This post originally appeared on Orphan Road.
The Mesa Planning and Zoning Board recommended approval of West Main Street Station, only six weeks after voting to reject it, after developer Dan Randall agreed to a series of changes that made the development somewhat more palatable to nearby residents.
Designed to capitalize on the Metro light rail line, the project’s success may prove pivotal in the redevelopment of West Main Street. It combines 55 townhouses with 13 shops at 1350 W. Main St., the site of a former automobile dealership and, later, Tracker Marine, a boat dealership.
A zoning change, to allow higher density residential development, is scheduled to go before the Mesa City Council on July 9. The development is not oriented toward light rail alone because it still offers parking for residents and visitors.
“It brings a nice breath of fresh air to an otherwise distressed part of Main Street,” said Rich Adams, the planning board’s chairman, who voted against the proposal June 2. “I think it would have sent the wrong signal” to recommend the council reject it again.