By Richard Dyer
Mail | Twitter: @RHDyer

A site plan review was recently approved for a firearms retail store, gunsmith store, 14-lane shooting range and supporting offices west of Greenfield Road on the south side of Main Street in Mesa.

The Mesa Planning and Zoning Board on April 27 voted unanimously in a consent agenda with other items to approve the site plan for a 5-acre retail development and small-scale commercial recreation facility.

A 19,472-square-foot western building and 17,242-square-foot eastern building are proposed, Planner Jennifer Merrill said at a study session prior to the board’s April 27 meeting.

“That (eastern) building contains four retail suites as well as a small restaurant with a drive-thru. There are pedestrian paths leading to the buildings from the rights-of-way and there is a drive-thru that wraps around the back side of the restaurant,” she said.

“It is great to see some new life going into this section on Main Street,” board member Troy Peterson said at the study session.

Preliminary design for the Tombstone Tactical East Valley indoor shooting range and firearms store was discussed by the Mesa Design Review Board on April 12.

Jinia Sarkar of Cawley Architects is the applicant. Larry E. Fitzgerald Tr And Tri City Ready Mix Inc. are the owners

The gunsmith facility within the store is primarily for repair and maintenance of guns for both the shooting range and gun owners, David W. Fulk. partner and project director at Cawley Architects Inc., said in a written project narrative.

“Maintenance and repair facilities are permitted under [limited commercial] zoning. There will be no manufacturing of guns in the gunsmith store,” he said. “The design and construction of the walls and roof will provide and meet the sound-attenuation criteria to mitigate any impact from the indoor shooting range upon the adjacent community.”

The seven-member Mesa Planning and Zoning Board conducts hearings and makes recommendations to council on requests for changes in zoning and on required site plans. It also considers and recommends changes in the city’s long-range plans and in the municipal code concerning planning and zoning matters. Members are appointed for staggered terms of three years, according to the city’s website.

Richard Dyer
Managing Editor | East Valley
@RHDyer

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.