Daily News 9-8-2026

A handful of new battery energy storage system facilities are on tap around metro Phoenix as demand swells for power needed to operate future data centers while ensuring grid reliability. Right now, Arizona is leading the country for battery storage capacity growth, with 6.2 gigawatt-hours added in the second quarter of this year, according to a U.S. Energy Storage Market Outlook report by the Solar Energy Industries Association and Benchmark Mineral Intelligence. Two projects in the...»

State business and political leaders have been trading salvos this week over the possibility of a statewide moratorium on data center construction to address community concerns. Gov. Katie Hobbs shared her thoughts on the idea at a press conference on Thursday. “I don’t think a statewide moratorium is the answer. I think there are places where data centers make sense, and they’re an important part of the high-tech economy that we’re growing here. We need to make sure that…»

U.S. construction cost pressures are shifting from labor to materials, with construction-related commodity prices rising 13.3% year-over-year as tariffs, metals supply constraints and demand from data centers and infrastructure projects push input costs higher, according to Cushman & Wakefield’s latest Construction Insights for Global Occupiers report. The increase in commodity prices is more than 4.7 times the rate recorded a year earlier, led by aluminum at 40.9%, copper base scrap at…»

One of Phoenix’s oldest shopping centers is gearing up for a potentially major transformation. Developers are in the process of setting up a portion of Camelback Colonnade for a new 216-unit multifamily project. The owners of the complex, Federal Realty Investment Trust and RED Development, are targeting a 2.5-acre portion on the southwest side of the shopping center, which is located at Highland Avenue and SR 51. It includes an underutilized parking lot and a Phoenix Public…»

Arizona’s housing market continues to make a strong showing on the national stage, with five Valley cities ranking among the 50 best real estate markets in the country, according to a new WalletHub analysis. Gilbert leads the Arizona contingent at No. 13 nationally, followed by Surprise at No. 27, Peoria at No. 42, Tempe at No. 46 and Chandler at No. 50. WalletHub compared 300 U.S. cities across 17 indicators measuring housing-market attractiveness and economic…»