The two-bay Mesa Fire and Medical Station No. 205 at the southwest corner of Greenfield Road and Diamond Avenue is to be replaced with a larger facility with three apparatus bays.
The Mesa Design Review Board on June 10 voted 5-0 to approve the look and landscaping for the public safety facility on 1 acre. Chairman Dane Astle and Boardmember Paul Johnson were absent.
The existing fire station will be removed, Planner Evan Balmer told the board.
The design review board at a May 13 meeting had one suggestion to improve the design — removing a corbel accent under the roof awning. For landscaping, the board wanted ocotillo trees to be added or moved, according to the meeting’s minutes.
“Specific to this design there were three primary comments... There were some corbel elements underneath these gable ends. The board recommended that those be removed to give it a bit of a more modern look. The applicant did remove those,” Balmer said.
The other two comments concerned the landscaping.
“The first one was these ocotillo on Diamond — the request was to move that a little further to the west so that it’s out of the shade canopy of the other trees proposed. The second request was the ocotillos on Greenfield and it was to include one on either side of the drive to kind of frame that entry. The applicant made both of those changes,” he said.
Juan Rivas is the applicant. The city of Mesa is the owner.
The new fire station will occupy the existing land at the northeast corner within the current boundary of the fire station, according to a written project narrative from Perlman Architects of Arizona.
“The single-level, approximate 11,100-square-foot fire station consists of three apparatus bays, 10 dorms, staff bathrooms, dining, kitchen, day room, firefighter’s crew office, captains offices, laundry, EMS storage, workshop, turn-out room, decon room, job task conditioning room, miscellaneous storage rooms, and general building support areas such as janitor, IT, electrical, mechanical, and fire riser rooms; as well as, exterior covered patio and covered entries,” it states.
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 H. Dyer can be reached at rdyer@iniusa.org, or on X @rhdyer. To voice your opinion on this story, connect with us at AzOpinions@iniusa.org.
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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