A flurry of projects around Mesa’s Fiesta Mall are expected to begin within a year and have the potential to reverse the fortunes of an area that’s been stagnant or declining for years.
The improvements will update the hodgepodge of 1970-era buildings and draw more people to what was once the East Valley’s top shopping destination.
The developments include renovating a mostly vacant shopping center to lure tenants, new buildings at Mesa Community College that front busy roads, a private college and an overhaul of Southern Avenue.
One MCC project will help take some of the area’s excess retail space out of commission. By January, MCC will begin transforming the former Harkins Theater and Fuddruckers into a $14.9 million performing arts center. A $2 million fine arts gallery is also planned. Work will start this summer.
MCC also plans a new entry from Southern Avenue that will improve the campus’ appearance, said Jeffrey Darbut, vice president of administrative services.
“What we’re looking to do is create a dramatic entry way, or portal, into the campus for our students, and that’s missing at our campus today,” he said. “There’s a lot of driveways but you really don’t know what the entrance is. Students tend to get confused and lost and we really want to try to correct that.”
The Fiesta District will finally see some new life at one of the area’s struggling shopping centers. The Poca Fiesta Shopping Center at the northeast corner of Southern and Alma School Road has a new owner, Scottsdale-based Hinkson Company. It plans to give the 17-acre site a face-lift and recruit new tenants.
Mesa Councilman Dennis Kavanaugh said the previous owner had let leases expire because it planned to recruit other tenants, but those efforts fell through.
That center is just east of the long-vacant Fiesta Village center, which remains fenced off and inactive.
The Fiesta District will also be home to a branch of Albright College, based in Reading, Pa. The college recently announced plans for a downtown campus but will initially be in the Mesa Financial Plaza, better known as the Bank of America Tower. College officials will begin classes this fall and could keep the facility in use even when the downtown location opens.
Mesa expects to announce later this year that another college will take up space in a vacant shopping center, Kavanaugh said.
Also this year, Mesa will break ground on a new police substation and an $11.5 million project to improve the streetscape on Southern. Plans include removing a lane of traffic in places to create space for additional landscaping and shade trees.
The work will include bold monument signs that brand the area as the Fiesta District. The work will continue into 2013.
Kavanaugh said much of the remaining vacant retail space will have to be converted to other uses, such as office or residential. While there is still too much retail use, Kavanaugh said the coming projects will have a significant impact.
“These are transformative projects,” Kavanaugh said. “When you juxtapose this with what the city is doing along Southern and with the police station, this is going to be a big boost to changing the look of the Fiesta District.”
Contact writer: (480) 898-6548 or ggroff@evtrib.com
Leon Ceniceros posted at 2:06 pm on Tue, May 29, 2012.
Speaking of Mesa Community College. I was watching the Local Community TV Channel and there was a Commencement being shown. I was surprised because I had seen where the Commencement wasn't going to take place of a couple of days later. Watching this Commencement I noticed that there were only Blacks on the Stage and being given their Diplomas. Then I noticed that the graduates were all wearing "Kinte cloth" shawls from Kenya or Nigeria, I can't remember exactly where it came from but it was what Africans made their clothes from. Where was the diversity in this "Black Commencement" ???
Then the next day I am "channel surfing" and guess what.....yup....here is a "La Raza" Commencement for the Chicanos, Latinos, Hispanics, etc. The have "serape" patterned shawls on and Hispanic on the Stage giving out the Diplomas this time.
IS THIS AMERICA....IS THIS A "MELTING POT"...OR HAVE THE LIBERALS, THE PROGRESSIVES, THE DEMOCRATS, THE SOCIALISTS AND MARXISTS TAKEN OVER OUR ..........COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES TO SUCH A EXTENT THAT .........SEPARATISM ......IS THE NEW REALITY ???
I graduated from John C. Fremont High School located in the heart of the South-Central Los Angeles "ghetto" in 1961. At the time, the Student Body was 67% Black, 30% Hispanic and the rest were Whites and Orientals. We walked to school or took the bus "together". We ate lunch "together". We shared our lunches and milk or juice "together". We studied in the Library "together". We went to the Football, Basketball and Baseball games "together". We had PT "together", showered "together".
We went on School Bus Trips "together". We signed each other's yearbooks "together". There was no......SEPARATISM....back then. We only had one "identity" .......we were.....PATHFINDERS....from J.C. Fremont High School and proud of it.
Moderation posted at 2:21 pm on Wed, May 23, 2012.
By the way Leon Ceniceros MMC is the wave of the future. With sky rocketing student loan debt, incredibly high college tutition, and the ever growing need of a college degree to get a good job. Community colleges are going to do nothing but grow. I don't think it will be long before they are all offering 4 year degrees. So for all your bashing of Pottery 101 there is new focuses on math, science, and trade classes. I would love to see the City pump millions into the school so maybe the teenage punks that hang out at Fiesta Mall can get an education, get a job, start paying taxes, etc...
Moderation posted at 2:12 pm on Wed, May 23, 2012.
Wow! I think any negative comments to this great news has to come from short sightedness. The city plans for downtown and redoing the Fiesta are are going to pay off in the long run. Is it a magic bullet to revitalizing the area maybe not, but it is definitly going to start the ball rolling in the positive direction. The reason why fiesta area has become so run down is because the more well off members of our community have moved out to the surrounding areas like Chandler, Gilbert, Queen creek. Taking with them their purchasing power and with it the resulting revenue from sales tax. By revitalizing the area, bringing in colleges, and creating places to act as a destination point they can draw back in some of the consumers that they lost years ago. In fact it is there only hope for having it completely become the slum of the valley. Which it pretty much is anymore. By doing nothing all we are going to get is what has been happening. Further demiss of the Mesa economy.
azconan posted at 10:23 am on Wed, May 23, 2012.
Wow thank goodness. I know I for one never go to that area because Southern isnt reduced in lane size. Yeah, thats a genius move, reducing one of the busiest streets by 2 lanes to make way for foot traffic. Yeah genius, its what, 110 today, Im sure lots of people will enjoy the walk from MCC to? To what? Fiesta Mall? Home of the discount stores and teenage punks? Nope not happening. Yeah this is smart. Im sure new tenants will be crowding the area to get to all those wealthy section 8 apartments in the area. I mean just go 1/2 mile north on Alma School , its pure beauty. Fiesta Village is attractive too, so very. The only thing opening in this part of town is pawn shops, massage parlors, Fillibertos and thrift stores. There is NOTHING to attract anyone to this part of town. Bars, live music, dancing, exciting venues, those arent allowed in Mesa, they might create noise or chaos like dancing !
Leon Ceniceros posted at 9:33 am on Wed, May 23, 2012.
IT'S .........90%..........HARDWORKING MESA TAX-PAYER'S MONEY THAT'S CREATING THIS SO-CALLED........."FLURRY OF PROJECTS".
$14.9 MILLION TAX-PAYER DOLLARS FOR THE MESA COMMUNITY COLLEGE...PERFORMING ARTS CENTER (DIDN'T THE MESA HARDWORKING TAX-PAYERS GET SOAKED.....MILLIONS UPON MILLIONS UPON MILLIONS FOR THE .........MESA ARTS CENTER.....AND NOW THEY ARE GETTING SOAKED AN ADDITIONAL........$14.9 MILLION DOLLARS TO.......COMPETE WITH THE MESA ARTS CENTER PROGRAMMING ???
$2 MILLION TAX-PAYER DOLLARS FOR A.......MESA COMMUNITY COLLEGE ARTS CENTER. WHAT ARE THEY GOING TO DISPLAY.......CLAY BOWLS AND WATER COLORS FROM THE MESA COMMUNITY COLLEGE........POTTERY 101 ...OR ....WATERCOLORS 101 CLASSES........$2MILLION TAX-PAYER DOLLARS FOR THIS ????
AS FOR THE ....SPRUCING UP...OF THE POCA FIESTA SHOPPING CENTER....ARE WE TALKING ABOUT A ..........COAT OF PAINT.....A NEW SIGN.....THE WEEDS BEING PULLED.....EXACTLY WHAT WILL THE NEW OWNERS DO TO MAKE THIS EMPTY MALL A..........CUSTOMER ..."MAGNET"....THAT THE OLD OWNER DIDN'T DO ????
INSTEAD OF ........"POOF REPORTING".........HOW ABOUT SOME..."IN-DEPTH REPORTING"......LIKE THE OLD DAYS ????