DMB’s Requests to the City of Mesa and Next Steps 
The vision for Mesa Proving Grounds is to develop a community and urban centers that will become the focal point for employment for the area.  The City has established aggressive economic goals for the Mesa Gateway area, including the attraction of 100,000 jobs in the coming decades.  Mesa Proving Grounds is envisioned to be a major contributor in the attraction of these jobs.  In order to be successful in the competition for theses jobs, DMB believes it must create a great place that will be a hub of activity where employers, employees and residents will want to work and live. The creation of this place will evolve over time.    

On January 15, 2008, DMB filed a request with the City of Mesa for a major amendment to the City’s General Plan.  This request will amend and consolidate several existing land use designations at Mesa Proving Grounds into the Mixed Use/Community (MUC) land designation.  This amendment provides the basis for an application that DMB submitted in March that would rezone the property to Planned Community District (PCD).

The Mixed Use Community (MUC) land use designation is intended for larger properties that have the ability to develop with a mix of uses and to plan a community with commercial, retail and housing uses integrated on the property. 

The application for a rezoning to a Planned Community District (PCD) will create a planning framework of the property, which will allow Mesa Proving Grounds to be responsive to the market and to be sensitive to the need to be flexible and respond to changing global and employment trends.  The PCD will function as a regulatory structure for the development of the property.  Land uses, densities and intensities will be identified, as well as development standards that will be applied to the property.  

Together, the MUC and the PCD establish a framework that will guide the development of Mesa Proving Grounds over the next 20 to 40 years. Our vision is to create a high quality, innovative community that will be a catalyst for economic development for the area.  In addition to the general plan amendment and rezoning applications, DMB has also commenced the process to annex Mesa Proving Grounds into the City.

In the follow-up surveys we conducted, more than 90% of the respondents supported these designations for the Mesa Proving Grounds.

Beginning in July 2008, there will be public hearings regarding the major amendment to the General Plan, the annexation, and the rezoning request.  Information on the hearings will be on signs posted on the site and below.  Should you have any specific questions on the public hearings you may contact Tom Ellsworth, the principal planner with the City assigned to this project, at 480-644-2182 or Shelly McTee, a member of the Mesa Proving Grounds team, at 602-530-8232.

September 3, 2008, 5:00 pm
Case Z08-56, Design Review Board, Planned Community District Design Guidelines
City of Mesa, City Council Chambers - Lower Level

September 4, 2008, 4:00 pm
Cases Z08-55 and Z08-56, Planning & Zoning Board hearing on Planned Community District
City of Mesa, City Council Chambers

September 22, 2008, 5:45 pm
Case # GPA Major 08-01, City Council hearing on General Plan Amendment
City of Mesa, City Council Chambers

October 6, 2008, 5:45 pm
Cases A08-08, Z08-55, and Z08-56, City Council hearing on Annexation and Planned Community District
City of Mesa, City Council Chambers

As we move forward in the City’s process, we will continue to look for your comments and viewpoints on how we might develop the Mesa Proving Grounds into a legendary place for the City of Mesa and the southeast Valley.