By Mike Sunnucks | Rose Law Group Reporter
The Mesa City Council will get an update on Thursday on city-owned land in the downtown and Main Street areas — including current and future development plans for those parcels.
Part of the presentation and discussion will entail the timing of new projects.
That includes whether to hold off on some new development deals to allow existing and current projects to get moving and test the market’s waters.
The City of Mesa owns more than 143 acres of land in its downtown core.
Of that total, 94.26 acres have been developed, 25.10 acres are used for parking and 23.8 acres are undeveloped.
There are three specific city-owned parcels downtown could eventually be developed into as many 1,798 residential units and 24,000 square feet of commercial space.
Development firms — Caliber Investments and Eco Mesa — have also specifically shown interest in potentially development city owned parcels that are now either used for parking or are vacant, according to a presentation the council will hear on Thursday.
Mesa Mayor John Giles and other city leaders have put a premium on bringing more residential development — and in turn more residents — to downtown areas.
Over the last decade, seven new development projects have come to city-owned land in Mesa, according to municipal documents.
Those have brought 694 residential units. Another 283 new residential units have been built on private land in the Main Street area.
