Redevelopment Areas

A Redevelopment Area (RDA) is a targeted investment district formally designated by Mesa City Council to accelerate revitalization and private development. These areas are identified because they contain aging infrastructure or underutilized land — conditions that create early-stage market opportunities with strong upside potential. For investors and developers, RDAs signal active City partnership and unlock tools designed to improve project feasibility.

Within an RDA, the City has broad statutory authority to support redevelopment projects, including the ability to:

• Prepare and implement redevelopment plans that align public and private investment around a clear vision and strategy.
• Access federal and state revitalization funding to support infrastructure, site readiness, and catalytic projects.
• Acquire, hold, improve, and dispose of property necessary for redevelopment, and enter into agreements with redevelopers that include covenants tailored to project goals.
• Borrow money, issue bonds, and accept grants or contributions from public and private sources to support redevelopment financing and project implementation.
• Contract for public improvements and services tied to a redevelopment project and coordinate with utilities, transportation, and other infrastructure partners.
• Invest and manage redevelopment funds and property interests to further the district’s long-term success.

Additionally, municipalities are required to provide transparency and community engagement around redevelopment actions including notifying property owners when redevelopment plans involve property acquisition.

Together, these mechanisms help lower development risk, increase financial flexibility, and position projects for success in markets poised for transformation.

Mesa currently has four active RDAs, covering strategic areas across the city:

• Town Center RDA (est. 1999)
• Southwest RDA (est. 2016)
• West RDA (est. 2017)
• East RDA (est. 2017)

Together, these RDAs make up Mesa’s Central Business District (CBD), a key designation that enables expanded economic development support and incentive tools.

Redevelopment Areas (RDAs) are designed to attract private investment by improving project feasibility and reducing risk in targeted districts poised for growth. Investing within an RDA signals alignment with a clear City vision and unlocks tools that can enhance returns and accelerate development timelines. These may include eligibility for GPLET to lower long-term property tax burden, access to federal and state funding to support infrastructure and building reinvestment, and streamlined City coordination to navigate planning, zoning, and permitting. RDAs also foster public-private investment alignment, ensuring projects benefit from complementary public improvements and long-term area momentum. Rather than applying to a single site, RDAs operate at the district scale, allowing individual investments to benefit from coordinated revitalization and sustained market growth.

Together, all four of Mesa’s Redevelopment Areas form the City’s Central Business District (CBD) — a unified district recognized under Arizona law and intentionally structured to support sustained private investment. The CBD framework allows Mesa to take a coordinated, district-wide approach to redevelopment rather than treating projects as isolated transactions. For investors, this means clearer priorities, stronger alignment between public and private investment, and access to tools that improve project feasibility at scale.

Within the CBD, Mesa can more strategically deploy economic development tools such as Government Property Lease Excise Tax (GPLET) to reduce long-term operating costs, participate in infrastructure and site readiness improvements, and align zoning, planning, and capital investments around a shared vision. The CBD designation also provides flexibility for the City to enter into development agreements, coordinate public improvements, and leverage external funding sources in support of catalytic projects. Together, these capabilities help reduce risk, improve predictability, and create an environment where high-quality development can succeed and compound in value over time.

Mesa follows a transparent, public process to designate Redevelopment Areas, ensuring each district is grounded in data, community input, and long-term market potential. The process includes:

• Data Gathering & Parcel Analysis to identify underutilized land, infrastructure needs, and redevelopment opportunities
• Community Outreach & Stakeholder Engagement to align redevelopment goals with neighborhood and business priorities
• City Council Designation of the Redevelopment Area under Arizona law
• Preparation of a Redevelopment Plan that establishes a clear vision, land use framework, and implementation strategy
• Planning & Zoning Board Review to ensure consistency with Mesa’s broader planning policies
• City Council Adoption of the Redevelopment Plan, formalizing the district’s long-term direction
• Ongoing Plan Implementation, including coordination of public investment, infrastructure, and private development

Mesa’s Redevelopment Areas are intentionally designated, publicly vetted, and guided by adopted plans — providing developers with clarity, consistency, and confidence for long-term investment.

Under Arizona law (ARS § 36-1471), an area may be designated as a Redevelopment Area if it demonstrates conditions that limit reinvestment or long-term viability when viewed at the district scale. These conditions — often referred to in statute as a “predominance of blight” — are used to identify areas where coordinated public and private investment can unlock growth potential.

Eligibility factors may include:

• Outdated or inefficient street and site layouts that limit redevelopment potential
• Deteriorated or obsolete buildings and infrastructure
• Underutilized or irregularly platted parcels that complicate modern development
• Fragmented property ownership that makes coordinated reinvestment difficult
• Safety, access, or infrastructure constraints that inhibit market activity
• Economic indicators, such as persistent vacancy or tax delinquency, that signal reinvestment opportunity

Importantly, Mesa does not designate individual properties as blighted. Redevelopment Areas are identified based on overall area conditions and are intended to focus resources where revitalization can have the greatest community and economic impact.