Mesa is drawing more people to its downtown, city leaders say, as new housing developments, public transit, and a push for walkable neighborhoods reshape the city center.
About 1,500 new homes have been added downtown in recent years, bringing roughly 3,000 residents into the city’s core, officials said. More than four percent of Mesa is now designated for redevelopment as the city seeks to concentrate growth in its central neighborhoods.
“We have a downtown we want to be attractive to all age ranges,” said Jeff McVay, Mesa’s urban transformation director. “There’s the concept of eight-and 80-year-old cities, and if you build a downtown that’s attractive to an eight-year-old and an 80-year-old, you’ve made it attractive to every age range in between.”…