Dual-Branded Hotel Proposed for Mesa

By Tasha Anderson for AZBEX 
A new dual-branded hotel is being proposed for a +/- 2.5-acre infill site south of the SEC of Power and Ray Roads in Mesa. 
Earl & Curley, on behalf of developer, Equinox Hospitality, is requesting an amendment to the current PAD zoning to allow a height adjustment, site plan review/modification approval, and design review approval of the site plan, landscaping plan and elevations for the project, known as Sleep Inn and MainStay Suites Dual-Branded Hotel. The City of Mesa heard the requests at its January 12th Design Review Board meeting. 
The property is part of a larger, 4.74-acre site consisting of two smaller properties that have been developed with a Popeye’s restaurant and a small commercial retail/restaurant center. Despite the other parcels being built out, this portion of the site has remained undeveloped for decades. 
The three-story, 46.3KSF Sleep Inn and MainStay Suites is proposed to include approximately 91 hotel rooms and provide guest amenities such as an outdoor pool with shaded seating area, wireless internet, complimentary breakfast, sundries market, fitness space, guest laundry and business center. The MainStay Suites units will have full in-room kitchens. 
“Currently, the site allows 33’ for the base building height and an additional 9’ of height for architectural embellishments,” according to the project’s narrative. The rezoning request allows for an increase in building height to a little more than 50 feet with embellishments to accommodate for the building’s sloped roof design. The design of the hotel is largely based on Choice Hotel’s prototypical design. 
Access to the site will be from an entrance on Power Road with a secondary entrance from the existing shopping center to the north. The entrance drive will provide a direct view to the entry port-cochere. A total of 93 surface parking spaces will be provided for the development along the north, west and south sides. 
The project still needs to go through Mesa’s Planning Commission and City Council for approval. 
“Although the current pandemic has heavily hit the hospitality industry, Equinox is confident that the market will return by the time this hotel is constructed and opened for guests and is therefore pushing forward at full speed,” the narrative states.