By Gary Nelson | The Republic | azcentral.com
Mesa is on the verge of buying a former Air Force research lab that the city believes could become a key player in Arizona’s defense and aerospace industry.
The lab was the last vestige of military presence at Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport, formerly Williams Air Force Base.
The base became a civilian facility in 1993, but the Air Force Research Lab remained in operation until Mesa began leasing it in 2011.
Mesa renamed it AzLabs.
The pending purchase nails down Mesa’s control of the super-secure facility for as long as the city wants it. Final City Council action is scheduled for Monday, Nov. 18, in a resolution authorizing City Manager Chris Brady to complete the transaction.
The lab consists of 10 buildings enclosing about 93,000 square feet on 6.5 acres just west of the airport. It is bordered on three sides by the Polytechnic campus of Arizona State University.