Gilbert’s Mercy Mixed-use Dev. Get’s Updated Plans

By Tasha Anderson for AZBEX 
Updated plans for a new mixed-use development to be located at the SEC of Val Vista Drive and Mercy Road were reviewed at the Town of Gilbert’s Planning Commission meeting on October 7th. 
Before the developer, Diversified Partners, purchased the vacant property from The Victoria Lund Foundation back in August 2020, The Mercy Val Vista Center was envisioned as a nine-building mixed-use development on five lots including 99.3KSF of commercial, retail, restaurant, medical offices and a six-story, 107-room hotel. (AZBEX, 03-06-2020) 
According to the current documents submitted to the town, Diversified Partners is looking to reconfigure the entire development, now called Mercy Medical Center, which will include consolidating the five lots into a single lot and constructing a total of five buildings totaling 205.1KSF in two separate phases. 
Phase one, according to the documents, will consist of, “Shops A, a two-story 25.1KSF building with a drive-thru and Shops B, a two-story, 22.5KSF building with a drive-thru.” The shop buildings will be specifically for office, retail and restaurant uses. Phase two will consist of two, five-story, 78.8KSF medical office buildings, a six-level parking structure and associated surface parking, and a shaded office amenity space. The hotel portion in the previous design have been taken out of the updated plans. 
“The only buildings proposed at this time are in the phase one area along Val Vista Drive and consist of two separate two story buildings (Shops A and B) with a contemporary architectural theme,” the documents state. “Proposed exterior materials for both Shops A and B are complimentary to adjacent existing developments and include integral color masonry, stone tile, composite wood cladding, anodized aluminum storefront and painted stucco with painted steel awnings, decorative steel accents and guardrails.” 
The “Shops” buildings proposed in phase one will include a drive thru lane that will run through the middle of the first level for each building. These buildings will be located along Val Vista Drive while the medical buildings and parking structure proposed for phase two will be located on the eastern portion of the site. 
Access to the site will be from two entry/exit points off of Val Vista Drive and two off of Mercy Road. 124 surface parking spaces will be provided for Shop A and 112 spaces will be provided for Shop B, and bicycle parking will be included near the front entrances for both. 
The Town of Gilbert approved the original rezoning of the property on April 7th, 2020. The current PAD amendment and new site plan still needs Council approval.