Board recommends council approve 155-unit housing subdivision at SR24, Meridian

By Richard Dyer
Mail | X: @RHDyer

A 155-unit, single-residence development called Haven at Destination is to be constructed on 28 acres at the northwest corner of South Meridian Road and State Route 24 in Mesa adjacent to the city of Apache Junction.

The Mesa Planning and Zoning Board on March 25 voted 6-0 on two items to recommend the Mesa City Council approve the development. Boardmember Genessee Montes was absent.

The board voted on a major general plan amendment to change the placetype from urban center to mixed residential for the property and also on rezoning the land from general industrial to small-lot single residence 2.5 with a planned-area development overlay and approval of a residential product.

The development is to be accessed from Meridian Road on the north side of the site. Secondary emergency access from Meridian Road is in the approximate center of the site, and a network of pedestrian paths and sidewalks are to connect the lots to community open spaces, amenities and Meridian Road, Senior Planner Mallory Ress wrote in a staff report.

There are to be 310 private garage spaces. The driveway provided at each lot is large enough to fit two vehicles, providing residents with additional off-street parking options, it states.

Four two-story product types are proposed for 39-foot-wide lots, each with three different elevations. Two single-story product types are proposed for 50-foot-wide lots, each with six different elevations, it states in the staff report.

“The two-story product includes front porches, a covered rear patio, three or four bedrooms and a two-car garage. The single-story product includes covered front entries, a covered rear patio, three bedrooms and a two-car garage,” Ress wrote in the staff report. “The two-story product will have the ability to be placed at the front setback or 3 feet behind it, allowing for variation in home placement along the street. The single-story product will need to be placed at the front setback line; however, the single-story lots are not adjacent to each other so their uniformity in placement will not be noticeable,”

Sean Lake of Pew and Lake PLC is the applicant. The Cubes at Meridian 24 LLC is the owner.

Homes are to be designed in Spanish, craftsman and farmhouse styles, it states in a written project narrative.

“Spanish-style residences incorporate traditional elements such as arches and articulated porch and garage openings. Craftsman and Farmhouse styles utilize increased column sizes, expressive roof forms, accent materials and decorative features including corbels, shutters, and wainscot treatments,” it states.

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.