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Mesa zoning �ight / P. 12
Battling for help / P. 10
An edition of the East Valley Tribune
COMMUNITY .......... 20 Mesa moms power unique blog for mothers.
BUSINESS ............... 22 How the pandemic has impacted wedding industry.
Sunday, May 23, 2021
More growth rolling into SE Mesa
INSIDE
This Week
FREE ($1 OUTSIDE THE EAST VALLEY) | TheMesaTribune.com
Developers plan an oasis $1 billion project coming in a ‘restaurant desert’ to ‘Data Center Alley’ BY TOM SCANLON Tribune Managing Editor
I
n southeast Mesa, Eastmark and Cadence developers have successfully turned cactus �ields into thousands of high-end homes. But many who moved into the new neighborhoods complain
they are stuck in a “restaurant desert.” Ask Peter Martens, an Eastmark resident since moving from Gilbert six months ago. It would be nice to have these types of amenities closer instead of driving into Gilbert or Queen
��� EASTGATE ���� 6
Mesa prepares to At last! shuf�le the council district deck
BY TOM SCANLON Tribune Managing Editor
M
esa’s claim on the unof�icial title “Data Center Alley” just got stronger with a boost from a $1 billion project. At its May 17 meeting, Mesa City Council approved a develop-
ment agreement for a company that plans to build a data center on Elliot and Ellsworth roads in the northwest corner of Eastmark. A mystery company will invest “north of $800 million — well north of $800 million,” according
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BY PAUL MARYNIAK Tribune Executive Editor
SPORTS ..................... 26 Rahni Turner left her stamp on the Westwood Warriors’ track & field team. COMMUNITY ............................... 20 BUSINESS ..................................... 22 OPINION .. ..................................... 24 SPORTS ........................................ 26 GET OUT ...................................... 27 PUZZLES ...................................... 29 CLASSIFIED ................................. 30 Zone 2
F
ive people will decide where you will vote. And no one can overrule them; not the governor, not the mayor, not even Mesa City Council. Thousands across Mesa are expected to be on the move, though no moving vans are needed, as the “move” will be purely for local voting purposes. Mesa is divided into six districts, with each
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What a difference a year makes … After a virtual ceremony for the Class of 2020, Mesa Public Schools returned to in-person graduations last Thursday. The district saluted 3,658 graduating seniors, with Red Mountain High leading the way with 770 grads. Mountain View High had 700 grads, Westwood High 654, Mesa High 602 and East Valley Academy honored 88 graduates. At Skyline High, pictured above, 450 seniors “walked” — ending their COVID-interrupted school year and beginning post-high school lives. (Pablo Robles/Tribune Staff Photographer)
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