A study commission by Mesa with the Phoenix office of Ernst & Young, estimates that Mesa, Gilbert, Queen Creek and Apache Junction have twice as much land zoned for commercial development than is needed. The study results may push Mesa leaders to rezone areas of the city for residential development.
Mesa, and the other nearby communities, have set aside 15,767 acres of land for development of office, industrial and office development, while demand for that kind of development totals just 8,000 acres, the study found.
This is the second study that has concluded that Mesa is top heavy with commercial zoning. A study commissioned last year by a residential developer concluded that Mesa had 23,000 acres zoned for office and industrial use, while the demand for that land only totaled 3,300 acres. The residential developer, who was ultimately denied rezoning by the city, wanted to build a housing subdivision near Williams Gateway Airport.
In an effort to challenge that study, Mesa last December commissioned a study of its own. The study cost $45,000.
Mesa Mayor Keno Hawker contends that much of the industrially zoned land is near Mesa airports--Falcon Field Municipal Airport and Williams Gateway Airport--areas that are not suitable for residential development. Hawker says that its better for the city to have the industrial zoned land because it brings jobs to the area, and that the city will just have to improve the marketing of its commercial land.
Mesa, which sits about 15 miles east of downtown Phoenix, is the third largest city in Arizona after Phoenix and Tucson. It has more than 425,000 residents and continues to grow at a rapid pace. From 1990 to 1998, Mesa grew by nearly 25%.
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