Mesa officials held a ceremony Monday morning to mark the start of construction on Encore, a five-story, 81-unit independent senior living center in downtown.
The project had some critics early on as neighboring businesses expressed concern about a low-to-moderate income housing development in an area that’s trying to pick up from the recession. But officials Monday marked the need for the facility, for the city and its future residents.
“Encore on First Avenue is important housing for our seniors and allows them to become a part of Mesa’s burgeoning downtown,” council member and Community and Cultural Development Council Sub-Committee chairman Dave Richins said in a news release. “This will bring much needed housing to downtown, which is key to our new form-based code.”