ENR's Southwest City Scoop: Flagstaff
Value of new construction contracts expected to increase sharply in 2021
Strong growth is forecast across all three major sectors, with nonbuilding showing the sharpest rise.
City Grill
Bryan Kuster
Senior Vice President Education Building Group, Southwest Region
McCarthy Building Cos.
Flagstaff is growing “largely from in-migration of people moving to the area or buying second homes there from elsewhere in the Western U.S., which is bringing opportunities for the local AEC community, positive economic impact from jobs and tax revenue and allowing local leadership to help guide the recovery,” Kuster says. Although some projects slowed during the pandemic, “there are strong signs that the construction industry in Flagstaff is recovering as many projects move through various stages of planning and development,” he says. “We’re seeing area leaders working to find ways to embrace the economic opportunities that the growing population brings in the form of sales and property tax revenue to deliver updated and new infrastructure.”
Kuster says that hot sectors in the area include health care, education, transportation and affordable housing. “There are and have been projects in these sectors discussed and in various stages of planning, and employment will be positively impacted by these projects moving forward.”
