Office building planned at McDowell, Val Vista in Mesa

By Richard Dyer
Mail | X: @RHDyer

An approximately 3,808-square-foot office building with employee amenities such as a putting green and volleyball courts is to be constructed at the southwest corner of East McDowell Road and North Val Vista Drive in Mesa.

The Mesa Design Review Board discussed the design, landscaping and a request for alternative compliance of the 1.3-acre Udall Office Center development at a June 9 meeting. Absent were Chairman Dane Astle and board member Shelly Udall.

An 869-square-foot garage is planned, Staff Planner Tulili Tuiteleleapaga-Howard said.

“Employee amenities over on the west side of the site include a putting green, a garden and volleyball courts,” she said.

The landscape plan includes trees such as chitalia, Texas mountain Laurel and Chinese pistacia. Shrubs include blue hibiscus, red fairy duster and red bird of paradise, Tuiteleleapaga-Howard said.

Materials include stucco, stone veneer, wall tile, exposed steel, metal fascia and tinted glass.

The alternative compliance request is for the city’s requirement that primary materials cannot cover less than 75% of each building facade and that each primary building material shall cover at least 25% of a publicly visible facade.

“The justification that was provided for this project is that, ‘We cannot meet these requirements because we provided too much variability,’ and that’s a good thing — that’s what we want to see. And so that is what’s proposed as part of this request,” Tuiteleleapaga-Howard said.

A three-parcel property is to be reduced into one parcel for a professional office building for the owner’s private wealth management business, Architect John C. Manross of Design Professionals LLC wrote in a project narrative.

“Particular focus has been taken on the transition from the adjacent residential uses to this professional office. The architectural features are residential scale in nature and consistent with adjoining residential properties,” he said. “Guest parking for the office buildings are provided adjacent the offices with direct vehicle access from both McDowell Road with a common drive and secondary access to Val Vista.”

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. 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.