MesaNow
City of Mesa News
City of Mesa News
The City of Mesa continues to modernize its development review process, cutting red tape and consolidating department review functions to deliver faster approvals and greater transparency for builders, businesses, investors and residents.
"These ongoing reforms send a clear message: Mesa is serious about smart, healthy growth that benefits everyone," said Mayor Mark Freeman. "By cutting red tape and removing barriers for our business community, we make it easier for companies to invest, create jobs for our residents, expand our tax base and strengthen a healthy local economy."
The changes are initial steps that follow comprehensive stakeholder engagement efforts and an evaluation of City processes, both of which identified opportunities to better align and streamline processes across the City's development review functions.
The result is a significant overhaul of Mesa's development review approach. Improvements include consolidated review teams, dedicated support staff and new technology that gives applicants real-time visibility into their project status, all while maintaining safety, design and community standards.
"We listened to the development community, identified the bottlenecks and continue to fix them," said City Manager Scott Butler. "These changes eliminate the ping-ponging between departments and give businesses greater clarity throughout the process. Mesa is committed to being a partner, not a barrier."
Key Improvements
Centralized, Faster Reviews: Mesa has consolidated civil plan reviews for water, sewer and solid waste into the Development Services Department, creating a one-stop shop for applicants. This reduces handoffs between departments and improves coordination. New real-time dashboards provide visibility into review timelines.
Expanded Applicant Support and Concierge Services: The City has added a Development Ombudsman to serve as a single point of contact for navigating the review process and resolving issues quickly. Mesa also established an Office of Urban Transformation to provide concierge-style support for projects in redevelopment areas, guiding applicants from concept through completion.
Data-Driven and Continuous Improvement: A three-month evaluation of the City's processes identified key opportunities for improvement and removed redundancies. A new Project Manager for Data Management and Workflow Improvement will oversee ongoing refinements, while citywide reviews continue to eliminate redundancies across departments.
Modernized Codes and Pro-Growth Policies: Mesa has adopted the 2024 International Building and Fire Code and approved multiple zoning code updates to expand housing options, enable adaptive reuse of existing buildings and streamline approvals.
Additional policy updates are underway, including an infill development ordinance, expanded administrative review authority, and caps on review cycles to promote accountability and timely project delivery.
For more information, visit mesaaz.gov.