Council releases petition for proposed annexation at Hawes and McDowell; neighbors raise density and traffic concerns

The Mesa City Council on Dec. 9 authorized release of a petition for signatures that would allow a property owner to pursue annexation of about 30 acres at the southeast corner of North Hawes Road and East McDowell Road into the City of Mesa.

Release of the petition is an initial procedural step; the applicant — identified in meeting materials as a single property owner — must collect the signatures required under the process and then return the petition for the council to consider annexation. City staff told residents that, per city practice, an annexed property typically arrives with an initial City of Mesa zoning designation of agricultural (AG), and any rezoning request by the applicant would be considered later; the applicant is expected to request rezoning concurrently, with an introduction scheduled for Jan. 13 and subsequent public hearings.

Neighbors from Thunder Mountain Estates, other nearby subdivisions and several homeowners who live on large lots across McDowell said they opposed the project as proposed and asked the council not to allow the annexation without fuller review of a rezoning plan. Speakers said the proposal, as presented at neighborhood meetings, would allow too many homes in an area of typically half‑ to one‑acre lots. One resident said the developer proposed 61 homes on the site, a density he called “totally out of whack with what is in that neighborhood.”

Speakers cited safety concerns at the proposed new neighborhood entrance across from existing communities, increased traffic and school bus congestion on McDowell, loss of view and nighttime sky, and potential property‑value impacts from nearby smaller‑lot development. Several residents asked council members to study potential traffic controls or alternate access locations before allowing annexation and rezoning.

City staff and council members explained the procedural timeline: tonight’s action only authorizes release of the petition for signatures; if the owner returns a valid petition, the council will receive an annexation ordinance and the applicant’s requested rezoning (introduction and public hearing steps) in January. Staff said Mesa’s development standards are typically stricter than county standards and that, if annexed, the property would be subject to city zoning rules and public hearing processes.

The council voted unanimously to release the petition. The annexation and rezoning introductions are scheduled for Jan. 13, when citizens will have an opportunity to present more detailed comments on the proposed development plan.