It’s no secret that Mesa isn’t on the cutting edge of luring new urban-style developments.
In fact, while mixed-use buildings are springing up in downtown Tempe, Mesa is still creating a zoning code that would allow similar projects into the city.
However, the 3,200-acre development planned on the former General Motors Proving Ground near Williams Gateway Airport is spurring city planners to streamline the process for the city’s high-end developments.
The development firm DMB Associates bought the property in 2006 for $265 million. The firm is known for erecting urban-style buildings that mix residential areas with commercial neighborhood centers and industrial ventures.
Mesa’s current rules make approval of that type of development cumbersome.
City officials say that in the near future, Mesa plans to present a change to its zoning rules that would allow flexibility for master-planned developments larger than 160 acres.
Currently, most of the city’s land is organized around hard-and-fast land use categories: commercial, industrial and residential.
But under a new type of zoning for planned communities, DMB Associates would be able to pitch their building proposals.
“We’re not drawing hard lines as to how those land uses would have to be,” said Gordon Sheffield, the city’s zoning administrator.
The planned community zone would not apply to smaller mixed-use buildings that are anticipated to spring up along the future Valley Metro light-rail line.
A more comprehensive update to the city’s zoning code is in process, but faces another year of discussions and refinements.
The planned community zone could precede the city’s overall update in an effort to accommodate the development planned by DMB Associates, which built Scottsdale’s exclusive DC Ranch.
Mesa trails other cities in establishing zoning for mixed-use developments.
However, its current planned community zone resembles those in Phoenix, Scottsdale and Peoria, Sheffield said.
“It’s not a new idea. It’s not necessarily innovative,” he said.
Jason Massad, Tribune
