Mesa renovating parking garage at Main, Hibbert

The garage is on the north side of the 100 block of East Main Street and in the 0 to 100 blocks of North Hibbert in Mesa.

City of Mesa

NATURALIZATION CEREMONY

Nearly 100 new citizens sworn in on Fourth of July in Mesa

Sign permit

Sign plan permit approved for AZ International Marketplace in Mesa

Development

SRP moving Phoenix helicopter, plane base to Mesa

By Richard Dyer
Mail | X: @RHDyer

The city of Mesa will soon have a new municipal parking garage on 3 acres west of Mesa Drive on the north side of Main Street.

The Mesa Design Review Board voted unanimously July 9 to approve the look and landscaping for the garage that is being renovated by the city.

The garage has street frontage on Hibbert and Main, Staff Planner Chloe Durfee Daniel said prior to the vote.

“The site plan has been approved by the planning director and is a three-story existing garage going through renovations. There are about 862 parking spaces proposed with vehicle access from Hibbert on the east side as well as pedestrian access from Main and Hibbert,” she said.

Lance Webb of the city of Mesa is the applicant. The city of Mesa is the owner.

The garage, completed in 1997, has ground-level parking and two parking decks above-grade connected by a single interior ramp. Security updates to the garage will include new CCTV cameras at the interior and exterior as well as installation of new emergency telephones — either wall-mounted or with a pole, according to a written project narrative from GLHN Architects & Engineers Inc.

“Major demolition work will include the complete removal of the decorative metal screening on the south and east sides, cutting new openings into exterior wall for new entry doors and the removal of two curved decorative metal canopies at the top of the garage on the southeast corner. Existing knock-down openings in the elevator hoistway walls and floors will be removed to allow installation of a new elevator,” it states.

New architectural screens made of coiled metal wire mesh “fabric” hung from a tube steel frame are proposed at the south and east sides of the garage.

“These screens will lie outboard of the garage and will have vertical structural supports that sit within the adjacent landscaped areas. The screens will be up-lit with programmable, color-changing LED lighting,” 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.

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.