PIMA COUNTY – The Pima County Board of Supervisors May 21 voted unanimously to set the Fiscal Year 2020 Budget limit and tentatively approve the county budget. State law requires counties to set a budget ceiling before adopting a final budget. The tentatively adopted budget spending limit is $1,310,817,540. The board may still make changes to the budget at final budget adoption, scheduled for June 18, but those changes cannot raise the spending limit set Tuesday.

As part of the budget adoption process, the board votes on several separate property tax levies and budgets that comprise the total county tax levy, tax rates and budget. The board tentatively approved all of the budgets and tax levies unanimously. They are the County Primary, Regional Flood Control District, the Library District, and the County’s Debt Service tax levies. The board also tentatively approved the budget and tax rates for the Stadium District (Kino Sports Complex) and the tax rates for about two dozen improvement districts and the Rocking K Community Facilities District.

Highlights of the tentative budget include cutting the primary property tax rate for the second year in a row, a significant increase in road repair funding, two new libraries, a new system for funding capital improvements, salary adjustments for eligible County employees and higher starting salaries for Sheriff’s deputies.

You can find a link to the tentative budget and other documents associated with budget preparation here: https://webcms.pima.gov/cms/One.aspx?portalId=169&pageId=36498

The County Administrator’s previous release about his recommended budget for FY 2020: https://webcms.pima.gov/cms/One.aspx?portalId=169&pageId=483693

–Premier, Walkable Residential Community Adjacent to New Shopping Destination in Midtown Phoenix Ready for Occupancy–

PHOENIX, AZ – High Street Residential and MetLife Investment Management announce that The Astor at Osborn is officially open and ready for occupancy. The 5-story, Class A residential building features 191 residences ranging in size from 583-to-1,358–square-feet with a 5-story parking garage. The mixed-use project is located at 7^th Avenue and Osborn Road in the heart of Midtown Phoenix, directly adjacent to The Osborn Marketplace, a 45,000-square-foot Sprouts grocery anchored shopping center.

“We are pleased to officially open The Astor at Osborn,” said Paul Tuchin, Principal with High Street Residential’s Phoenix Business Unit. “We have received a warm welcome from the community as interest in the property by potential future residents has been strong. Residents will enjoy top-notch amenities, luxurious units and the unique ability to walk next door to numerous on-site retail shops and restaurants at The Osborn Marketplace.”

The Astor at Osborn offers high-end finishes and flooring, spacious gourmet kitchens with open studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom floor plans, stainless steel appliances, optional walk-in closets, garage parking and the option for a private terrace or patio. The lobby features modern and eclectic furniture and décor with a concierge desk and leasing office with “genius bar” concept and interactive TV, including a coffee bar and interactive lounge space. Residents have access to a large club room with buffet kitchen, lounge spaces, gaming area and Wi-Fi throughout the common areas.

The property also features an indoor/outdoor connection to the outdoor amenities, which includes a resort style pool, courtyard, shaded lounge areas, fire pits, outdoor modern entertainment kitchen and grills, hammocks, yoga terrace, lush landscaping and site lighting. Interior amenities include a fitness room, bike storage, pet spa, valet trash service and a guest suite for visitors. Incorporating sustainable design elements, the development team is seeking LEED Silver certification.

The project is a part of the overall mixed-use project called The Osborn, which includes The Osborn Marketplace a 45,000-square-foot Sprouts grocery anchored shopping center. Additionally, the center offers a Starbucks drive-thru and over 12,000 square feet of retail space including Orangetheory Fitness, Jersey Mike’s Subs, MOD Pizza, Keep It Cut, Midtown Nail Lounge and Jamba Juice.

The Astor at Osborn sits ½ mile from the Central and Osborn Station for the Valley Metro Light Rail. The site also benefits from immediate adjacency to many major employers, major hospitals, desirable affluent neighborhoods, and an abundance of social venues.

Mark Taylor is responsible for the residential leasing and management.

For more information, visit theastoratosborn.com.

PHOENIX, ARIZ. – The images and video are pretty stunning: a drone flies inside a 1-million-square-foot industrial building and captures its size and grandeur. That same drone is helping market a glitzy, new office building. Other types of drones, automated industrial drones, are providing businesses a whole new level of visibility and aerial insights.

The Phoenix chapter of Lambda Alpha International (LAI) presents “How Will Drones Impact Commercial Real Estate” on Wednesday, May 29, at Phoenix Country Club, 2901 N. 7^th Street. Kathy Kim, Vice President of Marketing with Airobotics will make the presentation.

In the commercial real estate space, drone applications also include surveying, mapping, security, emergency response and inspections.

Kim’s presentation will center on how unmanned aerial systems (UAS) are disrupting and how they will impact commercial real

estate now and in the future.

The May 29 lunch event at Phoenix Country Club begins at 11:30 a.m. and ends at 1 p.m. Registration fee is $45 for LAI Arizona members and $65 for non-members. Lunch is included. Click here to register.