Board OKs housing project for GM proving-ground site

The first residential project on land formerly occupied by the General Motors Desert Proving Ground is on the books in Mesa. The Planning and Zoning Board has approved a preliminary plat for 796 single-family homes on the northwestern corner of Ray and Signal Butte roads. The site is about 2 miles south of a large First Solar Inc. panel-fabricating plant under construction. Mesa has fought several battles in recent years to keep housing away from the nearby Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport and from tracts in the area that are deemed more suitable for business. But this parcel is 2 miles from the airport's eastern border and would be part of the 15,000 dwelling units envisioned in a plan for the DMB land that the City Council approved in 2008. John Wesley, Mesa's planning director, said the housing tract does not require City Council scrutiny because no rezoning is involved. Councilman Scott Somers, who represents southeast Mesa, said he visited DMB's Scottsdale headquarters on Monday and is encouraged by the company's plans. "From what I see so far it looks pretty good," Somers said. "They have lived up to the Gateway area plan. They're looking for a different look." The neighborhood will be lushly landscaped and will offer a break from the block walls that typify many Valley neighborhoods, he said.

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