Creative Place Making > El Rancho del Arte Grand Opening

How Mesa  got the news way back when

This was a very big step for Creative PlaceMaking for the new urban downtown Mesa, apparently un-noticed by the City of Mesa News Room, not covered by Mesa Channel 11, and the Mesa City Council member whose district this is in did not bother to show up even though he was a featured guest speaker - the mayor had an excuse since he was out of town. [Sorry, folks, had to mention that]
Community Development Partners communitydevpartners.com planned and built this habitat/residential environment [featured in previous posts here on October 8 and back on March 02] through a thoughtful, human-centered collaboration that involved a team of engaged stakeholders. The project team is excited to have created this community in Mesa and thankful for the tenacity of everyone involved.
Now that the built environment has been created, attention is being turned to community activation. In pursuit of that step, a strong supportive services program is being rolled out that includes educational classes for parents and after-school programs for children, as well as community-building events.

The 66-unit residential development is a welcome addition to the emerging new urban downtown Mesa, opened 14 months after ground-breaking.
Construction on Phase 2 with 47 additional apartments of El Rancho del Arte by Community Development Partners is planned to start in the near future.
The fourteen partners include: Arizona Department of Housing, Cultural Coalition Inc, A New Leaf, Alliant, Integrity Housing, City of Mesa, NEDCO, Rocky Mountain CRC, Icon Builders, Perlman Architects, LISC, Chase, and Celtic Property Management.

Eric Paine

Once the keys were handed over to the property management company, the building was 100% leased in five days, according to remarks made today at the ribbon cutting celebration by Eric Paine, the CEO of Community Development Partners, remarking that quick response shows the strong demand for affordable housing here in Mesa that is transit-oriented and forward-thinking.
Kelly Sands,  Icon Builders "is very pleased to complete this exciting affordable housing family project along the Valley Metro Rail transit line in Mesa. Access to public transportation gives residents more choices and easier access to the workplace and public amenities. The transit orientation also supports healthier life practices of conservation and public commuting, . . "

Michael Trailor, the Director of the Arizona Department of Housing, was one of the guest speakers at today's opening when he spoke about Location Efficient Housing where access to transportation and services create job opportunities.
He commended Community Development Partners, and the tenacity of all the stakeholders for the construction and opening of this new building with all the in-place services and programs that benefit residents' families and children to create opportunities in downtown Mesa for affordable housing.
Liz Morales, Mesa's new director for Community Housing and Development, attended the ceremony along with the mayor's chief of staff. Council member Chris Glover had other commitments.

 

Amenities include ground floor inside parking, public art installations, large communal flex areas, children's after-school programs, BBQ and picnic areas and a courtyard playground in an interior 4-story high atrium, raised plots in a community garden, bicycle parking, a pool and computer center.
Everyone was all smiles at the ribbon cutting ceremony in the image to the right.