By Lauren Loftus | Phoenix Magazine
Downtown Phoenix gets all the attention, but these three Valley suburbs are also jumping on the downtown revitalization trend.
MESA
“In five years you’ll see noticeable differences,” says Jeffrey McVay, Mesa’s manager of downtown transformation.
The East Valley city’s renaissance is kicking off with the Valley Metro light rail expansion on Main Street from Mesa Drive to Gilbert Road, plus several large-scale projects expected to break ground by 2019: The Grid (rendering above), a $59 million development with 300 apartments and 18,000 square feet of retail, office and restaurant space; 200 more apartments and retail space at Country Club Drive and Main Street called the Residences on Main; and a new FOUND:RE arts-themed hotel with luxury apartments.
— Marilyn Hawkes
