Mesa City Council Special Meeting on Downtown Arts and Innovation District, February 24, 2026
Mesa City Council Special Meeting on Downtown Arts and Innovation District, February 24, 2026
The Mesa City Council held a special meeting on February 24, 2026, to receive presentations and provide direction on three interrelated projects for the downtown Arts and Innovation District: a mixed-use development at 51-55 East Main Street, the conversion of the historic post office into an ASU Creative Technologies building, and a new pedestrian connector called the Light Walk. Staff from the City of Mesa (Jeff McVay, Stephanie Monge, Jay O'Donnell) and Arizona State University (Rick Naymark) presented concepts and requested council direction. Council members discussed the projects, raised questions about financial returns, and ultimately gave unanimous direction to proceed with next steps.
Discussion Items
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51-55 East Main Street Development: Staff requested council direction to release an RFQ/RFP for a public-private partnership to develop the city-owned site at 51-55 East Main Street. The conceptual rendering shows an eight-story tower with ground-floor retail and restaurant, Mesa Arts Center food service and pre/post-event functions, city office space, optional ASU space, and Class A office space. Council members expressed support for the concept, with Vice Mayor noting the need to test the market and avoid bearing 100% of the cost. Councilmember Taylor emphasized the desire for lively restaurants and entertainment. Councilmember Adams noted the soft office market but saw the opportunity as a unique asset. Council directed staff to issue the RFQ/RFP within a month, with a 30-60 day response window.
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ASU Creative Technologies at the Post Office: ASU and city staff presented a feasibility study for repurposing the existing post office building into a creative technologies facility. The post office would be relocated to a new standalone retail building on the north side of the property. ASU's Rick Naymark reported that the Mix Center has already surpassed its five-year goals: 1,500 students (vs. goal of 750), 65 faculty/staff (vs. 40), and over 300 annual events (vs. 25). The expanded space would allow ASU to add programs in animation, collaborative gaming, and other emerging media, potentially doubling student capacity to about 3,000. Council questioned the return on investment, noting the current post office lease generates $450,000 annually, while the Mix Center lease is $100,000. Staff indicated that ASU would cover interior improvements, similar to the $35 million in FF&E at the Mix. Council gave direction to proceed with negotiations with the U.S. Postal Service for a new retail post office and to develop a lease agreement with ASU, with a target construction start after the current post office lease ends in May 2028.
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Light Walk: Staff presented a concept for a pedestrian connector from University Drive to Main Street, linking the amphitheater, convention center, library, Mix Center, and Mesa Arts Center. The Light Walk would include shade, misting, landscaping, and seven program zones with nodes for events, food trucks, and gathering spaces. Staff provided economic impact estimates: 327,000 annual users spending $39 per person, generating $16 million in annual retail/restaurant spending, supporting 137 jobs, and $7.4 million in city sales tax revenue over 20 years. Councilmember Adams requested more detailed data on spending assumptions. Councilmember Taylor noted the lack of water features and raised maintenance concerns. Councilmember Goforth asked about recapturing value from adjacent landowners; staff noted the city owns most of the land along the corridor. Council endorsed the concept and directed staff to proceed with phased design, incorporating private investment opportunities and future coordination with convention center and amphitheater plans.
Key Outcomes
- Council directed staff to release an RFQ/RFP for the 51-55 East Main Street development, with the goal of selecting a developer and returning with a negotiated agreement.
- Council authorized staff to negotiate with the U.S. Postal Service for a new standalone retail post office and to negotiate a lease with ASU for the Creative Technologies building, with further details on financial terms to be brought back for approval.
- Council endorsed the Light Walk concept and directed staff to continue design and phasing, emphasizing the need for clear ROI data and private sector participation.
- The meeting concluded with a unanimous vote (by voice vote) to adjourn.
Meeting Transcript
Welcome everybody to our special city council meeting, February 23rd, 2026. We're starting a little earlier than usual. 3 p.m. We have a great presentation from Jeff McVay and his team. I'd like to call the special council meeting to order. All council members are present. Item 1A is a presentation to provide direction on the Mesa City Center, including the redevelopment of the post office into Arizona State University, Creative Technologies Building, construction of a new retail post office, and development of the light walk. With that, a presentation by Jeff, Stephanie, Jay, and Rick. Neymar from ASU. Come on up, team. We see we have like a 55 slide deck presentation. And the Vice Mayor has a promised me, Mayor, the revenue quickly. Well, you know, I'm sure there'll be a few questions, discussions, so we look forward to that. Jeff, who's going to lead off? I will today, Mayor. All right. Good afternoon, Mayor and Council. Um, I'm pleased to be joined today by Stephanie Monge, our urban transformation project manager, Jay O'Donnell, our development director, and Rick Naymark, our associate vice associate vice president for program development at ASU. Um, and they'll be helping me present the potential next phase of investment in the downtown arts and innovation district and the concepts for ASU at the post office, a new retail post office and the light walk. Not join us today at the diet today. I would like to acknowledge our design team, partners at Gensler that did a great job translating vision into concept. And our partners in engineering, particularly our engineering project manager, Michaela Shellini, who did a wonderful job hurting us cat cats through the development of these concepts. Before presenting on the actual concepts, just a few moments to speak to the larger framework of the downtown arts and innovation district. The Mesa City Center project, including the ASU Mix Center, the studios, and the plaza was the first intentional investment by the city in developing an arts and innovation district. And through redevelopment and entrepreneurial activity that has occurred since the city is receiving the benefit of that investment. As a 2015 assessment by the Brookings Institute highlighted, to be more than a branding exercise, development of an arts and innovation district requires an ecosystem of entrepreneurship and innovation, anchored by an institution. Usually that institution is a teaching hospital or a university. Mesa's investment in the ASU Mix Center has established that anchor institution. And investment in the studios provides a publicly accessible space for ASU's J. Orton Edson Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation and Mesa Business Builders supporting collaboration between academia and downtown entrepreneurs. It's also important to note that place is an important element of the arts and innovation district. Downtown Mesa's authentic historic character, arts and cultural offerings, and uniquely local business community provides the environment that supports entrepreneurship and innovation. It is this downtown place with economic activity that comes from the consistent consistent presence of higher education, arts, transit, and city government that has created confidence for private investment. And that private investment generates increased economic activity and additional city revenues. Well, considering the Mesa place, investment in higher education as a driver of economic development is a proven model across the country, as exam as shown by just these few examples of headlines. As the downtown arts and innovation district continues to develop, the positive effects are felt beyond downtown. New jobs increase the workforce, which then invests in housing and spending that supports neighborhood stability and small business activity, which increases again public revenues. Since 2018, when the ASU Mix Center was announced, private investment in downtown includes 10 projects and nearly 325 million dollars in capital expenditure. An additional six projects are in progress, such as Call the Sac, AC by Marriott, and Edge on Maine, for which we do not know the total project values, but of the four projects of those six that we do know values for, um, that is an additional 230 million dollars in capital investment that is um expected over the next couple of years. Moving forward, I'd like to let Jay weigh in on the downtown arts and innovation district from an economic development perspective. Sure. Thank you, Jeff. Mayor and Council. Nice to be with you today. Um talking about how we look at the future and how we invest and reinvest in downtown in our community. Um, proximity and density really drives economic activity. And so when you're integrating education and business support, it really does matter. It makes a big difference. And there's real intentional employer attraction between the city and ASU, really trying to find out where the sweet spot is for the city and ASU to partner to invite those collaborators in and develop those partnerships. Just to let you know, the the plan was always for additional activation with ASU.
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