The current Mesa City Council met in its last regular meeting Monday night, packed with people and issues — from payday loan centers to group homes to one of the most discussed rezoning cases in recent history, the 51-acre parcel near east Mesa’s Las Sendas community.

After a lengthy debate, the council approved the proposal, including a development agreement, 6-1. Councilman Scott Somers was the lone member opposed.

Dozens of residents opposed to building heights and other issues stressed that they were still unhappy with the site plans set forth by owner Chris Arnold of JCA Holdings.

The developer plans a mixed-use project, with residence, office and retail space. The parcel was originally zoned as a business park.

The council also approved restrictions on the placement of payday loan centers and group homes.

A few residents said they were glad something was finally being done about limiting payday businesses through requiring a 1,200-foot separation between such stores. In 2006, a vote to place that restriction along with requiring a council-use permit failed 4-3.

Outgoing Councilman Mike Whalen, who had two years ago voted against the restriction, said Monday night that he was mistaken last time around, because he had believed the market forces would automatically determine how many such stores the city could sustain.

But now, keeping in mind resident concerns about blight and neighborhood deterioration, he agreed to the need for the space stipulation. Somers, who also had voted against the stipulation two years ago, said he has changed his mind on the issue and supported the restriction.

The council approved the move 5-2, with outgoing Mayor Keno Hawker and outgoing Councilman Tom Rawles voting against it.

A handful of residents also protested the regulation of halfway houses, which would push those with former convicts residing in them to be restricted to the city’s commercial areas.

The council unanimously approved the measure, although many, including Whalen and outgoing Vice Mayor Claudia Walters, tried to assure those concerned that this was just a step to regulate such homes.

According to federal law, there cannot be discrimination against group homes for the disabled, which have to be allowed in residential areas. Those for former convicts, according to the city, can be restricted to commercial districts.

Rawles had earlier said that this measure would prevent some people who may not fit the category from circumventing the laws regarding the definition of handicapped to live in a single-family residence.

They said that they will seek to continue dialogue with legitimate group home operators.

“We appreciate the people who operate good facilities,” Walters said. “Unfortunately not everyone does.”

Steven Collins, who runs a group home, said he was disappointed, because it would be hard for legitimate group home operators to run such homes in a commercial district, with limited access to normal residential area facilities.

“There are no jobs, no shops, nothing,” Collins said.

In another decision, anyone owning two or more rental properties now will have to pay city tax. Previously, the tax applied to owners of three or more rental properties. Mesa resident Tom Schuelke accused the city of raising sales taxes and harming the poor. The city is expected to gain about $700,000 annually through this measure.

Earlier, the mayor made it clear that he’s set on the council taking some action on the Mesa Gateway Strategic Development Plan.

A consulting group came up with two land-use plans for the area, both of which were opposed by area landowners and developers in a recent city planning and zoning meeting.

One shows higher-density urban-style vertical homes north of Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport inside Loop 202. The second plan shows industrial development in that section.

Hawker said Monday that after exploring noise and height models at Arizona State University on Thursday, the matter would stay on the council’s study session agenda for May 29. The planning board had earlier deferred their recommendation to their meeting next month.