PHOENIX — A Phoenix-based general contractor recently completed the transformation of a vacant former Murphy Elementary School District building into a fully leased, unique industrial building.
Stevens-Leinweber Construction completed the Merit 27 Buckeye project in Phoenix’s emerging 27th Avenue Corridor.
The new industrial building sits on 18 acres at the southeast corner of 27th Avenue and Buckeye Road. The project spans two buildings across 256,813 square feet within a commercial area.
The City of Phoenix supported the project as part of a beautification zone initiative to add roadway capacity, improve safety and access and elevate visual appeal. There will be enhancements like new sidewalks, ADA ramps, traffic signals and street lighting.
“Merit 27 Buckeye was an exciting assignment for our team,” SLC executive vice president Erik Powell said in a Tuesday press release. “It highlights Merit’s dedication to delivering all categories of Class A metro Phoenix industrial space, including adaptive, forward-looking developments like this one. It was a great effort that has created a productive new chapter for this strategic land site.”
The project’s construction required six months of demolition, including the clearing of 12 buildings. SLC and Merit installed a new water line and meters, and during the process, allowed access to the building to the Phoenix Fire Department for critical hands-on training, according to the press release.
The new industrial buildings feature 32′ to 36′ clear height, 59 total dock-high and eight total drive-in doors, ESFR sprinklers and auto and truck parking. They also have energy-efficient LED lighting, R-38 and R-11 insulation, exterior canopies for heat mitigation and clerestory windows to increase natural interior light, the release said.
Merit 27 Buckeye is less than one mile west of Interstate 17, two miles south of Interstate 10 and four miles east of the Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway, in addition to being minutes from Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport.
