Mesa to officially open micro parks in Fiesta District
Oct 13, 2015, 1:20 PM
(City of Mesa Photo)
The city of Mesa will officially unveil another part of its rejuvenation of the area around the Fiesta Mall with the dedication of its micro parks Tuesday night.
The smaller-sized parks in the city’s Fiesta District on Southern Avenue were designed to make the area friendlier to pedestrians and an active urban destination.
The $2.2 million parks will feature shade structures, sidewalks and seating. They will also have light towers, which can be programmed to display different colors and patterns throughout the parks.
Mesa Vice Mayor Dennis Kavanuagh said residents have responded positively.
“People like the lights, they like the color,” Kavanaugh said. “They’re kind of amazed the landscaping we put in — the trees grew so well and grew so fast.”
The largest of the parks at Longmore Street and Southern will feature a large water fountain that will light up at night. Kavanaugh said the microparks served a purpose.
“It breaks up the monotony of the sidewalk and creates some interesting areas for people to gather, maybe street performers or just sit and watch the traffic go by,” Kavanaugh said.
The micro parks are part of the city’s streetscape project in the Fiesta District. Kavanaugh said the district was attracting new businesses to the area.