Phoenix buys industrial property for Rio Salado revitalization project
The big picture: The newly acquired site will become part of Rio Reimagined, a regional project involving the cities of Avondale, Buckeye, Mesa, Phoenix and Tempe, as well as Maricopa County and the Salt River-Pima and Gila River Indian communities.
That project, which originated with a group of ASU architecture students in 1967, seeks to transform about 55 miles of the Salt and Gila rivers with projects to beautify the area and turn it into a walkable destination.
Driving the news: Phoenix last month purchased a nearly 30-acre industrial property at 7th Street and the Rio Salado, currently occupied by Ace Asphalt of Arizona Inc., from ATLAS Capital Partners for $29.5 million.
The purchase ensures the site's future integration into the city's revitalization plans and Ace Asphalt will remain on the property until the end of its lease in 2028.
Zoom in: Although no plans have been made, according to Christine Mackay, the city's community and economic development director, the existing building will likely be demolished.
The city envisions the land as an "outdoor draw-you-back-to-the-river" area that could be home to amenities like restaurants, open space, a hotel or an outdoor music venue.
The city expects to begin soliciting proposals from developers in 2027, she said.
State of play: Phoenix's portion of Rio Reimagined, dubbed RIO PHX, spans 20 miles.
The project has four phases, and the 7th Street property sits in the heart of the first phase, which runs from University Drive to 19th Avenue.
Unlike the Ace Asphalt property, much of the land along the river in Phoenix will remain privately owned while being incorporated into the Rio Reimagined project.
1 big question: Mackay said people often ask her whether the river will be filled with water, like Tempe Town Lake, with the Rio Reimagined project.
The answer is "no." The riverbed will remain dry in Phoenix.
What's next: The first segment of phase one will be the section between Central Avenue and 14th Street.
That includes the Arizona Fresh Agri-food Innovation Center, expected to include a permanent farmers market and park, and to create about 1,400 jobs.
As part of those plans, the city in October will begin relocating a flare station to burn off methane from the former Del Rio Landfill.
The city is also planning two projects along 3rd Street — a bicycle and pedestrian bridge, and a connection of the river's north bank to the intersection of 3rd and Lincoln streets.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Work-from-home push to prevent ‘rug from being pulled out' from under 1.8 million Aussies
A union is pushing for workers to be given a six-month notice period before being forced back to the office. The Fair Work Commission (FWC) is currently investigating whether changes need to be made to the Clerks Award, a test case that could spark similar adjustments to other work contracts across the country. The Australian Services Union (ASU) believes staff deserve to have the right to work from home (WFH), but if circumstances change, they need to have enough time to get their affairs in order. ASU national secretary Emeline Gaske said this clause would be essential to workers who might have certain commitments. 'A fair notice period is a critical protection that recognises the reality of people's lives. For many people, particularly women, working from home is deeply integrated into how they manage their family and caring responsibilities. RELATED Work from home shift for millions of Aussies as 'clear link' with salaries revealed Centrelink reveals 'common misconception' about $1,732 pension payment Aussie mum turns dirty laundry from side hustle to $8 million business 'Suddenly removing that arrangement isn't a simple change – it pulls a thread that can unravel a family's entire routine. "It means finding new after-school care where there are often long waiting lists, rearranging transport, or finding alternative support for an elderly parent.' Big-name companies like Amazon, Woolworths, and Coles have told staff they have to return to the office after several years of WFH only have to come in a few days, while others now have to come back from Monday to Friday, as it was before the pandemic. Some offices have adopted a staggered approach to give workers time to adjust, while others have only been given a few weeks to go from full WFH to being in the office full-time. Gaske wants to prevent that latter circumstance from happening to people on the Clerks Award, as the union believes employers shouldn't be able to 'pull the rug out from under their employees'. What is the union's submission for WFH rights? The ASU has submitted its proposal to the FWC over how WFH rights should operate for the roughly 1.8 million workers on the Clerks Award. At the moment, these workers have the right to make a WFH request and explain why they should be allowed to do it. But this is only available to workers who have been with their employer for at least 12 months and are pregnant, a parent, someone with a disability, over the age of 55, a carer, or someone experiencing domestic violence. The ASU wants there to be a built-in presumption that when a staff member applies to work remotely, it will be approved. The employer and employee would have to try to reach an agreement to accommodate the staff member's request, and if that can't be done, then the worker would need at least 26 weeks' notice before returning to the office. This would also apply to employers seeking to vary or pause a worker's current WFH setup. Why is this happening? An ASU survey recently found a whopping 98 per cent of respondents felt WFH rights were important or extremely important to them. A separate poll of nearly 8,500 Yahoo Finance readers discovered 59 per cent would leave their job if they couldn't work from home. New research from Roy Morgan also found 46 per cent of employed Australians work from home at least some of the time, with that figure rising to 51 per cent for full-time workers. The union said this should serve as a wake-up call for bosses that things have changed massively since 2019. 'Working from home is now a permanent feature of the modern Australian workplace, and our submission will make it clear that the location of work does not diminish its value,' Gaske said. The ASU's submission comes after other groups have proposed to the FWC that WFH rights could continue to operate, but workers might have to give up certain work perks like penalty rates, minimum hour requirements, overtime pay, and rest breaks. Major fight for WFH rights across the country The Clerks Award covers roles such as administrative assistants, receptionists, and bookkeepers. HR expert Lara Nercessian told Yahoo Finance a lot is riding on the FWC investigation, as it could start a domino effect with other work contracts. "A lot of businesses and organisations are going to be quite apprehensive in terms of the way that this unfolds," she said. "After their significant efforts and attempts to get people back into the office full-time, I think a lot of organisations may see it as undoing the work that they've done." But this also comes at a time when moves are being made to protect WFH rights for all workers in two Aussie states. The Victorian government wants to enshrine a legal right for employees to WFH at least two days a week. It's the first attempt at a state-wide mandate for public and private sector workers who could reasonably do their work from home. The South Australian Greens are also preparing a bill that could grant public sector workers the right to work from home at least one day a week. But state Premier, Peter Malinauskas, has already indicated the proposal won't go very far. 'To mandate things, I think, runs the risk of having unintended consequences,' he said. 'And occasionally I think employers should have the ability to say, 'Look, we're paying you to do a particular task and this is where I need you to perform those tasks.'"
Fast Company
4 days ago
- Fast Company
Gig work could be the secret to expanding access to college
Nailah Williams discovered her path to a college degree in the most unlikely place: behind the wheel of her Uber. After years of jobs that forced her to choose between earning a paycheck and pursuing an education, she joined a program where Uber would cover her tuition for online classes at Arizona State University (ASU), where I teach. Created in 2018, the program covers tuition at ASU for drivers anywhere in the U.S. (or their beneficiary such as a child, spouse, or parent) who had completed at least 3,000 rides and met the rating requirements. With the newfound flexibility to work and study when she wanted, Nailah was able to complete a degree in urban planning while supporting herself and her family. Nailah isn't alone. Across America, changes to how we work and learn are reshaping who is able to go to college. Subscribe to the Daily newsletter. Fast Company's trending stories delivered to you every day Privacy Policy | Fast Company Newsletters The Job-Education Problem According to the National Center for Education Statistics, 45% of full-time college students have a job, and around one in four of these are employed full-time. Historically, balancing work and school has taken a heavy toll. Past research found that the more students worked—especially beyond 15–20 hours a week—the more their grades, time spent studying, and graduation rates suffered. What happens when both work and education bend to fit students' lives, instead of the other way around? To find out, my colleagues Spencer Perry, Basit Zafar, and I studied the unique partnership between Uber and ASU that funded Nailah's tuition. We analyzed data for hundreds of participating students and thousands of their classmates. The results were dramatic. Unlike in traditional jobs, participating students could take on more work hours with almost no impact on their grades (and vice versa). When students increased their study time by 10%, their work hours dropped by just 1% and their income, tips, and performance ratings barely changed. They passed their classes at about the same rate as a matched group of similar students attending classes in-person. Even more remarkable was who these students were. The initiative opened up ASU's online courses to a whole new population. Nearly half of participants were not in college before enrolling in the program. Their average age was 39, a full 14 years older than the typical ASU online student. They were more racially diverse, had higher financial need, and were more likely to be first-generation college students. Yet they harbored the same high expectations for their degrees and the resulting career and financial benefits. The Power of Flexibility The magic ingredient bringing college within reach for these students wasn't just free tuition. It was flexibility. In a survey we conducted, program participants were three times as likely to say they'd enroll in college if work was flexible and classes were online than with traditional, rigid schedules. Our research points to a massive opportunity for more people to get a college education. As artificial intelligence reshapes the job market and economic uncertainty grows, millions of workers, young and old, need new skills and credentials. With newfound flexibility, students can earn while they learn, leveling up without taking on crushing debt. Universities that embrace this shift will capture new markets and expand their student populations. They should aggressively recruit gig workers and develop self-paced programs that can be done anytime, anywhere. They should create support systems for working students, from flexible on-campus jobs to childcare resources to time management coaching. The students are out there, driving for Lyft, delivering for DoorDash, or freelancing online, waiting for someone to make college work for them. Smart employers see the opportunity too. Companies like FedEx, Chipotle, Amazon, and Gap already offer tuition benefits. But the real winners will combine education support with genuinely flexible schedules and build partnerships with universities that allow their workers to plug into adaptable online learning. In our study, 30% of participants said they would have quit their job with Uber sooner if not for the partnership with ASU—proof that these programs help attract and retain workers. The question isn't whether flexibility will reshape education and employment—it's whether institutions will embrace the change or be left behind. People like Nailah are ready and waiting for their opportunity. More partnerships like the one between ASU and Uber can help level the playing field and offer a path to success for students who have been shut out from higher education for too long.
Associated Press
11-08-2025
- Associated Press
Resilient by Design: Xuetong Liu Drives Supply Chain Rebuilding Amid Geopolitical Instability
New York, United States, August 11, 2025 -- As geopolitical tensions rise and trade dynamics shift unpredictably, small U.S. importers are reengineering their supply chains. Moving beyond just-in-time logistics and single-source suppliers, they're embracing resilience through diversification, predictive analytics, and flexible logistics designed to thrive under uncertainty. In response to years of disruption, small importers are investing in strategic redundancy and agility. Their goal: not just to survive global instability, but to emerge stronger and more competitive. A major step has been the geographic diversification of suppliers and warehousing. Once reliant on China, importers are now turning to Vietnam, India, and Mexico. Many are also adding warehouses in North America to speed delivery and reduce long-haul transport risks. This shift is backed by research. The 2025 article Warehouse Location Selection and Transportation Cost Control in Performance Network Optimization, published in Economics and Management Innovation. Author Xuetong Liu shows how GIS analysis and real-time traffic data help firms cut delivery time and shipping costs. Companies using AI-driven path optimization reported faster deliveries and cost savings of up to 18%. Liu holds a Master's in Industrial Engineering Management from ASU and is APICS CSCP certified. With 10+ years at Fortune 500 firms, her work connects supply chain theory with real-world execution—especially valuable for smaller companies facing tight budgets and high stakes. Another major trend among importers is a shift from just-in-time inventory models to hybrid models. Businesses are holding more safety stock for critical SKUs and placing inventory closer to demand. Many now rely on AI-powered forecasting tools. In her 2025 article Enhancing Inventory Forecasting Accuracy and Optimization Using Machine Learning, published in the European Journal of Business, Economics & Management, Liu reports that machine learning reduced inventory mismatch by 27% and improved forecast accuracy by 19%. LSTM models outperformed traditional ones, with average MAPE dropping to 6.8%, and to 6.1% when factoring in weather, holidays, and promotions. These advances help companies avoid overstocks and stockouts while managing volatility. Logistics agility has also become essential. Many small businesses are abandoning rigid transport contracts in favor of 3PLs who can adjust modes and routes dynamically. Blending ocean, air, and rail helps navigate bottlenecks and disruptions. Liu's model leverages IoT and GPS data for dynamic path planning; one approach using reinforcement learning reduced lead times by 12–15% and cut operating costs by up to 10%. As U.S. trade policies shift, tariff and compliance management is critical. Importers are tracking tariff codes, switching origin countries, and working with customs experts. Liu notes that firms with flexible sourcing contracts and adaptive logistics strategies are more resilient to regulatory changes. Her findings show multi-origin sourcing paired with AI-assisted customs workflows can reduce tariff-related costs by up to 22%. The message behind this body of research is clear: resilience isn't accidental, it's engineered. In Liu's words, 'The ability to absorb disruption and still deliver is now the ultimate competitive advantage.' With the right tools, insights, and mindset, even small businesses are proving they can lead the next era of global commerce instead of just reacting to it. Contact Info: Name: Xuetong Liu Email: Send Email Organization: Xuetong Liu Website: Release ID: 89166767 In the event of detecting errors, concerns, or irregularities in the content shared in this press release that require attention or if there is a need for a press release takedown, we kindly request that you inform us promptly by contacting [email protected] (it is important to note that this email is the authorized channel for such matters, sending multiple emails to multiple addresses does not necessarily help expedite your request). Our dedicated team will promptly address your feedback within 8 hours and take necessary actions to resolve any identified issues diligently or guide you through the removal process. Providing accurate and dependable information is our utmost priority.
