Via City of Mesa
By Scott Shumaker | East Valley Tribune
In a rare 4-3 split vote, the Mesa City Council approved an agreement to buy the 70-room Grand Inn Hotel on Main Street and Power Road for $7.4 million for use as an emergency homeless shelter.
The city wants the hotel to house its Off the Streets emergency shelter program, currently located in leased hotel rooms at the Windemere Hotel, a mile-and-a-half to the west on Main.
Officials hope moving from leased to city-owned space would create long-term stability for what they say is a successful program that has helped cushion the blow to Mesa from a national surge in homelessness and prevented the emergence of large tent encampments like those seen in Phoenix.
With the purchase approved, the city will begin community engagement, property due diligence and plan site improvements, staff told the council.
