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Thompson: A lot of construction, plans for development in District 6 over the last year

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I remember when I was first elected to represent District 6 in Mesa. We were just coming out of the recession, and there was hardly any construction taking place. Here we are six years later and Mesa is going gang busters.

The pause gave me time to build a vision for what District 6 would look like in the future, and to work with our economic development and planning and zoning staffs to believe in that vision. What you are seeing today is six years of hard work by myself and staff, and the foresight of past councils that invested in the infrastructure in SE Mesa.

Since I was first elected, we have brought in over $5 billion in capital investment and over $40 million in non-residential impact fees to the city just in District 6. This didn’t happen by happenstance, but rather because we developed the vision and stuck by that vision.

With two years left on my term, I hope to continue to bring business, investment and jobs to our community, and the quality development our citizens deserve.

There has been a lot happening in District 6 over the last year. Some of these projects are from mid to late 2020:

  • Mechnano joins ASU Polytechnic Innovation District: Mechnano has announced its plan to develop an advanced technology lab at the Arizona State University Polytechnic campus as part of the ASU Polytechnic Innovation District. The new partnership between Mechnano and ASU will provide unique training and educational opportunities for ASU Polytechnic students, as well as facilitate an ongoing collaboration with ASU faculty.
  • ElectraMeccanica announces plans to establish U.S. base of operations in Mesa: ElectraMeccanica Vehicles Corp., a designer and manufacturer of electric vehicles, announced that it has selected Mesa in the greater Phoenix area for its U.S.-based assembly facility and engineering technical center. The proposed facility in Mesa will support ElectraMeccanica’s strategic plan to meet anticipated demand for their flagship SOLO EV. When fully operational, the facility is expected to create up to 500 new jobs and will be capable of producing up to 20,000 SOLO’s per year.
  • Elliot 202 industrial project proposed for Elliot Tech Corridor: Marwest Enterprises LLC is planning a 1.08 million square feet industrial project to be located at the northeast corner of Hawes and Elliot Roads, near Loop 202 in Mesa. The 74-acre property is located within the Elliot Road Technology Corridor.
  • Cannon Beach breaks ground: A 37-acre surf, shop, gym and multi-use development project broke ground March 30. The project is at the southeast corner of Power and Warner roads in Mesa. The project, two and a half years in design and development, will bring the ocean to Arizona in a place unlike any other in the state. Revel Surf will anchor the development with a 3.3-acre surf lagoon that features the world’s first Swell MFG’s Traveling Surf Technology and UNIT Surf Pool’s Stationary Rapid Surf Technology in one location. Revel Surf plans to open May 2022, with the surrounding amenities to follow including an on-site hotel, retail, office, dining and more. The Cannon Beach development ground is currently entertaining proposals from potential tenants for its various pad locations.
  • 330-acre Legacy Sports Entertainment Park under construction: Legacy will be a state-of-the-art premiere family sports entertainment park facility combining athletics, sports and entertainment into one destination center that will be the largest privately-owned multi-sport facility in the Western U.S.
  • Old Dominion adds $15M Mesa facility: Old Dominion Freight Line Inc. opened a new service facility in Mesa to alleviate some of the pressure from the company’s operation in Tolleson as demand continues to grow during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Mesa facility, which opened in December, includes 43 employees, 15 of which are new positions. It is the company’s fourth facility in Arizona, in addition to Tolleson, Flagstaff and Tucson. The $15.2 million facility is at 10233 E. Pecos Road in Mesa and has 62 doors with the ability to add 60 more. The company specializes in less-than-truckload shipments.
  • Is CMC Steel’s new mill still under construction?: Commercial Metals Co. in Mesa will be constructing a new addition to its micro mill to better position it to meet the demand for rebar and merchant bar on the west coast. The $300 million investment will bring 185 jobs to the southeast Mesa location.
  • Airport officials are seeking a master developer to partner in building office, industrial and retail space. Gateway officials sent out a request for qualifications for applicants wishing to be the master developer for the 400 acres of land located on the east side of the airport.
  • Eastmark listed as a top 10 master-planned community in Arizona.
  • Phase II of State Route 24 under construction: ADOT began construction on phase II of SR24, which will extend the freeway from its current terminus at Ellsworth to Ironwood Road in Pinal County. Construction is anticipated to be completed in 2022.
  • Destination at Gateway: The 251-acre site at Signal Butte and Williams Field was approved by council in July. The project, a mixed use of residential and retail, has an 89-acre parcel that was rezoned to commercial to allow for a new auto dealership. Analysis shows a single dealership could provide more than $9 million in sales tax revenue over the next 14 years.
  • Sky Plus Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Hotel: Sky Plus Hotels, an affiliate of SkyBridge Arizona, announced the development of a new dual-brand Wingate/Hawthorn Suites hotel at Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport, located on Sossaman in proximity to terminal operations. On the airport grounds and near ASU’s Polytechnic campus and Chandler-Gilbert Community College, the 127-room hotel will feature one of the largest meeting venues in the area with space for up to 1,000 participants, and offer guests both standard midscale and extended-stay suite accommodations.
  • Dexcom announces expansion in Mesa: Dexcom Inc. announced that it is expanding operations in Mesa by locating its regional distribution center at Landing 202 on Ray Road. The 486,000-square-foot facility will include logistics and distribution, receiving and inspection operations, and quality control. The expansion will grow its workforce in Mesa to more than 1,000 employees.
  • Bird Dog Industrial: The business broke ground this spring at Power and 202. When complete, this project will have three buildings totaling 330,000 square feet.
  • Pecos 10 to break ground in 2021: Cavan Commercial submitted plans for Pecos 10 Industrial Condos. It completed entitlements in November and should break ground early this year. When complete, the 10.6-acre site will consist of 110,000 square feet of office condo and industrial spec space.
  • Able Grid Technology: Able Grid Technology acquired a 10-acre site in the Elliot Road Technology Corridor to build a lithium-ion battery and green energy storage facility. Founded in 2017, Able Grid develops, constructs and operates battery energy storage systems, and has constructed more than 2GW of standalone renewable energy projects across the U.S.
  • Comarch acquires land in Mesa: Comarch, a global software company, acquired land within Elliot Road Technology Corridor the last quarter of 2020, and will soon start the planning and zoning process.
  • NTT breaks ground in tech corridor: NTT Data, a global IT provider, broke ground on 102 acres in the Elliot Road Technology Corridor. The co-locate data center campus will consist of five buildings to start, with the ability to add an additional two buildings in the future. The buildings will total 1.5 million square-feet when fully built out.
  • Thompson Thrift to develop at Signal Butte and Hampton: Thompson Thrift purchased the southwest corner of Signal Butte and Warner and plans to build Mountain Vista Marketplace, an 81-acre mixed use project that will include an EoS Fitness, Whataburger, Black Rock Coffee, and Backyard Taco. The city continues to work with the developer to bring preferred users to the site.
  • Fire Station No. 221 breaks ground: Construction began earlier this year on the newest fire station in Eastmark. Station 221 is being built on Point 22 just east of Ellsworth and was made possible by a combination of the public safety bond that was passed by the voters and an agreement between the city and DMB.

Editor’s note: Councilmember Kevin Thompson, who represents Mesa’s District 6, was elected to the Mesa City Council in August 2014 and re-elected to a second term in August 2018. He can be reached at District6@mesaaz.gov.