MESA — Downtown Mesa’s storefronts are filling up, with just 6.9% of more than 500 properties sitting empty, according to city leaders cited by ABC15.
City developers say keeping the downtown vacancy rate below 10% is a priority.
Chris Thompson opened Blue Corn Bakery and Cafe in June. He said events, like those at Mesa Arts Center, are drawing people downtown. “I used to come down to Mesa, and there would be newspapers blowing down the streets because there was nothing to do down here,” Thompson told ABC15.
Thompson said nearby businesses feed off one another, even as the shop next door to his closed for good last week.
Jeff McVay, who manages Mesa’s Office of Urban Transformation, said some of the money for downtown improvements, including tax-supported facade upgrades, is leftover COVID relief money.
“One of the things that’s deceiving about our downtown is the vacancies are visible,” McVay said. He added that the city is focused on creating a place where businesses can invest with confidence.
McVay said business owners are also recruiting their friends to open shops nearby. Mesa is Arizona’s third-largest city.
Sources: ABC15. Thee Arizona Times uses AI-assisted reporting reviewed against the sources listed.
Photo: Daniel Lobo / CC0 via Wikimedia Commons.
