By Steve Burks | AZBigMedia
Patience (and a lot of it) is beginning to pay off for City of Mesa officials. The state’s third-largest city has long had a reputation for slow, careful development, and nowhere has that deliberate process been more apparent in the East Valley than in the downtown Mesa submarket. The area has had precious little development since the Mesa Arts Center was completed in 2005. However, that trend appears to be changing and East Valley construction projects are changing that trend fast.
Currently, there are four, large-scale developments underway in downtown Mesa with a fifth, even larger development in the planning and city approval stages.
“I think from city leadership, to the elected officials, to the city staff, they’re thrilled to see the movement on these projects and others in the pipeline,” said Bill Jabjiniak, economic development director for the City of Mesa. “It’s been a long time, but these new developments are so important. It’s like building blocks to build a very active downtown core, one that is certainly in the process of redefining itself. We’re excited and expect to see great things.”
