Mission Almost Accomplished: The Radical Transformation of Downtown Mesa Into A Mormon Satellite of Salt Lake City

Six generations on from mid-1850's, there's a Latter-Day "Reconquista" here in the original One-Square-Mile. LDS Members have cornered control of the real estate market here in downtown Mesa: buying up 12 more parcels on Main Street behind-the-scenes in late 2017 and early 2018 of what they don't already own in a series of land-grabs for "wealth creation" in the distressed neighborhood  Opportunity Zone.

"The Old Donut-Hole" is now Ground Zero for rampant real estate speculation for the creation of private wealth >>>>>
Just months later (after years of planning), details for the second renovation of the Mesa Mormon Temple were announced. In a press conference in Salt Lake City, Utah on May 31, 2018. In follow-up news coverage it was made known in public reporting that there is a For-Profit part of The Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-Day Saints based on land holdings: around the temple grounds the church holds title to over 60 nearby properties - in the admittedly run-down historic district - separate from those devoted to the practice of religion.
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BLOGGER NOTE: Don't get me wrong, dear readers, religions and churches can be good things for people who need them - in the plurality of many faiths they enrich our spiritual lives and provide a kind of moral compass
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View to the southeast of the mixed-use proposal, with
"Mesa-Unique Architecture" ???

Massive Mesa Mormon Temple Make-Over Plan could transform downtown Mesa
- East Valley Tribune Report by Jim Walsh reproduced by Rose Law Group Reporter 
"An extensive renovation of the iconic Mesa Arizona Temple has the potential of becoming a catalyst for the transformation of the city’s downtown. Using Pioneer Park* and the revamped Temple as its anchor, that transformation could attract an unparalleled revival, said Maricopa County Supervisor and East Valley Partnership President Denny Barney.

Iconic figure from Monopoly

“We’re talking about tens of millions of dollars in private investment down there,’’ Barney said. “I think this will be a catalyst for future investment. . .
* Blogger Footnote: The original Parks Bond budget approved figure for the renovation of Pioneer Park was $5.9 Million dollars that somehow doubled to $12 Million$ while the eastward Gilbert Road Extension of Valley Metro Light Rail Service was in-progress. One public report stated that the architect for the temple's redevelopment area 'worked with' planners, possibly for the underground installation of city-owned utilities infrastructure.
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Reporter Jim Walsh frames his take on the story like this: (it is) . . . " a classic confrontation between neighborhood revitalization and historic preservation with a landmark of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at the center. . . " It's way more than that!
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Here's this report in The Salt Lake Tribune June 7, 2018
THIS WEEK IN MORMON LAND: Plans for 'City Creek South' Unveiled
(Courtesy Intellectual Reserve Inc.) Plans have been announced to redevelop 4.5 acres of land near the Mesa Arizona Temple. This rendering offers a southeast view of the mixed-use community.
City Creek South? You could call it City Creek South or City Creek Lite.
By David Noyce  ·  Published: 3 days ago Updated: 2 days ago
The real estate investment arm of the LDS Church has announced plans to erect a new mixed-use development near the faith’s Mesa Temple, which is being renovated.
The Utah-based church completed a similar — albeit much larger — project in the heart of Salt Lake City with its City Creek Center.
The Mesa makeover, covering 4.5 acres along a light rail line, would include 12,500 square feet of ground-floor shops, 240 apartments, 12 town homes, 70,000 square feet of landscaped open space and underground parking.
“We’ve been planning this project for years,” Matt Baldwin, real estate development director for City Creek Reserve, said in a news release.
 “We’ve talked with city and county government leaders, city planning staff and other local developers. We want to enhance and beautify this block, but we also want to make sure what we’re proposing is what downtown Mesa needs.”
Blogger Note: Did they talk with or get any input from the public???

It is, according to a former Mesa city manager.
“What CCRI has envisioned is exactly right for downtown Mesa right now,” Mike Hutchinson states in the release. “… This project will bring renewed vitality to this key block on Main Street.”


The Arizona Republic has reported that not everyone is pleased with the redevelopment proposal for the admittedly run-down historic district. . .  
Link > Salt Lake City Tribune/Associated Press 07 June 2018