Townhomes are to be constructed in Mesa on a triangular piece of land north of Brown Road on the west side of Greenfield Road and adjacent to a canal.
Preliminary design for the multiple residence development on 1.9 acres recently was discussed by the Mesa Design Review Board.
The site plan is for three buildings with a total of 34 units, Staff Planner Cassidy Welch said at the meeting March 8.
“The multiple-residence buildings will range in height from two stories to three stories. The site does back up to the [Roosevelt Water Conservation District] canal. The applicant has provided parking within each unit in their private garages,” she said.
Public comment
Public comments were read into the record from two residents of the 1500 block of North Orlando who are opposed to the development.
“I am very opposed to the building of any multi-story development on this site. Having a three-story apartment complex overlooking my yard is not why we chose to move here. Not to mention the noise and crime associated with apartment residents, this will kill our property value,” wrote Walter Holt.
“I live directly behind the proposed project in a two-story home; 100% opposed of this project. The building would be 18 to 30 feet high and my fence line is 8 feet tall. The ... residents will be able to see directly into my yard and home; that is not OK. Part of the reason I purchased my home is for the mountain views and no neighbors directly behind me. The noise and traffic would increase as well,” wrote Jodi Oakes.
A one-level office building is more suited for the area, Janet Cotie of the 1400 block of North Orlando said in speaking against the development.
“I also back to the canal, which is an absolutely wonderful neighborhood,” she said. “This particular development would impinge quite a bit on our neighborhood and does not fit within the scope of the landscape right here in this area. ... So what would be best, instead of putting in a three-level — which of course is going to be looking right over our properties — is to consider putting in another one-level professional office building; that would be absolutely wonderful and I would be very happy to see that go in.”
For-rent townhomes
Tim Boyle of Time Boyle Design is the applicant. Johnstar LLC is the owner.
“Honesty, I love this design. I think we have seen several projects come out of Tim Boyle Design in the past few months and this is probably my favorite one that I have seen so far,” board member Scott Thomas said at the meeting. “There is a mobile home park directly across the street from there, so it’s going to look better than probably that.”
A mix of for-rent two- and 2.5-story townhomes are planned at 1544 N. Greenfield Road, according to a written project narrative.
“This project will raise the standard of quality projects in Mesa, featuring a pool, pocket parks, a dog park and easy access to the canal for exercise and evening strolls,” it states. “Mesa’s canals systems will become landmarks in our city. Tragically they have been ignored and hidden by development over the past many decades. This project celebrates the canals as a precious resource and treats them like rivers running through Mesa, adding shade trees, buildings and greenspaces that connect and that provide shade as well. Our goal is to one day have ‘canal view’ be a major feature on real estate listings.”
The all-volunteer Mesa Design Review Board is unique in that its composition is set by the zoning ordinance to include two architects; two from other design professions such as landscape architecture, engineering, urban planning, interior design or other design-related background; one contractor or developer; and two residents, according to the city’s website.
Richard Dyer Managing Editor | East Valley @RHDyer
Meet Richard Richard Dyer has worked at Independent Newsmedia Inc. USA since 1987, starting his career in Apache Junction as a copy editor and being promoted over the years to work as the editor of the Mesa Independent, news services editor for the East Valley office in Apache Junction, managing editor for the East Valley office, news services editor for the East Valley office and eventually also for the newspapers at INI’s then-Chandler office, managing editor again and as a news editor covering Apache Junction/Gold Canyon and Queen Creek. He helped start the Florence Independent while the news editor covering Apache Junction and Mesa news. In January 2023, he became associate managing editor for the East Valley newspapers and in August 2023 became managing editor for the East Valley newspapers of Chandler/Tempe, Gilbert, Queen Creek, Florence, Mesa and Apache Junction/Gold Canyon, while also reporting on Mesa and Apache Junction/Gold Canyon.
Community: Since 2009, he has worked as a volunteer to design The Blue Guitar Magazine, Blue Guitar Jr. magazine and Unstrung magazine, which are projects of The Arizona Consortium for the Arts; and since 2014, has been overseeing the art submissions.
Education: University of Arizona with a master of arts in journalism and a bachelor of science in agricultural communication. Also continuing education at Mesa Community College in welding in a metal art sculpture class.
Random fact: Saw his first tornado on May 31, 2010, which was classified as an EF-2, as part of a stormchasing tour group.
Hobbies: He is an artist of welded-steel sculptures, selling his artwork at juried and non-juried art shows.
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