Mesa: 'View 202' Minor GPA shifts 21.6 acres from Urban Residential to Local Employment Center on consent (GPA26-00248)
Mesa's Planning and Zoning Board was scheduled to recommend approval on consent of a Minor General Plan Amendment redesignating 21.6± acres at the southwest corner of South Ellsworth Road and East Starfire Avenue from Urban Residential to Local Employment Center, clearing the path for a concurrent rezoning to Light Industrial and a Battery Energy Storage System development.
Mesa 'View 202' Minor GPA: 21.6 Acres Flipped from Urban Residential to Local Employment Center on Consent to Enable BESS and Light-Industrial Redevelopment
The Project
| Field | Detail |
|---|---|
| Case No. | GPA26-00248 |
| Project Name | View 202 – Minor GPA |
| Location | SW corner of S. Ellsworth Road & E. Starfire Avenue, Mesa (District 6) |
| Parcel Nos. | 304-31-045A and 304-31-045B |
| Site Area | 21.6± acres |
| Existing GP Placetype | Urban Residential, Evolve Growth Strategy |
| Proposed GP Placetype | Local Employment Center, Evolve Growth Strategy |
| Existing Zoning | RM-4-PAD and LC-PAD |
| Concurrent Case | ZON26-00126 (rezoning to LI-PAD / LC-PAD + Council Use Permit for Large Commercial Development) |
| Meeting Date | October 28, 2026 |
| Consent Agenda | Yes |
| Staff Planner | Chloe Durfee Daniels, Planner II |
Who's Behind It
The applicant is Sean B. Lake of Pew & Lake, PLC. The property owner is Todd Holzer of Sunbelt Land Holdings, LP.
Why Staff Supported It
Staff recommended adoption on several grounds rooted in the General Plan Amendment criteria in Chapter 5 of the Mesa 2050 General Plan.
Changed conditions since plan adoption. When Mesa City Council approved the existing mixed-use RM-4-PAD/LC-PAD zoning in 2020 (Case No. ZON18-00483), the intent was a residential-commercial-industrial blend. Since then, the west side of Ellsworth Road in this area has developed almost exclusively with industrial uses, making the RM-4 component inconsistent with surrounding patterns.
BESS separation requirements. After adoption of the 2050 General Plan, Mesa enacted regulations governing Battery Energy Storage System facilities, including mandatory separation distances from residential land uses. An existing SRP substation sits approximately 1,300 feet west of the subject site at the west end of Starfire Avenue. Separate applications propose two BESS facilities on parcels adjacent to that substation. Those facilities cannot meet the residential-separation requirement while RM-4 zoning remains on a portion of the subject site — making the GPA and concurrent rezoning a prerequisite.
No housing shortage impact. Staff noted that large residential areas lie to the east across Ellsworth Road and are largely built out with single-family homes, so removing the Urban Residential Placetype from this 21.6-acre site does not create a material shortage of planned housing land.
Infrastructure adequacy. Ellsworth Road in its existing condition has capacity to serve anticipated users; any additional improvements identified at Development Plan Review would be the applicant's responsibility.
General Plan consistency. Staff tied the amendment to Strategies LU1 (balance of land uses), LU4 (design and development standards for visual quality and urban form), and N1 (complete communities). The site also falls within the Mesa Gateway Strategic Development Sub-Area Plan's Mixed-Use Community Area, which staff found compatible with the proposed Light Industrial and commercial uses.
What Happened at the Meeting
This item was placed on the consent agenda for the October 28, 2026 Planning and Zoning Board Public Hearing. The meeting summary provided does not confirm a recorded P&Z Board vote on this specific item; accordingly, the outcome as to formal board action cannot be confirmed from available sources. The meeting summary provided covers a separate Mesa City Council meeting (October 26, 2026) and does not reference GPA26-00248.
Key Conditions
Staff recommended approval with conditions. The specific conditions are not enumerated in the staff report excerpt provided; they are referenced generally but not listed individually in available source materials.
What's Next
- The concurrent rezoning and Council Use Permit request (ZON26-00126) was also scheduled before the Planning and Zoning Board at the same October 28, 2026 hearing. That case covers the rezoning of 17.1± acres to LI-PAD and 4.5± acres to LC-PAD, plus a Council Use Permit for a Large Commercial Development in the LI district.
- Upon P&Z Board recommendation, the GPA and rezoning would advance to Mesa City Council for final action.
- Separate applications for the two BESS facilities adjacent to the SRP substation are also moving through review on a parallel track.
Why notable: A General Plan Amendment on 21.6 acres is a foundational land-use shift — converting a site once envisioned as mixed-use residential to industrial/employment territory — and the driving force is the intersection of Mesa's new BESS siting regulations and a broader industrial build-out pattern that has overtaken the original 2020 vision for this corridor. Because it was placed on consent, it will draw no public attention at the hearing, yet it permanently alters the planning framework for more than 21 acres in the rapidly industrializing Ellsworth Road corridor near the Mesa Gateway area.
Source: Mesa Planning and Zoning Board – Public Hearing Agenda, October 28, 2026, Item 4-A; Staff Report for Case No. GPA26-00248, 'View 202 – Minor GPA,' prepared by Chloe Durfee Daniels, Planner II.