City Council approves zoning of Mekong 88 expansion
The business owners within the bustling Asian business complex in Mesa, the Mekong Plaza, remain relatively unaware of the details behind the expansion taking place just south of their businesses. Caught up in the tide of life and the pandemic, many had little to share about the new space, dubbed the Mekong 88, that is expected to bring more Asian-American businesses to this profitable local area.
Yet there are updates to the proposal. The Mesa City Council voted unanimously in early March to approve the zoning of a southward expansion of the Mekong Plaza on Dobson Road and Main Street. The expansion seeks to add more than 30,000 square feet to the Asian-American shopping district, so long as the facility can meet the city council’s conditions for approval.
“The city is proud to be working with all the business there.” Francisco Heredia, Mesa District 3 councilmember, said. “The City of Mesa relies a lot on sales tax as far as our general fund, and so more activity I think is good for the city, but also for the business there, and so we want to heighten up that attention so that those businesses can continue growing in the future.”
Among the owners who spoke about the expansion, most said little. Eddie Liu, the owner of AA OZZY Baker and a 10-year veteran of the Mesa business arena, said he only hoped the expansion would increase business. Placing blame on the pandemic, he said things had been “terrible” lately. His business, tucked away in the southernmost shop accessible by the Mekong Supermarket, had nobody inside but its employees
When asked about whether he thought being an Asian-American business impacted his business in Mesa, Liu replied he couldn’t say. He was a North Phoenix native, and as far as he could tell he had been treated with respect there. He said that his business had never received any help from the city, but only because he didn’t ask for any. The area, he explained, he couldn’t speak for.
Another business in the Mekong Plaza, Tea Snow, said it has been doing relatively well lately. Julie Bui, an employee at the small artisan drinks shop, said that the shop benefited from its proximity to the Mekong Plaza’s grocery store, the Mekong Supermarket. At the time of their interview, Tea Snow was busy with a handful of patrons and three to four employees in a small space.
“We want to promote this community,” Councilmember Heredia said. “They have been strong entrepreneurs in this area. We want to ensure that they are successful.”
He continued, “Mesa has always been welcoming for folks and families to settle here and open a business here. We do have our challenges, but we want to make sure that we keep on getting better, and ensure that people feel safe and proud and welcome here in a city which is the third largest city in the state.”
The estimated arrival date for the Mekong 88 expansion is early next year. Councilmember Heredia said he hopes this expansion will bring new businesses to this popular area and generate an increase in foot traffic and income tax revenue coming from this part of the city.
