Mesa is preparing about 150 acres controlled by the Arizona State Land Department for residential and commercial uses, part of a large, master-planned community.
The Mesa Planning and Zoning Board unanimously recommended approval for a general plan amendment and rezoning of land at Hawes and Elliot roads to allow about 100 acres of single-family residential development and about 50 acres of mixed-use and commercial development. According to city documents, the land had previously been designated for employment and light industrial uses.
Rezoning the site eliminates the possibility of industrial development in the area. But it allows for commercial and mixed-use development, likely retail and restaurants, along Elliot Road.
The land is within the
Hawes Crossing master-planned development. The roughly 1,100-acre master plan was divided into eight “villages,” some of which have begun development, mostly for single-family residential use. The 150 acres included in the rezone and general plan amendment are called Village 7.
A data center developer, Novva Data Centers, also bought 165 acres within the planned development, but that parcel is on the east side of Loop 202, unlike the remainder of Hawes Crossing. The company bought the land at an Arizona State Land Department auction in 2023.
Mesa annexed several dairy farms, county land and state land in 2020 to pave the way for Hawes Crossing, a mixed-use project expected to bring jobs and residents to the city.
Blandford Homes is the applicant for the general plan amendment and rezoning of Village 7. The company already bought a 115-acre parcel in Hawes Crossing in 2023 at a land department auction to develop about 500 houses.
Land controlled by the Arizona State Land Department is required to be sold at public auction, so Blandford Homes could be the successful bidder, or another developer could buy it instead. No auctions have been scheduled for the Village 7 site.
Corina Vanek covers development for The Arizona Republic. Reach her at cvanek@arizonarepublic.com. Follow her on X @CorinaVanek.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Housing, retail to replace industrial plans in east Mesa development
