Mesa updates citywide redevelopment strategy, Fiesta Mall timeline

As the outer edges of Mesa see a surge in activity with first-generation employment centers, residential communities, and retail and entertainment uses, the city is taking a close look at restoring some of its existing underperforming spaces.

In an Oct. 17 study session, Mesa City Council heard an update from its redevelopment team, which has found that less than 10% of Mesa is considered undeveloped. The team reported that Mesa went through a construction boom in the 1970s and 1980s and many of those properties are nearing the end of their “useful life.”

As the city’s needs have changed over the years, the redevelopment team is seeking more optimal uses of the real estate. The team identifies priority areas, applies site feasibility criteria and determines the best use of sites.

The core team includes Jaye O’Donnell, Mesa’s economic development director; Jeff Robbins, Mesa’s redevelopment program administrator; Nana Appiah, Mesa’s director of development services; and Jeff McVay, Mesa’s manager of urban transformation. The four discussed the team’s strategy for finding new adaptive-reuse projects and pumping new life into properties that can be turned back into community assets.

The team brought up the major redevelopment of the Fiesta Mall site as an example. Appiah said the project will be heard by Planning and Zoning Board later this month and by Mesa City Council in December.

This story is posted in partnership with Phoenix Business Journal. Click to read the full story.