Mesa farm light-up/ P. 16
Water projects galore / P. 7
An edition of the East Valley Tribune
Sunday, October 10, 2021
FREE ($1 OUTSIDE THE EAST VALLEY) | TheMesaTribune.com
Hurry up and review projects, Mesa says BY TOM SCANLON Tribune Managing Editor
NEWS .................... 12 Mesa city clerk readying for retirement.
W
ith the pace of large commercial and residential projects accelerating, a key city manager is urging those taking part in the process to speed up their reviews. This may raise eyebrows among those who complain the city is “rubber stamping” projects, including ones neighbors vehemently oppose. Nana Appiah, the city’s planning director,
often plays the part of referee in a tug-of-war, with developers pulling on one side, to the chants of “Go go go!” and residents on the other side, insisting “No no no!” Projects typically are reviewed by the Design Review and Planning and Zoning boards before being presented to City Council. Appiah was present at the Aug. 25 Planning and Zoning Board meeting, for example, during which two projects were opposed by residents. Twenty neighbors spoke out against a proposed industrial project near Thomas Road and Val Vista Drive.
Later at the same meeting, a rezoning was presented to allow Adobe Luxury Villas, billed as a condominium at Adobe and Recker roads. Neighbor Jerry Kearsing’s comment read: “To claim that the proposed project is a condominium project is a total lie. It is an apartment complex! This is smack dab in the middle of senior housing, so multifamily dwellings will be nothing more than an eyesore for the community.” The P&Z Board unanimously approved both
see DESIGN page 6
Where most people are murdered in Mesa BUSINESS ............ 19 How water project saved Intel's $20B expansion.
SPORTS ............... 23 Desert Ridge team playing through pain. COMMUNITY ............................... 16 BUSINESS ..................................... 19 OPINION .. ..................................... 21 SPORTS ........................................ 23 PUZZLES ...................................... 25 CLASSIFIED ................................. 26 Zone
1
BY TOM SCANLON Tribune Managing Editor
I
t’s usually just the air conditioners humming and crickets chirping filling the air, at night on the side streets of east Mesa. But just before midnight Friday, Oct. 1, South Del Rancho exploded into violence with bullets flying. According to Mesa Police Sgt. Chuck Trapani, a man shot his neighbors — apparently after a romance gone bad. The double murder was unusual, for the amount of firepower — the killer fired 33 rounds from an AK 47 pistol — and the location (see story on page 3). This was far away from what is statistically the city’s deadliest section, according to a Tribune review of homicide data in Mesa. The double shooting marked the 25th and 26th murder victims in the city this year. Last year, 24 people were murdered in Mesa.
A quiet street in east Mesa exploded into violence Oct. 1, when Ivana Liversedge and Shawn Conner, a couple, were gunned down by neighbor Justin Peterson, who was arrested and charged with murder after firing 33 rounds. A memorial to the couple was placed in front of their home. (Special
to the Tribune)
This year, Mesa is nearing a three-decade high for the number of homicides. But, as Councilman Mark Freeman noted,
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see MURDER page 3
