New $90 Million Cancer Center Announced

Banner Health and The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center will create the M. D. Anderson Banner Cancer Center at Banner Gateway Medical Center, located at US 60 and Higley Road.

The center is scheduled to open late in 2011 and will be anchored by a 120,000-sq-ft cancer outpatient center and supported by 76 patient beds on two floors inside of Banner Gateway.

Services will include medical oncology, radiation oncology, surgical oncology, pathology, laboratory, diagnostic imaging, as well as other supportive clinical services. M. D. Anderson will have clinical oversight for all aspects of care delivery.

The anticipated groundbreaking for the outpatient center is late 2009 or early 2010. The architectural firm for the project is Cannon Design and the general contractor is DPR Construction, Inc. The center will be modeled after M. D. Anderson's Houston outpatient clinics that feature individual areas for specific cancers. This center represents a $90 million project that will be funded by nonprofit Banner Health through bonds.

This project represents M. D. Anderson's most comprehensive extension of its patient care outside of Houston. For Banner Health, the center is its largest collaboration.

PB Designing Upgrades to Lake Pleasant Parkway

The City of Peoria has awarded a contract to Parsons Brinckerhoff (PB) to prepare a design concept report update for upgrades to Lake Pleasant Parkway.

The project entails transforming a 4.5-mi section of the parkway from a two-lane roadway to a six-lane urban arterial. The new facility will provide vehicular connections to the SR 303/Lake Pleasant Parkway interchange as well as intersection improvements with SR 74.

As the prime consultant, PB is responsible for roadway alternatives analysis, structural analysis for two grade-separated bridges, hydrologic/hydraulic analysis, environmental planning, traffic engineering and land use planning. The firm will prepare an application for right-of-way land acquisitions from the Arizona State Lands Department and will also be responsible for coordinating an extensive public outreach program.

New Maryvale Pool Opens

A new 3,000-sq-ft City of Phoenix pool house opens this summer.

City of Phoenix Pool House, Maryvale

The new building replaces an outdated original pool house adjacent to the new Palo Verde Library for the Community of Maryvale. The design/build team of architect Holly Street Studio and contractor Brignall Construction Co. completed the $1.5 million project last month. The new building was designed to tie in with the existing campus architecture of the adjacent Palo Verde Library and Recreation Center.

Maryvale Pool serves the community for recreation, swim/water safety lessons and aquatics teams. The project, which broke ground last October with the demolition of the old pool house, includes ADA accessible changing rooms, a new guardroom, manager's office and storage. The swimming pool, in good shape, was to remain protected during construction. The building also has shaded outdoor spaces, shaded by colorful canopies with the added benefit of built-in benches and lounging platforms.

Sustainable features include the use of photovoltaic solar panels above the main canopy, recycled materials for benches and decking, natural daylighting, natural ventilation, low-e glass at window systems, and low VOC coatings and paints.

Concord to Build Rock Point Church Campus

Concord General Contracting has been contracted by Rock Point Church to build phase one of their new campus in Queen Creek. Working as a team with Todd & Associates, Concord will be building a new 32,000-sq-ft multipurpose building including a worship sanctuary, youth rooms and information center. Keeping with the agricultural location of the project site, horse trails will surround the entire 30-acre site.

The multipurpose building is phase one of several phases for the new Rock Point Church Campus. The $8 million facility is projected to begin construction in the first quarter of 2010.

Construction Begins on Mountain Ranch Marketplace at Estrella

Construction is underway on Mountain Ranch Marketplace. Located at the main entrance of Estrella, a master-planned community on the northwest corner of Estrella Parkway and Elliot Road, the 22-acre shopping center will be the development's first retail center. It will provide 165,000 sq ft of grocery and retail space when completed. The first phase will contain approximately 109,000 sq ft.

Anchored by a 49,343-sq-ft Bashas' Supermarket scheduled to open in November, the shopping center is a joint venture between Kitchell Development and Newland Communities. In addition to Bashas', a number of other retailers are locating in Mountain Ranch Marketplace, including Mini-Skool Early Learning Centers, Chase and Walgreens.

The shopping center is designed in the cottage-bungalow architectural style, characterized by low-pitched gabled roofs, rectangular composition and deep overhanging eaves. Signature elements include overlapping trellises, brick and stone accents, tapered columns and open roof overhangs with exposed rafter tails and outriggers. Rick Butler at Butler Design Group is the lead architect.

Mountain Ranch Marketplace is one of Arizona's first grocery/drugstore-anchored neighborhood shopping centers aspiring to LEED core and shell certification. Sustainable elements incorporated into the design include high-efficiency HVAC units, low-flow water fixtures and low-water-use landscaping.

Other project team members include MidFirst Bank, Kitchell Contractors, Arthur Porter Construction, Double AA Builders and Architekton.

Phoenix Receives More Stimulus Money

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced federal stimulus dollars for the city of Phoenix, committing $36.4 million for additional construction at the Tres Rios environmental restoration project.

The project will restore the ecosystem in this 8-mi reach of the Salt River, including re-establishment of native vegetation and wildlife habitat. The wetlands will work in conjunction with a regional wastewater treatment plant that currently services about two million residents in the Phoenix metropolitan area.

The additional funding means that work will continue on what will someday total 380 acres of wetlands, riparian habitat and trails at Tres Rios. When completed, the project will be a multi-purpose environmentally effective way to treat wastewater, which is sustainable and more cost effective than traditional treatment methods. The source water for Tres Rios is highly treated wastewater from the 91st Avenue wastewater treatment plant which is located on the northern bank of the Salt River.

Subaru Superstore Breaks Ground

The design/build team of Robert Brown Architects and Colton Constructors began construction on the Subaru Superstore of Chandler at the Chandler 202 Autopark. The two-story 38,225-sq-ft facility, set on 6.7 acres, will become Arizona’s largest Subaru dealership.

Subaru Superstore of Chandler at the Chandler 202 Autopark

The team worked closely with the client to create a dealership that combines not only the Subaru flagship concept, but also incorporates the spatial relationships and functionality the dealer is accustomed to. The site boasts over 400 spaces for display and inventory vehicles, as well as customer and employee parking. The air conditioned service department and detached detail building will house 16 service, five detail, two wash and two vendor bays. Access to service will be via four drive lanes under canopy.

The building’s exterior is based on Subaru’s standard imaging program. After the initial concept was established, RBA and Colton adjusted materials and elements to better adapt the facility to the climate as well as the owner’s budget. The showroom exterior consists of aluminum composite metal panels, EIFS, and a thin veneer slate icon tower and wainscot. The Service portion of the building and the detail building have been designed with charcoal split-face CMU accented by a gray vertical score CMU band as a continuation of the banding created at the showroom between the ACM panels and the EIFS. The entire facility will be covered with a spray foam roofing system resting above metal decking and steel joists.

Colton plans to complete construction of the facility in November at an estimated construction cost of $4 million.

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