> Scott Smith, who served as Mesa’s mayor 2008-14, believed Site 17 eventually would find its own solution.
In a 2013 interview, Smith said the city – having already waited that long – was willing to wait a while longer.
“We’re going to let things happen organically,” Smith said.
He figured the arrival of light rail in downtown Mesa in 2015 would hasten the process, and suggested the acreage might become home to one or more of the colleges that had committed to building campuses in Mesa around that time.
That didn’t happen, either.
> > >
The current mayor, John Giles, adopted Smith’s approach to developing Site 17, referring to it in 2018 as a “long-term play” whose final outcome should be worth the wait. With the agreement approved on April 5, Giles and the rest of the council seem to believe that moment is at hand.
Mesa, by the way, appears to have learned from its dalliance with the Canadian developer who came calling a quarter-century ago with big promises and empty pockets.
When a couple of young entrepreneurs asked the city in 2007 to tear up Riverview Golf Course for a $250 million water-themed sports park they called Waveyard, Mesa demanded that they put their money on the table first.
Despite overwhelming voter approval in a 2007 special election, Waveyard’s promoters never came up with the dough.
The city’s caution – born of the Mesa Verde resort debacle – meant that Riverview would be available for the Cubs. The hugely popular Sloan Park, packed to the gills with fans in non-COVID times, stands as a result.
-- END OF STORY -- No Not Quite INSERT FROM JANUARY 2019
18 January 2019
Here's an excerpt from a post on this blog site two years ago:
18 November 2016
At tonight's Mesa City Council Study Session for Monday, Nov 21, 2016,one item stands out on the Final Agenda, but first some background to put things into perspective . . .
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It's the result of bad urban planning when city officials only listened to real estate developer speculation schemes that demolished more than 60 homes to destroy a neighborhood leaving 27 acres vacant, ugly and un-used and it's city-owned. City officials now own the damage done and have hired a group of consultants who tried to transform a part of downtown Gilbert's Heritage Area.
The history here on this infamous site - and all the problems - simply cannot be ignored now. . . Jeff McVay, the city's so-called "Director of Downtown Transformation" failed miserably two years wasting time-and-money on citizen input sessions that got nowhere.
Did the community already provide input on this site?
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BLOGGER NOTE: I only attended one of the workshops two years ago, observing the domination and control by the Mesa Grande/ANA (Action Neighborhood Alliance).
Likewise, once again, at the Steering Committee the same complaint was voiced for actions by the Mesa Grande/ANA (Action Neighborhood Alliance)
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Yes! There were two community meetings and a survey conducted in the summer of 2016. After those meetings, Mesa City Council asked that a consultant be hired to create conceptual master plans for the property with more community input. The consultant, Crandall Arambula, was hired in September 2018 and has received all of the input from 2016 for review.
This is their promise to fulfill the ____ contract:
“We will provide the Mesa community with maximum value for investment. We are passionate about assisting communities through our depth of experience and research, and we are committed to the long-term success of this project. The measure of that success will ultimately be the development of a vibrant community that is harmonious with greater Downtown Mesa. We look forward to working with you.”
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What makes your MesaZona blogger turn red is this statement just a few days ago made by Mesa Mayor John Giles:
"The city is not in the business of owning remnant, undeveloped pieces of properties, . . . "
WTF????
How wrong can Giles get spouting bullshit like that with blinders on when Site 17 has been an ugly eyesore for more than 30 years. He sees only what he wants to see and lacks any vision whatsoever unless it's fed to as bait.
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Some people who attended the first presentation have told me they were "disappointed" and that's putting it mildly to say the least!
Here's a link to the workshop six weeks ago where attendees were told to only submit written comments: https://www.mesaaz.gov/about-us/city-projects/downtown-transformation/university-mesa
Slick-and-slippery: The Process
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