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Mesa council approves purchase of two Centennial Way buildings from community college district
Summary
The Mesa City Council voted to buy buildings and air rights at 145 and 165 North Centennial Way from the Maricopa County Community College District, authorizing the city manager to complete purchase documents; council members said one building will be used immediately and the other will be demolished and marketed for redevelopment.
Mesa City Council voted Oct. 20 to purchase real property improvements and air rights for parcels at 145 and 165 North Centennial Way from the Maricopa County Community College District and authorized the city manager to execute the necessary documents.
The measure passed during the council's consent agenda and was approved unanimously with Councilmember Alicia Go Forth absent. Councilmember Pillsbury moved to approve the consent item; the motion passed, and the council recorded the approval during the meeting.
David Winstanley, a Mesa resident in District 6, urged council members to postpone the purchase, saying the city should wait until a study confirmed a need. “You’re asking to spend $4,700,000 on something you might need in the future,” Winstanley told the council, and he suggested the city could buy an option or use existing city-owned vacancy before committing funds.
A city staff member, Scott Butler, responded that preliminary inspections showed one of the buildings (165 North Centennial) is in such poor condition that repairs would exceed salvage value and that the building would be demolished. Butler said the other building can be used immediately; engineering staff have begun preparing that building to accept city employees as soon as ownership transfers and a plan is in place.
Councilmember Stutt said the site for the deteriorated building would be marketed for economic development once the city clears it. Councilmember Adams asked about a nearby Area of Honor and remembrance created by a veterans center; Butler confirmed staff plans to preserve and relocate elements such as benches and memorial items if the site cannot be maintained in place.
City staff also noted the city already owns the adjacent parking garage, which will combine with the purchased building to provide employee and public parking. Councilmembers said that consolidation of ownership and the immediate usable space informed the decision to proceed.
The purchase was the only removed item from the consent agenda that received public comment before the vote. No specific funding source or final contract documents were read into the record during the meeting; councilmembers indicated staff would handle closing and any follow-up actions.
The council adjourned after handling the remaining agenda items.
