Mesa P&Z: 'Ellsworth I Energy Center' BESS facility, 21.8 acres, rezoned LI-PAD→LI on consent (ZON26-00129)
Mesa's Planning and Zoning Board was scheduled to approve on consent a rezone of 21.8 acres from Light Industrial with a PAD overlay to straight Light Industrial, plus a site plan, to allow a Battery Energy Storage System facility dubbed 'Ellsworth I Energy Center' roughly 2,450 feet west of South Ellsworth Road and East Starfire Avenue.
Mesa P&Z: 'Ellsworth I Energy Center' — 21.8-Acre BESS Facility Rezoning on Consent (ZON26-00129)
Staff report was not available; this article is based solely on the published agenda. Conditions, technical specifications, capacity, phasing, and applicant identity could not be confirmed from available sources.
The Project
| Detail | As Stated in Agenda |
|---|---|
| Case number | ZON26-00129 |
| Project name | Ellsworth I Energy Center |
| Location | ~2,450 ft west of SW corner of S. Ellsworth Rd. & E. Starfire Ave., Mesa |
| Council district | District 6 |
| Site area | 21.8± acres |
| Current zoning | Light Industrial with PAD Overlay (LI-PAD) |
| Proposed zoning | Light Industrial (LI) |
| Companion action | Site Plan Review |
| Proposed use | Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) Facility |
| Staff planner | Chloe Durfee Daniel |
| Staff recommendation | Approval with Conditions |
| Consent agenda | Yes |
Who's Behind It
The applicant and developer names were not available in the agenda text. The staff planner of record is Chloe Durfee Daniel. No representatives, attorneys, or ownership entities are identified in the available materials.
Staff's Analysis
Staff recommended approval with conditions. Without the staff report, the specific findings, traffic analysis, fire/safety considerations, utility interconnection details, and the list of conditions cannot be reported. The rezone removes the existing PAD overlay and returns the parcel to standard LI zoning, while the simultaneous site plan approval governs the BESS facility layout. BESS installations on industrial land have become a common mechanism in Arizona for grid-scale energy storage, and Light Industrial zoning is a typical host classification for such facilities.
What Happened at the Meeting
The item was placed on the consent agenda for the Mesa Planning and Zoning Board's October 28, 2026 public hearing. Consent placement indicates no known opposition was registered prior to the hearing. The meeting outcome for the Planning and Zoning Board specifically was not available in the provided meeting summary, which covered a separate Mesa City Council meeting held October 26, 2026. Whether the P&Z Board acted, continued, or otherwise disposed of ZON26-00129 on October 28 could not be confirmed from available sources.
Key Conditions of approval were not available; the staff report was not provided.
What's Next
Planning and Zoning Board recommendations on rezoning cases in Mesa typically proceed to the Mesa City Council for final action. The timeline for a council hearing was not stated in the available materials.
Why notable: Grid-scale Battery Energy Storage System facilities represent one of the most consequential emerging land uses in the Phoenix metro — capital-intensive, infrastructure-critical, and subject to increasing fire-safety and siting scrutiny from regulators and neighbors alike. At 21.8 acres, 'Ellsworth I Energy Center' is a substantial industrial site, and the removal of the PAD overlay (which typically imposes project-specific design standards) in favor of base LI zoning warrants attention from industrial landowners, energy developers, and neighboring property interests in Mesa's District 6 corridor.
Source: Mesa Planning and Zoning Board – Public Hearing Agenda, October 28, 2026, Item 3-A (ZON26-00129); staff report not available.