Mesa’s Eastmark getting new retail center

Article originally posted on HERE on August 29, 2025

Mesa has inked a deal to bring commercial development, including a Sprouts, to 6.6 acres at the northeast corner of Ellsworth and Ray roads in Eastmark.

Council last week unanimously approved the development agreement with Common Bond Development Group Mesa LLC for the proposed Eastmarket, which calls for 55,630 square feet of retail, the 23,200-square-foot specialty grocer Sprouts and 278 parking spots– well above the 202 that is required.

“We have been working on this particular piece of property for quite some time now,” said Jaye O’Donnell, Economic Development director at the Aug. 18 study session.

She noted that the master-planned community in southeast Mesa has a need for such a project.

“This we feel is a prime location for commercial development and one that we’ve been hankering for, for quite some time as well as the thousands of residents in Eastmark, as well as the region for that matter,” she said.

O’Donnell said that Common Bond has done a number of projects in the Valley as well as in Tucson. The developer’s projects include The Global Ambassador, a boutique hotel in Phoenix and Park at 83 entertainment venue in Peoria.

Under the agreement, certain uses are restricted and prohibited – including discount stores, drive-thru facilities, mini-storages and second-hand stores. The agreement also restricts the project to a maximum of one establishment with a drive-up AMT/teller window.

“The development agreement really just sets the standard going forward and prohibits the uses that could potentially minimize the opportunity to really have elevated retail in here,” O’Donnell commented. “The developer has been really excited to work with us on ensuring the standard stays high for this particular parcel.

“We’re not providing an incentive, a financial incentive. It really is just to memorialize the commitment to our vision and what the developer wants to bring.”

Ashley Scott, Development Services management assistant, noted that the city’s Planning and Zoning Board has already approved Eastmarket’s site plan.

Vice Mayor Scott Somers, who represents the area, applauded staff and the developer “who is seeking to come here and actually live up to the vision for the type of walkable retail that we’re looking for.”

“This project is an important first piece, a proof of concept of sorts to show that they can develop to the standards,” Somers said. “I know that they’re working on some pretty exciting opportunities for the restaurant and retail spaces in this area.”

Councilwoman Jenn Duff said that parking along the edges of the site was not pedestrian friendly and she was concerned with its connectivity.

Principal planner Evan Balmer responded that the map was difficult to see but on the west side of the site was a wide landscape median that includes seating areas and other pedestrian and consumer amenities.

And there are pedestrian connections to funnel foot traffic north on the site where the bulk of the commercial will be located.

There also will be an enhanced pedestrian connection across Bradley Way to an east parcel, which likely will be developed with residential, according to Balmer.

“We’ll have a good way to funnel folks from the residential to the east into this development and then north to any future commercial development,” he said.

Duff said she encouraged that pedestrian movement be kept at the forefront.

“Because if we’re not allowing for an enjoyable, safe navigation, people will get in their cars to move from one corner to the next,” she said. “You’re missing opportunities for retail. We need the places to hang out. We need the places to be as a community.”

Councilwoman Alicia Goforth said the site plan was not walkable.

She said that getting from the bank to the “Shops C” pad or to the grocer site was “not pleasant or safe.”

“I think we need to really be careful about what we define as walkable,” Goforth said. “Because if we accept this as walkable, that’s what will come to us and be defined as walkable. This is not walkable. I have two of these in my district.”

Councilwoman Julie Spilsbury suggested moving the Shops C closer to the other businesses, leave the bank separate and have all the parking to the outside.

Somers noted that the parcel is just one small piece of the entire mixed-use, residential-retail development.

“When I say ‘walkable,’ I’m thinking of what the vision is for this entire parcel,” he said. “Everything that’s in the dirt – how it’s going to connect to the Great Park. We do realize that this is a little bit of an isolated piece and we’ve already had these conversations … on how we’re going to integrate it better as the rest of the parcel builds out.

“So looking at this independently, no, it’s not. Do we have to look in the future how we’re going to integrate with this the rest of the way? We absolutely do.

“But my vision still is to have a place for Eastmark, my community, to gather, to be able to walk here, have something to eat, have an event, have some entertainment and accomplish the vision that as Eastmark close out to grab that last little piece of the vision of live, work, walk, play and entertain.”

Duff, however, pointed out that “walkability has to be within the parcel.”

“If there’s cars in between, it’s not perceived to be safe and people will not walk,” she said.

She said that the reason why Mesa ends up with so many parcels with car-centric businesses like storage units and car washes is because there is no walkability.

“If you don’t set the table, things will be strained and not maximize where you want to go as far as the strength of the retail of having the restaurants and the retail that support what people are demanding,” Duff continued.

“If we make it walkable, they will line up and say how can I be part of this?”

Somers responded that was why the development agreement is so important because to have more drive-thrus in the area would completely ruin any future walkability of this parcel.

“This is a smaller piece of the overall development,” O’Donnell said. “And so I would like to come back and provide a more holistic vision for what we do envision.

“The challenge that we do try and balance with the developer is this area is suburban. And so we’re trying to pull cars off of those main arterials and get them to at least come into the center and then be able to interact with multiple stores. I think this is doing that piece of it.”

She added that walkability in a suburban environment might look a bit different than in an urban center like downtown Tempe.

Councilman Rich Adams agreed that walkability was important for the project and noted the importance of Eastmarket from an economic development standpoint.

“This is the higher-level retail that we’ve been looking for,” he said. “This is what I’d consider a prime corner along a major arterial. We need to focus on this stuff. We can no longer put mini-storages, car washes and things of this nature on prime corners like this.

“This will generate sales tax, transaction privilege tax. It’’ll generate jobs. It generates quality of life.”