A Smart Growth Community on Main Street @ Sycamore.

What happened to that? Readers of this blog might wonder not only wonder about this one project, but some others that are not listed or listed on the City of Mesa's official landing page for Downtown Transformation. What can we see for ground-breaking results now?
First of all here's the official list from Downtown Transformation . Some that are listed are in need of some serious updating. One not on the list at all is the only one where work has started for Residences on Main & Mesa on the SEC of that intersection (see below)

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Residences on Main & Mesa is part of the development by a for-profit or "investment affiliate" of The Church of Jesus of The Latter-Day Saints to protect and revitalize the 4.6-acre area around the Mesa Temple.
Plans were made public in June in a press release not from the offices of Jeff McVay, the City of Mesa's Director of Downtown Transformation Jeff McVay but from The Mormon Newsroom in Salt Lake City, Utah on June 1, 2018
Please use SEARCHBOX for more posts and information.
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Not on the list: THE GRID
Please use the SEARCH BOX on this blog for more details and information
People who leave here in Mesa might know that the ground to the left off the picture has been the home of Pete's Fish & Chips for many years. To the right is the Mesa headquarters for Wells Fargo Bank. The apartment towers shown are planned to be built on top of the 3-story parking behind the Mesa Municipal Court Building on 1st Avenue _______________________________________________________________________

Drew Street Parking Lot
AZ State Senator Bob Worsley's plans for a 15-story luxury hotel-above market rate apartments is featured on the upcoming cover of Compass Magazine.
He's partnered with his AZ State House campaign manager Kent Lyon and Habitat Metro to push this out-of-scale and out-of-proportion complex to gain fast approval and developer agreements with Mesa city officials.
It's a $130,000,000 projected. More details on searchbox
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NOT MENTIONED AT ALL
Holding companies and the Caliber Wealth Creation Fund's purchase of ten commercial properties built between 1920-1954 on Main Street between Country Club and Center.
Please use the SEARCHBOX on this blog for many more details and much more information
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This has been a controversial proposition for more than two years, as well as the entire site around City Hall directly across Main Street from the International Design Award-Winning Mesa Arts Center. It's mostly parking lots for city employees, with some 1970's-era municipal buildings scattered along the perimeter.

ASU @ Mesa City Center

This is a re-do for a $200M scheme to construct "a satellite campus" that voters REJECTED two years ago . . . here's the hype the city put out:
(they forgot to state voters can choose to VOTE NO)

"Mesa City Council recently took action to bring ASU programs and classes downtown. The agreement calls for an approximately 115,000 square foot higher education facility on City-owned land on the northwest corner of Pepper Place and Centennial Way.
The programs and classes make up the new ASU @ Mesa City Center. Areas of study include digital and sensory technology, user experience design and film and media arts. These programs utilize augmented reality, virtual reality, artificial intelligence and 3D design. The technology developed through these programs can impact the medical, aerospace, manufacturing and entertainment industries, as well as support tech start-ups and entrepreneurs. The new building is expected to open for students for the fall semester of 2021.

The City of Mesa's finances don't look a whole lot more stable they were in 2008. And the debt pile is even bigger. For spinning the projected budget, estimates, and using impact studies done by ASU to justify this project here A PINOCCHIO!

"The project budget is $63.5 million and will be funded by City revenues. ASU will contribute $10 million towards the interior build-out and be responsible for all ongoing operations and maintenance costs, currently estimated at $1.3 million.

Along with the ASU building, the City is designing Mesa City Center as part of a burgeoning downtown innovation district.

The first phase is made up of a 2-3 acre gathering space called The Plaza @ Mesa City Center and an adaptive reuse of Mesa’s first library at the southwest corner of First Street and Centennial Way into The Studios @ Mesa City Center. The Studios will allow the collision of ideas between industry leaders, entrepreneurs, students and the public.

The design phase for these projects will begin in early August. . . "

ASU @ Mesa City Center by the Numbers:

115, 000 sq ft new build
1,500 sq ft commercial space
5 stories
Technologies: Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, Artificial Intelligence, 3D Design
25 annual Mesa scholarships
Project budget $63.5m
ROI estimated at >$7m annually
Open Fall 2021

Presentation to Mesa City Council May 10 Study Session: ASU Impact Data

Presentation to Mesa City Council February 15: Intergovernmental Agreement with Arizona State University

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Country Club & Main
Infamous eminent domain wrecking-ball that's left an empty scar for over ten years in a prominent intersection here in Downtown.

The Vision

The vision for this site is a high intensity, modern, urban development that contributes to an active and livable downtown Mesa and complements the community’s vision.

The future development will capitalize on its prominent location by announcing entrance into downtown Mesa and by providing enhanced street-level amenities that promote resident/pedestrian activity.

The proposed mixed-use project will include 200 market-rate rental units and approximately 20,000 SF of commercial space.

The City Council has signed an MOU with the developer and the City is working on the development agreement. Construction is anticipated to begin in 2018.

Development Proposal

Summary & Conceptual Plans [PDF]

Request for Proposal [PDF]

Staff Presentation to Council [PDF]

Design Team Presentation to Council [PDF]

Video of Presentation to Council

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University & Mesa Drive
Another infamous eminent domain wrecking-ball that demolished 60 homes more than 25 years ago. Site 17

The period for feedback has closed and the public survey results have been compiled and presented to the Mesa City Council. We would like to thank everyone who participated. We received nearly 2,000 online responses and exceptional participation at our public meetings.
The City will be hiring an urban design consultant to develop a vision and prepare conceptual master plan(s) consistent with the Guiding Principles below.
The conceptual master plan(s), along with market feasibility analyses, will become the basis for developing the property.
Future development of University and Mesa Drives:

Provides a significant market-rate residential component (for sale and rental)
Develops in an urban form
Is sensitive to the Wilbur Historic District
Provides a variety of building types and uses
Provides high quality design and construction
Activates and supports the downtown core
Provides a connected pedestrian environment
Provides neighborhood supporting non-residential uses that complement downtown core

UPDATE ON

Development of the vision and conceptual master plan(s) will be an open and public process, in which we encourage all interested people to participate. Updates on the conceptual master planning process and how you can participate will be posted on the

Downtown Transformation

page as they become available.

Background Information

Watch the presentation

to the City Council at the November 21, 2016 Study Session

Staff presentation to Council on November 21, 2016

[PDF]

Watch Council's discussion

at the February 25, 2016 Study Session

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Downtown Facade Improvement Program

Blogger Note: Budget has mushroomed from about $90,000 to over $890,000

"The City of Mesa Downtown Façade Improvement Program, funded through a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), is designed to assist property owners and tenants in making improvements to the appearance of their building frontages. Commercial or mixed-use properties within the Pedestrian Overlay Area (see map below) located between Country Club and Sirrine/Centennial from 1st Street to 1st Avenue in Downtown Mesa are eligible to apply for funding to complete façade architectural design and contingent upon the City receiving future grant funding up to $50,000 towards demolition and construction costs to implement the architectural design.
Ten (10) properties are currently participating in the program.

See the

Interactive Map & Photos

to see preliminary designs for these properties, current images and historical photos.

Important Documents and Information

Forms for Selected Properties

Maps

Presentations

For questions regarding the program application and program details, contact:

Jeff Robbins
480-644-5249Jeffrey.Robbins@mesaaz.gov

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Currently under construction at 155 South Hibbert, The Artspace Lofts development has been in discussion since 2012. This building will provide 50 units of live/work space for artists and their families with rents 60% less than the median income. Units will consist of studios and units of 1-3 bedrooms. The project will include 1,450 square feet of ground floor commercial space for nonprofit arts organizations and creative businesses as well as 2,900 square feet of community space for events, exhibitions, and educational programs. The project is a Transit Oriented Development (TOD) site located one block from the new light rail corridor, major arts and culture assets and other downtown amenities.
Mesa Artspace Lofts

Construction Progress as of December 2017

The Mesa City Council Approved a memorandum of understanding in February 2018 with R3 Mesa, LLC for a mixed-use development of approximately 1.0 acres of City-owned property located near the southeast corner of West Pepper Place and North Robson at the current location of Pepper Place surface parking.
The building would host a minimum of 70 market rate and/or luxury apartments and 5,000 square feet of commercial space at street level. The 76 city-owned parking spaces will be converted to the same number of spaces in a parking structure at no cost to the City and will remain available for public use.
The apartments will be oriented towards sustainable living with most of the power being generated on-site by renewable energy sources as one of many integrated sustainable amenities.

The remainder of the deal points will be defined as Mesa collaborates with R3 to create a development agreement for the site.

View full presentation to Mesa City Council