A large portion of Hawes Crossing in southeast Mesa could shift from planned employment uses to residential development as the city considers a proposal involving more than 100 acres near Hawes Road and Elliot Road.
- Proposal Would Shift Employment Land Toward Housing
- Planning Board Has Reviewed the Request
- Housing Would Fit Into the Larger Hawes Crossing Plan
- Development Patterns Around Hawes Crossing Have Changed
- Commercial and Mixed-Use Development Would Still Have a Place
- What Happens Next?
- What the Proposal Could Mean for Southeast Mesa
- Bottom Line
The proposal, known as Hawes Crossing Village 7, calls for approximately 103 acres at the southeast corner of South Hawes Road and East Elliot Road to receive new General Plan designations that would allow more residential development. About 73.2 acres currently designated for employment-related uses are proposed to become Urban Residential, while another 29.7 acres would change from Urban Center to Urban Residential.
Proposal Would Shift Employment Land Toward Housing
The application represents a significant change in how part of Village 7 could ultimately be developed.
The property is currently associated with the Local Employment Center designation, which is intended for lower-intensity employment and commercial activity that can coexist with nearby residential neighborhoods. Uses contemplated under that designation include offices, medical facilities, light industrial operations and retail.
The requested General Plan amendment would instead establish an Urban Residential designation for the 73.2-acre portion. The additional 29.7 acres would also move from Urban Center to Urban Residential.
According to the city case information, the overall General Plan amendment covers approximately 103 acres. The case number is GPA26-00161, and the proposal is specifically identified as Hawes Crossing Village 7.
Planning Board Has Reviewed the Request
The Mesa Planning and Zoning Board held a public hearing on the proposal July 29.
The city’s meeting materials identified the case as PZ 26057 / GPA26-00161 and described the request as a major General Plan amendment affecting approximately 103 acres. The hearing was held at Dobson Ranch Library.
The board was asked to consider changing the site’s placetypes from Urban Center and Local Employment Center to Urban Residential. City planning staff recommended approval of the amendment.
The Mesa Tribune reported that no members of the public spoke against the application during the July 29 hearing. The newspaper also reported that the developer’s application is being prepared for potential future development of the state-owned property.
Housing Would Fit Into the Larger Hawes Crossing Plan
The proposed change isn’t occurring in isolation.
Hawes Crossing is a major master-planned community covering roughly 1,131.5 acres in Mesa. The development plan divides the community into eight villages and includes a combination of residential, commercial, office, employment, open-space and public uses.
The city’s original planning documents envisioned a mix of housing types alongside employment and commercial areas. The approved framework includes single-family and multifamily residential uses as well as office, commercial and mixed-use districts.
State-owned portions of the community include Villages 6, 7 and 8, according to the project’s master planning documents.
That broader plan is important because the latest proposal would not turn the entire development into housing. Instead, it would adjust the land-use mix within one portion of the master-planned community.
Development Patterns Around Hawes Crossing Have Changed
Mesa planning staff have pointed to changes in the surrounding area as part of the reasoning behind the proposed land-use adjustment.
The eastern side of Hawes Crossing has increasingly seen residential development, changing the character of an area that was originally envisioned with more employment-oriented uses.
The city has also previously approved residential projects within the Hawes Crossing development. For example, Village 1 Phase 2 was approved as a single-residence development on approximately 98 acres, demonstrating the continued residential expansion within the larger community.
More recently, the city also considered Hawes Crossing Village 5, a roughly 60.8-acre project at the northeast corner of Warner Road and Hawes Road that combines single-family residential development with future commercial uses.
Those projects illustrate the evolving mix of residential and commercial development taking shape across Hawes Crossing.
Commercial and Mixed-Use Development Would Still Have a Place
Although the Village 7 proposal would increase the amount of land designated for residential use, the plan does not eliminate commercial and mixed-use opportunities from the surrounding area.
The original application also includes changes affecting other portions of the site, including adjustments involving Limited Commercial and Mixed-Use designations.
City planning staff indicated that additional mixed-use and multifamily applications have been submitted along Elliot Road, suggesting that higher-density housing and commercial activity could continue near the area’s major corridors.
The broader Hawes Crossing plan also contains multiple zoning districts, including Limited Commercial, General Commercial, Office Commercial, Mixed-Use and Light Industrial, alongside several residential districts.
What Happens Next?
The Village 7 proposal still has to move through Mesa’s development review process.
The Planning and Zoning Board’s recommendation is part of that process, with City Council ultimately responsible for action on the major General Plan amendment and associated development requests.
The exact timing of a City Council hearing or final action was not established in the sources reviewed for this report.
For now, the key takeaway is that Mesa is considering a substantial shift in the planned land use for part of Hawes Crossing, potentially opening more land for residential development.
What the Proposal Could Mean for Southeast Mesa
If approved and eventually developed, the change could add another residential component to one of southeast Mesa’s larger master-planned communities.
Hawes Crossing was originally approved as a large mixed-use development, and its planning framework already anticipates a combination of homes, commercial areas, employment uses, parks, trails and other community amenities. The latest Village 7 proposal would adjust that balance further toward residential development.
For residents and prospective homebuyers, additional housing could eventually mean more choices in an area that continues to see development activity.
However, the General Plan amendment is only one step in the process. Future zoning, site planning, subdivision approvals, infrastructure work and construction would still be necessary before any new homes could actually be built.
Bottom Line
Mesa is considering a major land-use change at Hawes Crossing that could shift approximately 73 acres from employment-oriented planning to Urban Residential, as part of a larger 103-acre General Plan amendment for Village 7.
The proposal reflects the continued evolution of Hawes Crossing as southeast Mesa grows and surrounding development patterns change.
While the project has received a recommendation for approval from city planning staff, additional approvals and development steps would be needed before the proposed housing becomes reality.
For anyone following southeast Mesa’s growth, Hawes Crossing Village 7 is another development to watch as the city continues balancing new housing with commercial, employment and mixed-use opportunities.
