Southeast Valley Development News

[nickw252]

A locally owned cider brewery is opening in downtown Mesa. This will be just down the street from Desert Eagle Brewery in an adaptive reuse building. It's great to see these types of businesses going into downtown Mesa.

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Brothers launch mission to help veterans through Mesa cider business

Brothers are opening Arizona’s 1st cider house & taproom in downtown Mesa

[muertecaza]

Artspace lofts in Mesa are coming along.

[azsunsurfer]

Mesa has so much potential (Downtown at least). I really liked the new residential development on Main closer to the Temple. This above looks nice already framed.

[Phxguy]

http://kjzz.org/content/566866/mesa-...d-use-project#

Downtown Mesa is on the ball, looking forward to design plans.

Drove down Main last night, the new projects near the Temple, El Rancho, look gorgeous! Throughly impressed by the renaissance of this sleepy suburb.

[nickw252]

Originally Posted by Phxguy

http://kjzz.org/content/566866/mesa-...d-use-project#

Downtown Mesa is on the ball, looking forward to design plans.

Drove down Main last night, the new projects near the Temple, El Rancho, look gorgeous! Throughly impressed by the renaissance of this sleepy suburb.

Sounds like a good project. There are way too many empty lots along Main Street in Mesa.

I haven't heard anything about the mixed-use tower that was proposed in downtown Mesa. Hoping the project moves forward ( https://www.azcentral.com/story/news...own/461288001/ )

[muertecaza]

Originally Posted by nickw252

A locally owned cider brewery is opening in downtown Mesa. This will be just down the street from Desert Eagle Brewery in an adaptive reuse building. It's great to see these types of businesses going into downtown Mesa.

Facebook

Brothers launch mission to help veterans through Mesa cider business

Brothers are opening Arizona’s 1st cider house & taproom in downtown Mesa

For anyone interested in this, I went and checked out Cider Corps Saturday and it is really good. Definitely worth the visit. My understanding is that they're doing sort of an extended soft opening through the end of the year, opening only on Saturdays, then they're going to reassess. But the ciders are great--prickly pear, coffee, ginger/lime a la a Moscow Mule, etc.

Originally Posted by Phxguy

http://kjzz.org/content/566866/mesa-...d-use-project#

Downtown Mesa is on the ball, looking forward to design plans.

Drove down Main last night, the new projects near the Temple, El Rancho, look gorgeous! Throughly impressed by the renaissance of this sleepy suburb.

Yeah, I'm impressed with what they've done with El Rancho, and it seems like they do great community events.

[muertecaza]

Baby steps in Mesa. Apartments on city-owned parking lot at 1st Ave/MacDonald are under construction.



Nothing that special, but I believe at least some of these are market rate, and would be the first new market rate apartments in the square mile of downtown Mesa in who knows how long.

Artspace also continues, albeit somewhat slowly.

[muertecaza]

Originally Posted by muertecaza

Pretty neat sounding development (especially for Mesa standards) proposed at roughly Mesa Dr./Main St. in Mesa:

http://www.bizjournals.com/phoenix/n...es-slated.html



See City documents here: https://mesa.legistar.com/Legislatio...tions=&Search= for more details. Basically, it looks like it would likely be commercial/retail in the parking lot east of Benedictine University, townhomes fronting the City Court garage, and apartments on top of the City Court garage.

Not sure about 3W Management, LLC though. I don't know anything about him really, but that Tony Wall guy seems to always pop up in pie-in-the-sky-type developments. I believe he was involved in the "Maxwell" development for the Catholic student housing by ASU that got nixed, and pre-recession was involved in University Square and Monti's developments that never went anywhere.

The development agreement for this proposal at roughly Main St./Mesa Dr. is going before City Council for an amendment that would alter the incentives in exchange for CO+HOOTS being involved as a tenant in the commercial space. I love this development, both because having a tenant might make the project more likely to happen and because generally having CO+HOOTS co-working space in Mesa would be a big win.

[nickw252]

Although the big courtyard and setback in the rendering looks a little suburbanish, this is still great news. Downtown Mesa is really developing and has numerous unique local business, and should continue improving especially once the light rail construction is completed. Now I wish there was some positive news on the proposed 15 story Habitat Metro development.

Phoenix-based co-working space Co+Hoots is spreading its wings and expanding to downtown Mesa as part of the planned $60 million Grid mixed-use development.

The second Co+Hoots space will be in a 13,500-square-foot nest at a project that has not yet broken ground but one that promises restaurants, offices and 500 new residents along downtown Mesa’s Main Street.

Mesa Mayor John Giles is making the announcement at his State of the City breakfast address today.

The new co-working space, at 233 E. Main St., has a planned fall 2019 opening, said Co+Hoots founder Jenny Poon.

“We believe in the city of Mesa’s commitment to transforming its downtown into a vibrant urban core,” Poon said. “We love downtown Mesa’s already hyper-localized community and believe a Co+Hoots location that will reflect downtown Mesa’s distinctive personality will be a great fit. Among many of our goals, the Mesa location will support and bring together the area’s entrepreneurial, startup and small business community, create jobs, provide free business and technology education through our nonprofit Co+Hoots Foundation, and become a major economic driver for Mesa.”

The move is not all that surprising since Poon was on a panel Jan. 18 to talk about the rise of Mesa’s innovation district.

The Grid is considered a key piece to Mesa’s plans to invigorate its downtown.

The project is planned to include a seven-story, mixed-use building, five three-story row homes, and a three-level parking garage. It’s also planned to include four stories of apartments above the Pomeroy parking garage and an additional 10 three-story row homes.

The project will have 270 apartments, 15 row homes and 20,000-square-feet of commercial and retail space.

Palladium Enterprises, a new entity from Scottsdale-based 3W Management, is developing the project.

“We believe that bringing Co+Hoots into the Grid is a game changer for the downtown Mesa business community,” said Palladium Enterprises Manager Tony Wall. “We are collaborative developers and we believe in downtown Mesa. Co+Hoots has joined us in this belief and this tremendous collaboration.”

The Grid will be built next to Benedictine University, a Chicago-based Catholic university with a downtown Mesa campus.

Co+Hoots and Benedictine University will be creating a new entrepreneurial business program that will exclusively provide Benedictine students mentorship, internships and discounted memberships, among other advantages, Poon said.

Through this collaboration, Co+Hoots will be able to support individuals’ entrepreneurial journey from high school to college to startup success in Mesa, she said.

“This is a big deal,” Giles said. “We are thrilled to be welcoming Co+Hoots and the Grid to downtown Mesa. With hundreds of new residents living at the Grid, Co+Hoots cultivating a new co-working community, and Benedictine University at Mesa students gaining insight into entrepreneurship, soon downtown Mesa will be known as a dynamic and well-balanced community that thrives on innovation.”

Co+Hoots was ranked fourth among the best co-working spaces in the U.S. in May 2017, according to Inc. magazine.

Poon, who was named the 2016 Phoenix Business Journal’s Businessperson of the Year, opened the first co-working space in downtown Phoenix in 2010.

In May 2016, Poon and her husband and business partner Odeen Domingo bought a midtown building and opened a new and larger Co+Hoots space, which now houses 170 companies.

The 14,000-square-foot building at 221 E. Indianola Ave. is three times the size of Co+Hoots’ former downtown Phoenix space on Washington Street.

[muertecaza]

Originally Posted by nickw252

Although the big courtyard and setback in the rendering looks a little suburbanish, this is still great news. Downtown Mesa is really developing and has numerous unique local business, and should continue improving especially once the light rail construction is completed. Now I wish there was some positive news on the proposed 15 story Habitat Metro development.

Link to the above article: https://www.bizjournals.com/phoenix/...ion-in-60.html

Also worth noting, the big courtyard setback is an existing plaza that is part of the Wells Fargo building at the corner of Mesa Dr./Main. It's not really part of this development, except for an agreement to update the landscaping in the plaza. This project would meet the street pretty well at Main St.:

[nickw252]

Originally Posted by muertecaza

Link to the above article: https://www.bizjournals.com/phoenix/...ion-in-60.html

Also worth noting, the big courtyard setback is an existing plaza that is part of the Wells Fargo building at the corner of Mesa Dr./Main. It's not really part of this development, except for an agreement to update the landscaping in the plaza. This project would meet the street pretty well at Main St.:

Thanks for the clarification. That looks much better.

[muertecaza]

Article about struggles to develop Wrigley West plans around Sloan Park.

http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/loc...75c5569b1.html

[stutteringpunk]

Originally Posted by muertecaza

Article about struggles to develop Wrigley West plans around Sloan Park.

http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/loc...75c5569b1.html

It sucks because there's so many other things that could have been put there and used year round. It was floated as a location for a new coyotes arena, which could double as a concert venue when there isn't a game. Even though the project is long dead, it could have been that cool waterpark that was proposed before the economy tanked.

As it stands, the giant stadium and practice fields are largely utilized for a ~3 month period, then stay closed for the remainder of the year outside the occasional event. Just goes to show how far behind Mesa is compared to Tempe's dense, multipurpose philosophy.

[muertecaza]

Article on new apartments proposed for Downtown Mesa, and includes recap of current proposals in Mesa.

https://www.azcentral.com/story/news...esa/352452002/

The Mesa City Council on Monday will consider approving a preliminary agreement with Habitat Metro — a development company known for its significant role in downtown Phoenix's upturn — to bring a multistory apartment complex to downtown Mesa.

This is Habitat Metro's second proposed development in downtown Mesa. The developer also is hammering out a development agreement with the city to bring a 15-story apartment and hotel behemoth that would be the tallest building in downtown Mesa...

The developer has its eye to build on a city-owned parking lot on the southeast corner of Pepper Place and Robson Road...

Project renderings in city documents show a five-story apartment building with space for commercial businesses on the ground floor, along with parking. The developer wants at least 70 market-rate, luxury apartments within the building and 5,000 square feet of commercial space.

Sprague estimates that the development will cost $25 million to $27 million...

The agreement would also require the developer to create at least 76 public or permit parking spots for the city.

Lot is the "Purple Lot," here: https://www.google.com/maps/@33.4158.../data=!3m1!1e3

Article says 5 stories, but I count 7? I think it's two stories of commercial/parking with 5 stories of apartments above. Either way, I'm hoping that there will be a critical mass of proposals in Mesa that results in at least a few of them being built. This proposal is exactly what I'd love to see in Mesa--develop mixed use multifamily on the plentiful public surface parking just north and south of Main St., and incorporate the public parking into the building garages. Seems like a win-win. This lot in particular would be a great spot--I.D.E.A. museum across the street, breweries and coffee a stone's throw away.

[muertecaza]

Also, Mesa is giving ASU a second try, this time apparently without raising taxes. Hopefully this works out--if they can do it without raising taxes, all the better.

https://www.azcentral.com/story/news...ams/348017002/

A proposed Arizona State University development could bring programs in film, media, gaming, virtual reality and more to downtown Mesa.

Mesa City Council will consider entering into an intergovernmental agreement with the Arizona Board of Regents on Feb. 26, according to city documents.

While the project is in the early stages of discussion, officials outlined a proposal showing that the first phase of the project could include a five-story building on the northwest corner of Pepper Place and Centennial Way. That city-owned land is currently a parking lot, next door to Mesa's City Council chambers.

The project's cost, its burden on public-safety resources and what potential tax breaks ASU would receive, are unclear...

The university development is the linchpin in Mesa Mayor John Giles' plan to transform downtown.

"Absent an anchor like ASU, we will continue to tread water in downtown and won’t make any meaningful progress," Giles told The Arizona Republic...

At Mesa's Feb. 15 City Council study session, Jeff McVay, downtown transformation manager, said this proposal is about half the size of the development laid out in the 2016 proposal.

In the proposed plan, the initial building, at 100,000 to 125,000-square-feet, would host a minimum of 750 students and 40 staff members, including faculty, within the first five years. An "innovation studio," would also re-purpose the city's existing IT building on East First Street and Centennial Way.

Mesa would be responsible for constructing the "shell" of the building, Giles said. Then, it would be up to ASU to outfit the building with design elements and technology.

Under a 99-year lease, ASU would rent the space for $100,000 a year and reimburse Mesa for the salary of a city facilities manager.

The proposed project, laid out in a recent presentation to City Council, encompasses optional, future phases:

A second 60,000 to 75,000-square foot building on Main Street on the Mesa Arts Center property, with a minimum of 1,500 students. Another five-story building on Pepper Place with a minimum capacity for 2,000 students, which would either expand existing academic programs or create new programs...

The city hasn't calculated construction costs of the first building, according to Giles. The mayor wants to assure residents that the money won't come from raising taxes.

ASU will be a "meaningful financial partner," he said, and other money will come from existing revenue sources like utilities and economic development fund bonds...

[combusean]

Good lordy. What a confusing mandate Giles must have. Wants to transform downtown, but the electorate can barely pass a sewer bond.

[muertecaza]

Originally Posted by combusean

Good lordy. What a confusing mandate Giles must have. Wants to transform downtown, but the electorate can barely pass a sewer bond.

You don't know the half of it. Just finally got around to watching the City Council video debating the ASU intergovernmental agreement. People opposing ASU downtown included the police (angry because they aren't getting the money instead of ASU, and vividly recounting an officer-involved shooting as the reason they deserve the money), people generally opposed to apparently any expenditure of public funds, Benedictine University (also downtown with their hand out, asking for the same deal ASU is getting), etc. The deal passed, but only just, 5-2.

[Phxguy]

https://azbigmedia.com/caliber-buys-...sa-a-makeover/

Things continue to heat up in downtown Mesa!

[nickw252]

Originally Posted by Phxguy

https://azbigmedia.com/caliber-buys-...sa-a-makeover/

Things continue to heat up in downtown Mesa!

Similar article in East Valley Tribune. I really hope the Habitat Metro development gets started soon and more younger, educated, and artsy people move into the area. I have a multi-family building right outside of downtown Mesa and I'd love for the neighborhood to see a renaissance similar to Melrose. My building is in an area with lots of mid-century buildings and a mix of multi-family and single family homes. Seems like the area may be right on the cusp of a turning point.

Despite locking down an anchor tenant in ASU less than a week ago, Mesa’s plan to revitalize its downtown is already making strides as a major developer recently made a significant investment in eight buildings in the area.

Caliber, The Wealth Development Company purchased eight buildings comprising nearly 100,000 square feet in downtown Mesa for $7.5 million. The company is partnering with Habitat Metro, the Phoenix multifamily developer that has plans in place to build two high-end apartments in downtown Mesa.

Caliber praised Mesa’s investment in downtown as the city “made intelligent and forward-thinking decisions to revitalize the downtown area, with the light rail, Mesa Arts Center, road and walkway improvements, and similar efforts,” Caliber Executive Vice President Roy Bade said.

“(Caliber sees) the obvious, which is that downtown Mesa is a good investment,” Mesa Mayor John Giles said. “And so, for the last year, they have been out knocking on doors saying, ‘What do you want for this place?’”

Giles said Caliber already is in the process of acquiring more buildings in addition to the eight it already purchased.

Habitat Metro, the company behind the Portland on the Park apartments and FOUND:RE hotel in downtown Phoenix, agreed to a memorandum of understanding with the city of Mesa in July 2017 to develop a high-rise building to the west of the Mesa Arts Center featuring 75 upscale apartments and 75 hotel rooms.

The company recently agreed to another memorandum with the city to develop a mixed-use property featuring 70 high-end, sustainability focused apartments on the current site of the city-owned Pepper Place Parking Lot southeast of the intersection of Pepper Place and Robson.

The buildings recently purchased by Caliber are in the heart of downtown Mesa on both sides of Main Street roughly between Robson and MacDonald. The buildings include a mix of vacant and occupied properties that currently house a range of retailers, including Antique Plaza, Surf & Ski Enterprises and Old Brick House Vintage Market.

Those current occupants do not seem to fit in with Caliber’s desired tenants, which include restaurants and entertainment venues.

The company already has plans to put a rooftop restaurant at the historic J.J. Newberry Company Building, 114 W. Main St., according to a press release.

That building was built in 1948 and housed the eponymous variety store until the 1980s. It is now home to longtime Mesa marketplace Antique Plaza, whose owner, Greg Farr, said he plans to keep his business in the downtown Mesa area but “it probably won’t be here.”

Farr said he has spoken with the new ownership and is unsure when renovations will begin.

He added, “I am happy to see something happening downtown.”

Surf & Ski, a screen-printing business that has operated in Mesa for 50 years, also is not likely to remain in its current location in the historic Stapley Building, 137 W. Main St., though owner Dan Vance said he will continue operating the business.

The building originally housed the O.S. Stapley Company and was home to the Stapley Hardware Store until 1968, the same year Surf & Ski opened its doors.

“I will be moving around June, but (I’m) not sure where we’ll go,” said Vance, who took over the company last year from original owner Gary Brown. “Being in the custom apparel and promotional products industry, we’re not a business that survives because of a retail location.”

Maricopa County Recorder’s Office records show that Brown owned the building and sold it to the Caliber-led group in December.

Vance said the downtown location is too big and “not ideal” for the business’ operations. He will likely move the business to a flex or industrial location and would like to remain in Mesa.

“Surf & Ski has been in Mesa for nearly 50 years,” Vance said. “It’s been housed in different locations in Mesa over that time period, but it’s the longtime customers that have kept the business going. I’m sure that they’ll continue to support us when we move this summer.”

Caliber plans to renovate and restore the historic storefronts it owns along Main Street and have the buildings fully occupied within 12 months.

Giles said that the renovations will focus on restoring the buildings’ vintage charm and will include removing the stucco facade to expose the original brick.

“We also believe consumers are looking for authentic experiences and the opportunity to revitalize a historic downtown location was an easy decision,” Bade said.

He continued, “We love all of the historic elements, brick, signage, etc. and want to keep them in place to the extent possible.”

[muertecaza]

Originally Posted by nickw252

Similar article in East Valley Tribune. I really hope the Habitat Metro development gets started soon and more younger, educated, and artsy people move into the area. I have a multi-family building right outside of downtown Mesa and I'd love for the neighborhood to see a renaissance similar to Melrose. My building is in an area with lots of mid-century buildings and a mix of multi-family and single family homes. Seems like the area may be right on the cusp of a turning point.

Great news. I have to admit I have a soft spot for the Antique Plaza--had some good finds over the years--but I don't think I'll be too sad to see it go. And looking at the link in the earlier article, it looks like the buildings they purchased are mostly under utilized--three vintage/Antique shops, an event venue (downtown Mesa already has too many IMO), Surf & Ski and the empty lot behind, a vacant building, etc. I am a little bummed that the yoga studio closed but I think they may have been planning to do so anyway.

The one thing I hope is that Mesa is able to maintain its non-food and beverage retail. The thing I like about Mesa vis-a-vis downtown Gilbert (or for that matter increasingly Tempe) is its real retail--Milano's, Pomeroy's, jewelry store, book store, bank, record store, vinyl toy store, the Nile, DJ store, photography, hell shoe and typewriter repair, etc. Worried that a lot of those places can't handle much if any rise in rent. But we'll see.