By Maria Polletta | The Arizona Republic
Developers aiming to build a sprawling grocery-anchored plaza in southeastern Mesa have reduced their plan’s footprint dramatically after city planners skewered the initial proposal, saying it would squander both area resources and part of Mesa’s employment base.
Southeast Valley zoning attorney Ralph Pew had submitted a rezoning application on behalf of Whane of Mesa Limited Partnership earlier this summer, hoping to clear the way for a roughly 380,000-square-foot strip mall at the northwestern corner of Signal Butte and Elliot roads.
In addition to the grocery store, intended uses included a drug store, bank, gas station, hotel, retail and one-story offices and restaurants. The initial plan spanned about 60 acres.
