Western Market Reports

— By Anthony Lydon, Executive Managing Director, JLL — At $403 billion in annual gross domestic product, Arizona is now the nation’s 18th largest GDP economy, recently passing Minnesota and Indiana. With its expected growth over the next 24 months, the state is on track to become the nation’s 16th largest GDP economy, surpassing Tennessee and Maryland.  Like a shortlist of other fortunate U.S. markets, Arizona can credit a portion of this growth to its thriving logistics sector. The potential that industrial real estate offers for nearshoring — that commanding force with the power to rapidly diversify and expand a local economy. In Arizona alone, every $1 spent in the logistics industry has a $2 to $2.50 “multiplier effect” in the categories of earnings, revenue and jobs. The ability to capture that growth has been transformed in recent years by the CHIPS Act. This has provided, among other things, a 25 percent tax credit for investing in facilities that manufacture semiconductors or related manufacturing equipment. The Inflation Reduction Act has also provided more than $270 million in tax credits for clean energy projects involving solar, wind, hydrogen, carbon sequestration and EV charging. These programs played a role in attracting TSMC, …

— By Rob Martensen, Vice Chair, Colliers International — What’s hot in Phoenix’s industrial market? This is a question we get asked a lot from developers and property owners looking to enter our region.  The topic of conversation is mostly centered around the amount of space under construction in the Phoenix MSA and what parts of town are seeing the most activity.  In the past, we had submarkets that would be more or less attractive, and we would steer clients in that direction. Today, however, the entire Phoenix metropolitan area is in play for tenants and owners. Greater Phoenix has been fortunate to land several “whales,” large corporations that bring multiple suppliers with them.  Naturally, the one most talked about is Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation (TSMC) in North Phoenix.  TSMC took down nearly 1,600 acres of land to build a $12 billion chip making factory.  The company has since announced it will immediately commence construction on Phase II of the project. Intel is another chip manufacturer that has had a presence in nearby Chandler, but is now under construction on a $20 billion expansion. Both of these undertakings will continue to feed companies that move to Phoenix and support not …

DIV Industrial has seen the demand, and is delivering for Fortune 100 tenants that need to be accommodated in the Phoenix market. The Irvine, Calif.-based investor and developer just closed on 47 acres in Goodyear that will soon serve as the home of Sarival Business Park, a 847,988-square-foot, Class A industrial complex. At completion, the modern, LEED-certified business park will include five free-standing buildings ranging from 135,000 square feet to 235,000 square feet. This transaction marks DIV’s first foray into the Phoenix market. Nicholas Ilagan, the firm’s co-founder and managing partner, notes there were many attributes that attracted him to this region.  “The Phoenix MSA continues to be one of the fastest-growing metros in the country,” he says. “The region is propelled by its established infrastructure, business-friendly approach, educated workforce, and accessibility to Southern California’s port markets and the Western U.S. population. Phoenix is attracting large corporations and Fortune 500 companies that are relocating or setting up new, efficient operations, such as data centers, distribution facilities and manufacturing operations.” This includes Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, which Ilagan notes has had a “huge boost to the local economy and stimulated employment growth.” Goodyear has also drawn in larger regional and national …