Via City of Mesa
By Maritza Dominguez | Arizona Republic
In a rare scene for downtown Mesa, more than 150 people stood in line to be some of the first customers at the grand opening of Outcast Doughnuts.
It’s a sign of changing times. The celebration for business grand openings in Mesa’s downtown will be a recurring event this summer as more restaurants, bars and residences plan to open their doors.
For both longtime business owners, city staff and downtown enthusiasts, the resurgence of downtown has been a long time coming. The downtown district is an economic driver and place maker for the city and its resurgence is has been more than five years in the making.
Jeff McVay, Mesa’s downtown transformation manager, told the Arizona Republic many of the development and lease agreements signed go as far back as 2015. Much of the ongoing construction in downtown Mesa were deals signed from 2016 to 2018, McVay said.
