By Jim Walsh | East Valley Tribune
Despite objections from downtown advocates, the Mesa City Council approved a zoning amendment that removes an obstacle to a huge redevelopment project on a vacant car dealership site.
Opus Group, a major developer based in Minneapolis, would build the Mesa Arts District Lofts on the 10-acre site along Main Street between Mesa Public Schools and Benedictine University once occupied by Brown and Brown Chevrolet until it was demolished in 2017.
The argument over the zoning amendment centered on whether it was appropriate to exempt Opus from a rule requiring all retail on the ground floor of buildings in a downtown zoning district.
