A planned career and technical high school campus in Maricopa has moved beyond the original land agreement and into the work needed to select a construction team.
The Central Arizona Valley Institute of Technology Governing Board approved construction-manager-at-risk selection factors and a request for qualifications for the Maricopa project on Sept. 2. During the same meeting, CAVIT reported that schematic design and design development — the first two design phases — were complete. Construction documents were identified as the final design phase after the construction manager is approved.
CAVIT continues to list July 2028 as the target for the first phase to open. That is a target, not a guarantee, and the available official record does not yet confirm a contractor award, groundbreaking date or active vertical construction.
Where the campus is planned
The City Council approved a lease with CAVIT on Nov. 4, 2025, covering approximately 5.341 acres at the southwest corner of West Madison Avenue and North Wilson Avenue in Maricopa’s Heritage District.
The City’s Legistar record describes an approximately 14,000-square-foot career and technical high school for local students in grades 11 and 12. The City acquired the property in 2020 for a police-station site, then sought another public-serving use after the police plans changed.
The approved lease is an important foundation, but it is different from a building permit or notice to proceed. The newer CAVIT board actions show progress toward choosing the team
that would work with the architect and owner during final design and construction.
What the first phase is designed to support
CAVIT’s Sept. 2 minutes describe a first phase with three classrooms and associated labs. The spaces are being designed for flexibility, with allied health, cosmetology and welding identified as possible program areas in the conceptual plan.
Those examples should not be read as a final course catalog. The City’s 2025 record says programming will be selected according to student interest and employment demand, and CAVIT will avoid duplicating career and technical programs already offered by partner schools.
That distinction matters for families. A flexible lab can support more than one training pathway over time, but enrollment rules, exact programs, transportation and daily schedules will need their own final announcements.
A public-service component is part of the concept
The City’s lease presentation also described a community-facing goal: student-managed wellness clinics that could operate on Fridays. Possible services listed in the City record include animal care, hair, nails, dental, massage, pharmacy and medical services, depending on the programs ultimately offered.
The word possible is doing real work here. No official source reviewed for this update confirms which clinics will open first, who will qualify to use them, what they will cost or how appointments would work. Those details should wait for CAVIT’s operating plan.
What the Sept. 2 action means
Construction manager at risk, commonly shortened to CMAR, is a delivery method that brings a construction manager into the project before the design is finished. The manager can advise on cost, scheduling and building methods while the final documents are prepared.
For residents, the practical takeaway is simple: the project has moved into procurement and final-design work, but the official record does not yet establish that construction has started.
The next major checkpoints are:
Selection and approval of the construction manager.
Completion of construction documents.
Confirmation of permits, budget and a construction schedule.
A public groundbreaking or notice to proceed.
Final program and enrollment information for Maricopa students.
How this fits Maricopa’s school and workforce growth
CAVIT is a public career and technical education district serving students in grades 11 and 12. Its Maricopa campus would add another piece to a broader local education buildout that includes Maricopa Unified School District projects planned through 2028.
Families comparing the different initiatives should keep their purposes separate. CAVIT’s project is focused on career and technical programming. MUSD’s Proposition 416 guide covers a district operating-budget question, while the OurMaricopa schools directory helps residents find existing schools and education resources.
The July 2028 date gives the project a clear goal. The procurement action makes that goal more concrete, but the safest description today remains planned campus moving through final design and construction procurement.
Sources
City of Maricopa, “Lease Agreement with CAVIT,” CON 25-20, approved Nov. 4, 2025; accessed Oct. 7, 2026: City Legistar record
CAVIT Governing Board, Sept. 2, 2026 meeting agenda and minutes; accessed Oct. 7, 2026.
City of Maricopa, draft Advancing Maricopa General Plan update, published 2026; accessed Oct. 7, 2026.
