media Services/Howard Fischer report in AZ Cap Times. http://bit.ly/2ZhnZCv
Kayenta Mine layoffs hit, as Navajo Generating Station closure looms.“The last 265 workers at Kayenta Coal Mine are being laid off this month, another step toward the looming closure of the Navajo Generating Station that will bring the loss of hundreds more jobs this winter.” Cronkite News. http://bit.ly/2U7jOD7
Arizona initiative drive would raise hospital workers’ pay, make other changes. “A California union is funding a bid to convince Arizona voters to force hospitals here to pay their workers more.” How much would hospitals be FORCED to pay if this out-of-state funded arm-twister is approved? Howard Fischer looks into it, in Daily Star. http://bit.ly/2zoVUd4
