A tranquil desert wash meanders through a 132-acre property Mesa owns at Thomas and Recker roads where a pleasant walk on an undulating trail offers a close-up view of several saguaros as Red Mountain looms on the horizon.
But behind this rare, expansive, beautiful property is a stormy history that includes two failed attempts to build housing and one failed attempt to build a park, fears of industrial development near toney Red Mountain Ranch, and a development company’s attempt to influence an election.
On Thursday, the city will put up for auction that huge parcel – adding a new chapter to that stormy history.
Critics question why there were no public hearings before the Mesa City Council decided to auction it after the city paid $4 million in 1998 and reserved it for a regional park.
