NexMetro Opens 26th Valley Avilla Homes Neighborhood

Avilla HomesAvilla Marigold Brings 214 Cottage-Style Build-to-Rent Homes to Buckeye
BUCKEYE, Ariz. (August 17, 2026) – NexMetro Communities, the nation’s leading developer of cottage-style, build-to-rent (BTR) home neighborhoods, is opening its 26th Avilla Homes project in the greater Phoenix metropolitan area — marking more than a decade of continuous development in the market.
Avilla Marigold features 214 single-level, mostly detached, cottage-style homes, offering one-, two-, and three-bedroom floor plans with private fenced backyards and front entries. The gated neighborhood is located at 19765 W. Thomas Road in Buckeye, Arizona, situated on 19 acres in one of Arizona’s most dynamic growth corridors. Avilla Marigold is scheduled to open later this month, and pre-leasing is currently underway.
“Avilla Marigold is well-positioned to serve both the established Buckeye community and the wave of new families arriving each year who want the lifestyle of a home without the burdens of homeownership,” said Jared Geisler, regional managing director of development for NexMetro’s Phoenix and Denver divisions.
A Milestone a Decade in the Making
Founded in 2012, the Phoenix-based company opened its first Avilla Homes community in Goodyear, Arizona, just two years later in 2014. At the time, the concept of purpose-built, single-level, detached rental homes in a gated setting was virtually unheard of in the mainstream market.
Today, the BTR sector is one of the fastest-growing segments in American residential real estate — and NexMetro has been its Valley anchor throughout. With communities stretching from Buckeye, Goodyear and Surprise in the West Valley to Mesa, Chandler, and beyond in the East Valley, NexMetro has developed more than 4,000 luxury leased homes across the Phoenix metro to meet the region’s evolving housing needs.
“We don’t open communities for the sake of growth — we open them because our market depth analysis consistently shows us where sustained demand exists,” Geisler said. “The Phoenix metro’s population, job base, and in-migration continue to generate demand for high-quality rental housing that simply can’t all be satisfied by traditional apartments. Our site selection process exists to find those pockets of genuine, durable demand, and Buckeye is a prime example.”
He said NexMetro’s decision to plant its 26th Valley flag in Buckeye is no accident. Consistently ranked among the fastest-growing cities in the United States, Buckeye has seen its population surge by more than 24% since 2020, with projections pointing toward transformational growth for decades to come. The city’s 639-square-mile planning area is still largely undeveloped, offering what few Valley municipalities can: a genuine long-term runway. (Sources: U.S. Census Bureau and Axios Phoenix)



Albers Aerospace Expands in Tucson, Arizona

Albers Aerospace~ Albers relocates and creates a manufacturing center of excellence to meet the call to action of the defense industrial base ~

Tucson, AZ (August 17, 2026) – Albers Aerospace, a next-generation aerospace and defense contractor with a strong focus on delivering warfighter-relevant products and services, announces plans to expand its operations in Tucson, Arizona.

Albers Aerospace has leased approximately 30,000 square feet of space at 3480 East Britannia Drive, Tucson, AZ. The full expansion over 3 years will add 24 jobs to the existing employment base, primarily in operations and manufacturing, with an economic impact of approximately $36 million. The facility became operational in July 2026. To view jobs at Albers Aerospace, click here.

Albers Aerospace, headquartered in McKinney, TX, offers a wide variety of services, including precision machining, CNC programming and simulation, tool & fixture design, sheet metal fabrication, complex assemblies, specialized containers, specialized surface treatments, and welding. Albers Aerospace began in 2015, growing from a solo operation into a thriving team, and in 2021 the company began expansion plans. Today, after multiple acquisitions in advanced manufacturing, CLS services and a dynamic innovation platform, Albers Aerospace remains committed to excellence, its clients and our nation.

The purchase of Tucson-based Parallel Ventures in 2025 provided an opportunity to increase proximity and collaborative presence with customers in Tucson and the Southwest, and strengthen aerospace manufacturing capabilities, ensuring the delivery of high-quality, mission-critical components to defense and commercial aerospace clients.

In addition to The Chamber of Southern Arizona, partners in the project include the Arizona Commerce Authority, Pima County, and the City of Tucson. Andrew Keim with Cushman & Wakefield | PICOR represented Albers Aerospace, and Michael Coretz with Commercial Real Estate Group of Tucson LLC represented the landlord, Britannia Tucson, LLC click here.

”We have been very impressed with the aerospace & defense ecosystem in Tucson,” said John Albers, founder & CEO, Albers Aerospace.  “Proximity to our customers, access to raw materials, good transportation infrastructure and a superior technical workforce are all critical to our strategic growth plans.”

“Albers Aerospace’s expansion reinforces Southern Arizona’s position as one of the nation’s premier locations for aerospace and defense manufacturing,” said Joe Snell, president & CEO, The Chamber of Southern Arizona. “Companies continue to choose Tucson because of our highly skilled workforce, world-class research institutions, military assets and collaborative business environment. We’re proud to see Albers Aerospace investing in the kind of innovation that keeps our region competitive on a national and global scale.”

“We’re thrilled to congratulate Albers Aerospace on this exciting expansion,” said Rex Scott, Supervisor District 1, Pima County Board of Supervisors. “Investments like this strengthen our local economy by creating skilled manufacturing jobs, expanding opportunities for Pima County suppliers/vendors and showcasing Pima County as a place where advanced manufacturers can succeed.”

“Tucson continues to attract companies that value innovation, quality, and talent. Albers Aerospace’s expansion reflects the strength of our manufacturing ecosystem and the outstanding workforce that calls Tucson home,” said City of Tucson Mayor Regina Romero. “This investment builds on Tucson’s longstanding areas of excellence in aerospace and science, and reinforces our growing reputation as “Optics Valley,” a premier city for scientific research, aerospace, and astronomy. Our technical talent pipeline will be instrumental to Albers Aerospace’s continued success for years to come.”




Brown/Worden Properties Completes Two Separate Land Sales in Tucson for $5.8M

Land Sales

TUCSON, ARIZONA (August 14, 2026) — Brown/Worden Properties (April Worden, CEO) sold two separate Commercial/Industrial land transactions. Brown/Worden is the largest family-owned, woman-led owner of self-storage in the Tucson metro market, operating under the A Family Storage brand. The company is also very active in mixed-use commercial, industrial, and multi-family development across multiple markets. They continue to be one of the more active investors across the Tucson market in several asset classes.

Circle K Site — La Estancia-SWC of Kolb Road and Camino Boleadoras

Ruby Holdings, LLC (April Worden, Manager) sold a +/-69,500 SF commercial parcel located at the southwest corner of Camino Boleadoras and Kolb Road to Circle K for $1,500,209. The site sits at the entrance to the La Estancia MPC, along the heavily trafficked Kolb Road corridor near I-10, southeast of Tucson.

Worden originally acquired the larger +/-50-acre assemblage at this intersection in October 2022 through WAA Investment Holdings, LLC. The original plan was to hold the property for development. The Circle K sale represents a continued build-out of that original acquisition. The property is zoned favorably for commercial and high-density residential uses.

66 Acres Sold at Rita Ranch — NWC of Rita Road and Old Vail Road

In a separate transaction, Ruby Holdings LLC (April Worden, Manager) sold a key corner parcel along the sought-after Rita Ranch industrial corridor. The +/-66 acre site is located at the northwest corner of Rita Road and Old Vail Road and sold to VAZ Rita Ranch 66, LLC for $4,337,647. The buyer is a subsidiary of Scottsdale-based Vaulter Real Estate Investments of Scottsdale (Auggie Gomez, Principal Partner and CEO). Vaulter has been active and strategic with their land investments in the Tucson area over the past decades.

Will White and John Carroll of Land Advisors Organization in Tucson represented Brown/Worden in both transactions and have the marketing assignment for the balance of the Kolb Road property at La Estancia.

“April is one of the best in town at sourcing land early in the cycles and holding these investments,” White commented.  “She buys well-located parcels with solid zoning and all of the infrastructure to the site. As it gets more difficult to locate these ready sites, they become streamlined opportunities for the new buyer to take them to the next level. These are both great locations.”

Source: RED Comp #12632 and #12649