Ellman Cos. to Break Ground on Westgate City

Officials from The Ellman Companies, the master developer of the Westgate City Center project, recently announced that construction on the first phase of the development -more than 500,000 sq. ft. - is expected to begin on Sept. 29, with the first tenants expected to open in October 2005.

Work on 500,000 sq. ft. of the first phase - called "The Village" at Westgate City Center - will include 280,000 sq. ft. of retail and entertainment and 220,000 sq. ft. of loft office.
The Village is located to the immediate north of the main entrance of the Glendale Arena, extending toward Glendale Avenue.

ASU Gateway Moves Closer to Construction

Arizona State University President Michael Crow announced the selection of Concord Eastridge Inc., a national real estate development firm with headquarters in Phoenix and Washington, D.C., as ASU's partner in the development of the 13-acre Arts and Business Gateway District on the southeast corner of University Drive and Mill Avenue in Tempe.

Key members of the team include: financier Merrill Lynch; design architects Foster & Partners, Will Bruder Architects Ltd. and Behnisch, Behnisch & Partner Inc.; and production architect Kendall/Heaton Associates Inc. In addition, Concord Eastridge has proposed that the project be built by Turner Construction Company.

Initially, 16 firms submitted proposals for the project, which has a potential development cost ranging from $400-$500 million. The project is scheduled to break ground in 2006.

New Labs for NAU

Holder Construction Company was awarded the new laboratory facility for the College of Engineering and Natural Sciences at NAU.

This new facility will encompass approximately 100,000 sq. ft. of new instructional and research laboratories to replace the existing instructional and research laboratories housed in the chemistry and biological sciences building.

The new, $35 million facility will support the increasingly complex and advanced undergraduate and graduate level laboratory sciences. It will consist of 18 instructional labs, 18 research labs, and associated support space. Holder is working with Kinney Construction Services, a local commercial contractor. The project will be delivered under the Construction Manager at Risk process and is pursuing LEED Certification. The Architect is Carter & Burgess.

Bus Facility to Start in January

Johnson Carlier is planning a January 2005 construction start on the new $4.7 million bus maintenance facility for the city of Phoenix. The project is located at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport on a 6.8-acre site and will service a fleet of 62 buses. The new facility, situated within the city's 141-acre Airport Rental Car Center development project, will be used to shuttle customers between terminals at Sky Harbor International Airport and the new rental car center. The project is scheduled for completion in September 2005.

T-P Acoustics Wins Work in Chandler

Phoenix, Arizona T-P Acoustics, Inc. has been awarded a contract to install acoustical ceilings in the new Wells Fargo Home Mortgage facility in Tempe, Ariz., for Sunstate Builders.

Airports Get New and Expanded Runways

Granite Construction Co. recently won two airport jobs with work underway at the Tucson airport and the Yuma Airport.

In Yuma, Granite is constructing a new, $1.1 million commercial taxiway.

In Tucson, Granite won a $1.8 million project to expand the air freight apron at the international airport.

Architect Designing T.I. Project

Phoenix architects Devenney Group were recently awarded a contract to develop 60,000 sq. ft. of tenant improvement space for Palm Valley's Integrated Systems.

IBC Southwest is the construction manager and Johnson Carlier is the general contractor.

Ballroom Renovation and Addition Underway

Kitchell Contractors recently began construction on a 35,411-sq.-ft. ballroom addition and renovation at the Four Seasons Resort in Scottsdale, Ariz. The Resort is located on Crescent Moon Drive, east of Pima Road.

The addition includes a new 15,210-sq.-ft. ballroom with supporting areas, as well as a renovation of the spa retail area, meeting boardrooms and function terraces.

Kitchell, serving as construction manager/general contractor, will complete the ballroom in late December. The architect is Hill Glazier Architects of Palo Alto, Calif.