Plans filed for Mesa airport development

Scottsdale’s DMB Associates filed preliminary plans Monday with Mesa, outlining a high-quality development that could help jump-start a new urban area near Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport.

Mesa’s hope for creating a new economic engine in the East Valley revolves around development near the airport. DMB, the developers of DC Ranch in Scottsdale, envision a residential community that could fuel job centers in various areas of the 3,200-acre development in Mesa.

“Ultimately this is about jobs and offices,” said Grady Gammage, a consultant on the project.

The first phase of the development could begin in 2009, when the GM Proving Ground operation leaves the property.

That first phase would include home sites of three to five per acre that would be priced around $300,000, company representatives say.

Two golf courses are planned near the southwest corner of Elliot and Signal Butte roads.

One of the development’s major urban areas is planned near Elliot and Ellsworth roads, and could include low- and mid-rise office buildings and two resort hotels near the golf courses.

The resort hotels will hug the golf course, which would offer views of the Superstition Mountains. Planners envision 2,500 to 3,000 hotel rooms on the property.

The northeast portion of DMB’s property could develop into a place like the Biltmore area near 24th Street and Camelback Road in Phoenix, where a financial district is close to high-end hotels like the Ritz-Carlton, company representatives say.

“We’ll be already established out there as the big hospitality stuff comes online,” said John Bradley, vice president at DMB.

The overall project would create a mix of housing. High-end custom houses of up to $1 million could go in around the golf course. Meanwhile, the developers say that condominium units could be listed at $200,000.

One of the big features in the DMB proposal is a park and open space component that would run the length of the five-square-mile property, with different communities being built around the green space.

The plan varies for many communities that feature a golf course surrounded by home sites.

Gammage said that a golf course offers limited recreation for up to 100 people.

The parks envisioned in the DMB plan would link the entire community and include ballfields, parks and other amenities.

DMB is pitching three separate employment centers on the property. Two, closer to Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport, depend on the way the area develops.

One, closest to the airport, could become more clear as the airport develops into a passenger- or freight-oriented airport.

“We don’t know yet,” Gammage said.