By Adrienne St. Clair for Arizona Builder’s Exchange

Blue Water Group, LLC has submitted a project proposal to the City of Mesa to build a single-story manufacturing building on the SEC of Jasmine and 48^th Streets.

The project, called Project Jasmine, will be built on an 8.5-acre property located south of both McKellips Road and of Falcon Field Airport on 48^th street, in the “Business Park” district of the city. It will be accessed from both the Loop 202 Freeway and Higley or Greenfield Roads.

According to the meeting notice sent to area residents and property owners, the project owner and planned tenant is BEMO USA. The company website states, “The BEMO Roof system provides the most advanced and versatile structural standing seam roofing system available in today’s architecturally demanding market. With its bold lines and uncommon flexibility, the architectural capabilities of BEMO are not restricted to just simple or traditional roof configurations. Designers are free to incorporate all of the desirable attributes of metal into even their most sophisticated projects.”

Project Jasmine will be built in phases. The first phase will total 110KSF and will sit on almost six acres of the western side of the site. The second phase will come later and is anticipated to be 30KSF, though that number will become more certain once the tenant’s future production needs become more clear.

BEMO USA manufactures metal roofing and metal wall panels for building envelope enclosures. As such, it needs a place to house assembly lines, store product and put employees. According to the project narrative, 80KSF of the building will be used for product storage, 20KSF will be used for fabrication and assembly lines, and 10KSF will be office space. The offices will be located at the west end of the facility. There will also be semi-truck parking in the back of the building. Additional outdoor storage will be built on the eastern part of the lot, but it will be screened from view.

The project does not require a zoning change, as the site’s current Light Industrial designation already allows for the fabrication, storage and office needs of the future facility. However, the developer notes it will apply for a Special Use Permit in order to decrease the number of parking spaces required by the city. Based on the tenant’s estimated employee needs, it will only need to produce 88 parking spaces instead of the currently required 150. The property is surrounded by both developed and undeveloped properties, all zoned as Light Industrial as well.

The building itself will feature a contemporary design, unique for a warehouse. It will incorporate low-maintenance, durable materials expected to do well in the harsh desert climate, according to the proposal. Additionally, the developer plans to mimic the very structures the tenant manufactures.

“This is an extremely important feature to showcase the new technologies made available by this company,” states the proposal.

The developer has established a Citizen Participation Plan to inform other property owners about the project, and efforts have been ongoing since the summer. The proposal also addresses potential concerns about the manufacturer’s process, noting “there are no foundry or die-casting operations in this facility or other operations that would emit gases, smoke or objectionable noise.”

The planning and zoning meeting will take place on November 14.