By Adrienne St. Clair for Arizona Builder’s Exchange
Puppyfeathers Limited Partnership and Metro Commercial Properties have submitted a project proposal to the City of Mesa to build a new industrial development along the US 60 corridor.
The new complex, Metro East Valley Commerce Center II, will include two buildings, totaling 363KSF, to be used for office, warehouse and light industrial purposes. The property is on the SWC of Horne Street and Auto Center Drive – which the developers call “an ideal location for manufacturing and commerce.”
The project will be built as a follow-up to the nearby Metro I light industrial park built in 2015. According to the new proposal, Metro I “served as the standard for premium industrial park development in the east Valley.”
While Metro II will be consistent with the character and quality of the first industrial park, it has been designed to reach a broader group of tenants. The owner hopes the complex will provide “uninterrupted warehouse space to help fill a need for larger industrial tenants lacking opportunities in Mesa,” city documents state.
The property, which is currently vacant, is bordered on the north by Auto Center Drive and Metro I. Horne Street and land developed for light industrial, office and commercial uses are to the east. To the west of the site is Hobson Street and more industrial land. Vacant land currently being used for agriculture runs on the south side of the property.
Puppyfeathers Limited Partnership does not have plans to change the property’s light-industrial base zoning. Instead, the developer requests a new Planned Area Development overlay to address development standards on the entire property. The PAD update is needed because the site was originally designated to be developed for auto dealerships, though it was never used for that purpose. The new PAD overlay would allow for commerce and manufacturing on the site.
The proposal also states the project may be built in phases, depending on market conditions. If the project is developed in phases, Building A will be part of the first phase. Building B will be developed in later phases.
Citizens, registered neighborhoods and homeowners’ associations in the immediate area have been informed of the project application through two mailers and an open house. According to the citizen participation report filed with the city, no correspondence or calls were received for or against the project.