A surfing lagoon, a library and an expanded Asian District among notable Mesa developments

Surfers are testing the waves at a lagoon in Mesa, the city’s iconic Mekong Plaza is expanding, several apartment complexes are going up in downtown and a library is in the works for southeastern Mesa. 

These are some of the notable projects underway in Phoenix's largest suburb. 

Here is a look at each.

Surfing at Cannon Beach

The lagoon at Cannon Beach, on the southeast corner of Warner and Power roads, is at the halfway point of construction. It's expected to open next summer, along with shops and restaurants.

The $220 million development is planned to sprawl across 40 acres and include such amenities as a pump bike track and a hotel.  

But the focal point is the 55-yard surfing lagoon, which should be attractive to surfers from beginners to professionals. 

Developer Cole Cannon and his team came up with technology to make a surfing lagoon where the shape and size of waves, along with the length and duration of the run, can be adjusted for skill levels. 

There also will be the first ever in-ground UNIT Surf Pool at the site. The technology is similar to a FlowRider that can be found at the Westin Kierland, but is in deeper water and allows a surfboard to have a fin, unlike other surf pools. The pool produces a continuous wave that also can be adjusted for differing surfing skill levels. Unlike the lagoon, surfers in the pool do not move along the water with the wave, but instead ride a stationary wave. 

The water will come from a well that has been on the site since the 1950s. According to city documents, the lagoon is expected to use less than 25 acre-feet of water, or about 8 million gallons, per year. Comparatively, according to the Arizona Department of Water Resources, three houses in Arizona use about one acre-foot per year, so the lagoon will use about the same amount of water per year as 75 houses. 

Cannon said the only water loss from the lagoon will be from evaporation. 

Beyond water amenities, several retail shops and restaurants are going up along Power Road.

Restaurants that have signed leases include: 

• Bubbakoo’s Burritos, which will be its second Arizona location.
• Moku Hawaiian Grill, which has a location in Phoenix.
• Boba Time, a national franchise that is expanding to the Phoenix area.

Those restaurants should open early next year.

“We wanted to create an atmosphere where there is something for everyone,” Cannon said.

He is planning four more restaurants with views of the lagoon that would be more sit-down and full-service than the quick-service restaurants on Power.

An entertainment complex building with a pump track bicycle course, trampoline park and other games and activities is also in the works, with a tenant to be announced soon. 

Cannon Beach also will include a hotel, office buildings, a gym and a high-end spa. The hotel is expected to open in 2024. 

“The surfing component is obvious, but we really want to emphasize that it’s a destination for everyone,” said Marti Weinstein, a leasing broker for Diversified Partners who is leasing the retail portion. “We are in the center of the southeast Valley, but we believe it will be a destination from around the region.”

Mekong Plaza getting bigger

An anchor of Mesa’s Asian District, Mekong Plaza, which includes a variety of food vendors, retailers and an Asian specialty grocer, is undergoing a $10 million expansion.

The 35,000 square feet expansion is going up on vacant land south of the existing plaza at Main Street and Dobson Road.

The expanded plaza should be completed by July.

The growth comes as the current plaza is fully leased and has 30 tenants. Already, businesses have pre-leased 60% of the expanded space, according to city officials. 

Downtown Mesa apartments 

The Mesa Arts District Lofts is going up at Main Street east of Sirrine. The five-building project will bring 335 apartment units with ground-floor retail space along Main Street.

The development is on 10 acres near the Mesa Arts Center and Arizona State University's new downtown Mesa location. 

Residents will begin to move in to the apartment complex in mid-2023, with full completion expected in March 2024. 

The project is one of several apartment complexes under construction or planned in downtown.

Eco Mesa, a 102-unit apartment complex, is under construction nearby on Pepper Place, west of Macdonald. The Grid, with 286 rental units and ground-floor commercial and restaurant space, also is under construction at Main Street and Pomeroy. 

In total, there are 867 apartment units under construction in downtown Mesa, with another 1,868 in the planning and permitting process.

Mesa building first library in 35 years 

In the fast-growing southeast area of Mesa, a library is among the amenities that will soon go up.

The library, planned near Ray Road and Eastmark Parkway, would be the city's fourth.

Councilmember Kevin Thompson, who represents the area, said this project is long overdue.

The library is expected to cost about $22.5 million, a $5.7 million increase above initial projections due to inflation. It will be paid for with bonds approved by voters in 2018.

As city officials work through inflationary adjustments, they may scale back the size from 35,000 square feet to about 28,000 square feet and cut amenities such as ThinkSpot, an innovation hub.

The library is envisioned to have an outdoor reading deck overlooking the Eastmark Great Park Lake.

Construction is expected to start next summer and wrap up in summer 2024.

Reach the reporters at cvanek@arizonarepublic.com or on Twitter @CorinaVanek and maritza.dominguez@arizonarepublic.com, 480-271-0646 or on Twitter @maritzacdom.

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