Here's a Press Release just now from the City of Mesa Newsroom
Mon 20 Oct 2018
Community workshops for southwest corner of University Drive and Mesa Drive
The City of Mesa wants to hear your ideas about the southwest corner of University Drive and Mesa Drive. The community is invited to participate in two hands-on workshops to establish project goals and provide input in the creation of master plan concepts for the 27 acres of undeveloped land in Downtown Mesa. . .
Public Information and Communications
Contact: Kevin Christopher
Tel. 480-644-4699
kevin.christopher@mesaaz.gov
Scroll down this post to read the presser in its entirety
________________________________________________________________________
Hold on just a minute! Didn't Jeff McVay, the Director of Downtown Transformation do this two years ago?
Link > https://mesazona.blogspot.com/2016/11/mesa-city-council-study-session-for.html#more
Known to the City as “Redevelopment Site 17,” the tract once contained 63 homes that the City condemned and purchased at a cost of $6 million. A group of Canadian developers planned to build Mesa Verde, an entertainment village featuring a time-share resort, water park and ice-skating rink.
After the City had already seized the homes, financing for the project fell through.[2] Now, 16 years later, the City is still considering possible redevelopment plans for the area.[3] . . . what's the current thinking and planning that's been put into an attempt to gather data from online surveys and two community meetings involving 1,873 people?
16-1223 Hear a presentation on the community and developer outreach efforts and provide direction on the future development of the approximately 25 acres of City-owned land located at the southwest corner of University and Mesa Drives.
Here's a link to the Presentation - it's 29 pages
: http://mesa.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=2884066&GUID=43ABE4CD-209F-444D-A994-DEEBB3FFA60C
What is Crandall Arambula that's been hired by the city as the urban planning consultant?
The firm announced it on Twitter yesterday:
Crandall Arambula @CA_Portland
#GilbertAZ's Heritage District is about to get even better! 
Last night, the Gilbert Town Council approved the 2018 update to the Heritage District Redevelopment Plan, outlining concepts…
The City of Mesa wants to hear your ideas about the southwest corner of University Drive and Mesa Drive. The community is invited to participate in two hands-on workshops to establish project goals and provide input in the creation of master plan concepts for the 27 acres of undeveloped land in Downtown Mesa.
The community workshops will be held
> Tuesday, Nov. 13
Mon 20 Oct 2018
Community workshops for southwest corner of University Drive and Mesa Drive
The City of Mesa wants to hear your ideas about the southwest corner of University Drive and Mesa Drive. The community is invited to participate in two hands-on workshops to establish project goals and provide input in the creation of master plan concepts for the 27 acres of undeveloped land in Downtown Mesa. . .
Public Information and Communications
Contact: Kevin Christopher
Tel. 480-644-4699
kevin.christopher@mesaaz.gov
Scroll down this post to read the presser in its entirety
________________________________________________________________________
Hold on just a minute! Didn't Jeff McVay, the Director of Downtown Transformation do this two years ago?
Link > https://mesazona.blogspot.com/2016/11/mesa-city-council-study-session-for.html#more
Known to the City as “Redevelopment Site 17,” the tract once contained 63 homes that the City condemned and purchased at a cost of $6 million. A group of Canadian developers planned to build Mesa Verde, an entertainment village featuring a time-share resort, water park and ice-skating rink.
After the City had already seized the homes, financing for the project fell through.[2] Now, 16 years later, the City is still considering possible redevelopment plans for the area.[3] . . . what's the current thinking and planning that's been put into an attempt to gather data from online surveys and two community meetings involving 1,873 people?
16-1223 Hear a presentation on the community and developer outreach efforts and provide direction on the future development of the approximately 25 acres of City-owned land located at the southwest corner of University and Mesa Drives.
Here's a link to the Presentation - it's 29 pages
: http://mesa.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=2884066&GUID=43ABE4CD-209F-444D-A994-DEEBB3FFA60C
Jeffrey McVay, AICP Manager of Downtown Transformation
Jeffrey Robbins, CPM Management Asst. II
Lucia Lopez Marketing and Comm. Specialist II
Jeffrey Robbins, CPM Management Asst. II
Lucia Lopez Marketing and Comm. Specialist II
18 November 2016
Who wants to go here to take Mesa to the next level? Is this what works for Mayor John Giles or is there another direction?
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 . . . 16 years later fast-forward to this Monday, November 21, 2016 where Director of Downtown Transformation, Jeff McVay, will be making a presentation of the results of months of online surveys and community meetings to a study session of the Mesa City Council. Real estate developers' perspectives are included also.
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 . . . 16 years later fast-forward to this Monday, November 21, 2016 where Director of Downtown Transformation, Jeff McVay, will be making a presentation of the results of months of online surveys and community meetings to a study session of the Mesa City Council. Real estate developers' perspectives are included also.
16 years ago demolition bulldozed the site, with reporter Gary Nelson calling the 30 acres " a vast scar of empty real estate" in an article from 3 years ago. With the recent rejection by voters saying NO to a sales tax hike for another bogus downtown redevelopment plan, who knows if and when another Pie-In-The-Sky plan will fly?
________________________________________________________________________ What is Crandall Arambula that's been hired by the city as the urban planning consultant?
The firm announced it on Twitter yesterday:
Crandall Arambula @CA_Portland
The team is honored to be selected for the University & Mesa Drives Conceptual Master Planning project with the City of Mesa, AZ. We are looking forward to assisting the community in creating a practical and innovative development strategy for this downtown site.
#urbanarchitectpic.twitter.com/e7tfiPLrvG
0:44
Last night, the Gilbert Town Council approved the 2018 update to the Heritage District Redevelopment Plan, outlining concepts… The City of Mesa wants to hear your ideas about the southwest corner of University Drive and Mesa Drive. The community is invited to participate in two hands-on workshops to establish project goals and provide input in the creation of master plan concepts for the 27 acres of undeveloped land in Downtown Mesa.
The community workshops will be held
> Tuesday, Nov. 13
> Tuesday, Jan. 29 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
> Eisenhower Center for Innovation
> 848 N. Mesa Drive.
Community workshops are open to the public, and all are encouraged to attend.
The City has hired Crandall Arambula, an urban planning consultant, to manage a six-month master planning and community engagement process that will produce three conceptual master plans for the property.
The City has hired Crandall Arambula, an urban planning consultant, to manage a six-month master planning and community engagement process that will produce three conceptual master plans for the property.
The three conceptual master plans will:
1 Explore development alternatives at a range of intensities
2 Provide strategies for cultivating character through land use, circulation, and public space
3 Respond to market demand and the needs of the community
4 Provide City Council with viable options and measurable data to make an informed selection of the final concept
At the end of the six-month process, City Council will select one master plan concept and use it to guide transformation of the property by a private developer or developers.
The property sits between residential neighborhoods and the historic downtown core at the southwest corner of University Drive and Mesa Drive. As Downtown's future cornerstone, the transformation of this property will play a key role in achieving Mesa's vision for a vibrant new urban neighborhood a short walk from the heart of Mesa.
Project details and meeting updates are available at www.mesaaz.gov/about-us/city-projects/downtown-transformation/university-mesa.
1 Explore development alternatives at a range of intensities
2 Provide strategies for cultivating character through land use, circulation, and public space
3 Respond to market demand and the needs of the community
4 Provide City Council with viable options and measurable data to make an informed selection of the final concept
At the end of the six-month process, City Council will select one master plan concept and use it to guide transformation of the property by a private developer or developers.
The property sits between residential neighborhoods and the historic downtown core at the southwest corner of University Drive and Mesa Drive. As Downtown's future cornerstone, the transformation of this property will play a key role in achieving Mesa's vision for a vibrant new urban neighborhood a short walk from the heart of Mesa.
Project details and meeting updates are available at www.mesaaz.gov/about-us/city-projects/downtown-transformation/university-mesa.
