260 to work at planned Boeing expansion in Mesa

By Richard Dyer
Mail | X: @RHDyer

A total of 260 employees will work at a planned 267,761-square-foot expansion of a manufacturing facility for fabrication of highly specialized carbon military parts at Boeing in Mesa.

The Mesa Planning and Zoning Board voted unanimously July 22 to approve a development plan review and special-use permit for the expansion approximately 1,700 feet north of the northeast corner of North Greenfield Road and East McDowell Road.

The single-story, 60-foot-tall addition is to be constructed on the north side of an existing industrial building. There will be three access points to the site from Greenfield Road, Planner Charlotte Bridges said during a study session prior to the meeting.

“The drive aisles will be connecting with the existing drive aisles, and then the parking areas will be shared. As part of this process ... the applicant is also requesting an administrative-use permit for a shared parking agreement or plan,” she said.

The developer has requested an alternative landscaping plan to reduce landscaping around the perimeter of the site for security reasons, Bridges said.

The special-use permit is for a height exception in the Falcon Field Airport Overflight Area No. 3 where the maximum height allowed is 40 feet.

Ally Fedor of Kimley-Horn is the applicant. Hughes Helicopters Inc., Boeing Co. and McDonnell Douglas Helicopter Co. are the owners.

An existing Boeing manufacturing facility is 158,528 square feet and currently has a maximum of 120 employees per shift, according to a written project narrative.

“The proposed Boeing manufacturing facility is approximately 267,761 square feet and is expected to have a maximum of 130 employees per shift. Both buildings will operate two shifts a day totaling a maximum of 500 employees throughout the day,” it states. “The proposed Boeing fabrication center ... will be a one-story 263,386-square-foot building for fabrication of highly specialized carbon military parts.”

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.