Contested $17M Senior Housing Project Breaks Ground in Mesa

By Camelia Bulea, Associate Editor

Mesa officials broke ground Oct. 29 on a $17 million senior living center in the city’s Downtown. Dubbed the Residences at Center Street Station, the five-story project is being developed by Mesa Housing Associates and Encore and is scheduled for completion by October 2013, the East Valley Tribune reports.

Located on First Avenue, the 81-unit development is the first big private investment to get under way in Downtown Mesa for many years, Councilman Dave Richins told AZCentral.com. Richins was one of the big supporters of the project that split City Council members.

Critics, including some council members, contend that a low-income housing project is unsuitable for an area where the city is encouraging major investment around a rail station scheduled to open in 2015, the East Valley Tribune reports. Mesa Housing and Encore previously completed a five-story, 56-unit project, which opened in January in Tempe’s downtown.

Another major project in the works on First Avenue is Goldwater Library and Archives, which will be housed in a three-story, 40,000-square foot LEED-certified building, according to a statement by the city. Plans call for an exhibition area, reading room and café, the project is expected to attract some 57,000 visitors when it opens in 2016.

Photo courtesy of City of Mesa