2,400 dwellings planned in Legacy Park mixed-use development in Mesa

By Richard Dyer
Mail | X: @RHDyer

A mixed-use planned community with dwellings, offices and commercial businesses called Legacy Park is planned on 196.3 acres at the northeast corner of South Ellsworth Road and East Williams Field Road in Mesa.

The Mesa Planning and Zoning Board voted unanimously Aug. 26 to recommend the city council approve rezoning the land from light industrial to planned community district as part of a consent agenda with other items.

The mixed-use center is to have uses accessible by walking, bicycling and other transportation modes, according to a staff report from Development Services Director Nana Appiah, Planning Director Mary Kopiaske-Brown and Senior Planner Mallory Ress.

“Legacy Park is envisioned as a mixed-use destination that brings together residential, office, retail, dining, hospitality, open space and civic gathering uses within a coordinated development framework and requirements of master technical reports,” it states.

“An overall land use budget sets a maximum of 2,400 dwellings and 6.7 million square feet of nonresidential floor area for the proposed project. Additionally, along SR24, a residential limitation area is established that caps residential uses at 40% of net developable land,” it states.

The plan establishes three height zones allowing for a maximum building height of 150 feet, 94 feet or 86 feet. Maximum heights are further organized by the land uses and maximum heights: Multifamily, 86 feet; vertical mixed-use, 90 feet; commercial, 150 feet; and office, 150 feet, it states.

Susan Demmitt and Dennis Newcombe of Gammage & Burnham are the applicants, Pacific Proving LLC is the owner.

Pacific Proving LLC acquired the site in 2004 from the former General Motors Desert Proving Ground. The site was historically used for automotive testing and has remained vacant since those operations ended, according to a 219-page written community plan.

The site will include a park as well as a 100-foot-wide powerline easement along its northeastern edge along SR24, which will be kept as designated open space to provide a buffer. A multiuse trail is planned within this corridor and will extend across the site, generally connecting the northeast and southwest portions of the development, it states.

The seven-member Planning and Zoning Board conducts hearings and make recommendations to the city council on requests for changes in zoning and on required site plans. It also considers and recommends changes in the city’s long-range plans and in the municipal code concerning planning and zoning matters. Members are appointed for staggered terms of three years.

Richard H. Dyer can be reached at rdyer@iniusa.org, or on X @rhdyer. Please submit comments at yourvalley.net/letters or email them to AzOpinions@iniusa.org. We are committed to publishing a wide variety of reader opinions, as long as they meet our Civility Guidelines, https://www.yourvalley.net/civility-checklist/.

Richard Dyer
Managing Editor | East Valley

rdyer@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.