Putting the ‘fiesta’ back into Mesa
Roman Chacon
New signs were recently installed at many of the intersections surrounding the area known as the “The Fiesta District.” Jared Langkilde, director of development at MCC, said there are more plans in the works to improve the facade of the area. The idea for these new street signs came from a study conducted by the city to form a roadmap for the redesign of the area around MCC, Fiesta Mall and Banner Health Medical Center. The city, along with these three entities, invested around $300,000 in this study.
Langkilde said that along with working at the college, he serves on the Fiesta District Committee: a group organized by the City of Mesa to further study how to revitalize the area. He said he is also a member of the Economic Development Council.
Langkilde said, “the signs are some of the first elements we’re beginning to implement from (the) study.”
He said that there has been an underscoring issue that the Fiesta District Committee has tried to tackle: how the area can continue to exist with growing competition coming from the newer east valley shopping centers.
The construction of Mesa Riverview was the latest and one of the most detrimental blows to business in the area.
“Riverview was sold to the voters as ‘new and unique stores’ but what it ended up doing was cannibalizing what we had in the Fiesta District. You saw your Petco, your Bed Bath and Beyond (and) your Circuit City all leave,” Langkilde said.
“At one time Fiesta Mall was the furthest (shopping center) to the east and people as far as Florence and Coolidge would come here to shop,” Langkilde said, “This was a shopping hub of the east valley and that is no longer the case. People have other choices.”
He explained other plans the committee has for revamping the Fiesta District from new landscaping and architectural design elements to adding greater bicycle and pedestrian amenities.
The largest of these possible plans is to construct an athletic facilities complex.
“It could include a community event center to host indoor sports, concerts and graduations. The next building would be a new stadium to accommodate around twenty thousand. We’ve also discussed the possibility of a student recreations center along with a world class aquatics facility,” he said.
John Wesley, director of city planning for Mesa, said that he feels optimistic about the future of the Fiesta District but still pointed out some difficulties in redesigning the area.
“We have an existing environment, and the greatest challenge ahead is how we can change that space to fit the needs of today,” Wesley said.
What used to work for the area no longer has a draw.
Langkilde said, “We have key ingredients that are envious of any locale, the hospital which is a great employer, the college which brings a lot of life to the area. and then you’ve got the mall which is a great employer as well. Somehow these three elements aren’t enough anymore, there needs to be an additional element or two.”
He pointed out the need for drastic change for the Fiesta District to be successful in the future. “We are going to have to do something new that hasn’t been done in the City of Mesa, whether it is the sports complex or some other avenue,” he said.
