Mesa Council to consider development agreement for mixed-use project

At a special meeting on Thursday, the Mesa City Council voted to adopt a notice of intent to enter into a tax-incentive agreement for a proposed retail development.

The development, commonly referred to as the “Legacy Park and Gateway Crossing Project,” is generally located at State Route 24 and Williams Field Road.

The council voted 6-1 in favor of adopting the notice of intence. Councilmember Jenn Duff voted against the motion.

The action is a preliminary step toward final council action, which could take place on Monday, Sept. 14.

The council heard the proposed agreement in executive session and passed the notice of intent without comment in the open meeting after.

“I want to make a note that we will have a presentation on this resolution on Sept. 10, with everyone who wishes to listen, at study session,” Mayor Mark Freeman said.

Legacy Park is a proposed 209-gross-acre, high-end, mixed-use development within an adjacent portion of Gateway Crossing.

“Legacy Park is proposed to include a luxury hotel, upscale retail and restaurant users, type A office space, and a multifamily residential component, all centered around a public recreation area within a pedestrian-oriented environment,” according to a staff report.

Gateway Crossing is a proposed 37-gross-acre, mixed-use project with commercial retail development featuring no less than two midscale hotels, a large-scale “big box” retailer, at least two restaurants and additional retail, the report continued.

Of the total project size, 202 acres are in Maricopa County, and the owners are requesting annexation by Mesa.

On Aug. 17, the council held hearings giving the public notice of the property owners’ plan to gather signatures to annex 196 acres at the northeast corner of South Ellsworth Road and East Williams Field Road, and 5 acres at the southwest corner of East Williams Field Road and State Route 24.

The 196-acre property, worth more than $1.3 million according to a staff report, is owned by Pacific Proving LLC and Mesa BA Land LLC. The 5-acre property, worth $281,835, is owned by Pacific Proving.

“The project requires significant investment in public infrastructure by the developer/owner, without which the project area would not be suitable for commercial development as planned,” the report stated.

The proposed agreement would reimburse developers a portion of the construction sales tax, retail sales tax and transient-lodging tax generated by the project for certain public infrastructure.

Janet Perez can be reached at jperez@iniusa.org. Please send your comments about this article to AzOpinions@iniusa.org. We are committed to publishing a wide variety of reader opinions, as long as they meet our Civility Guidelines.