Board approves Mesa de‑annexation and road‑file changes; county says developer will fund intersection widening

The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors on Wednesday approved a de‑annexation from the city of Mesa that will let the county widen an intersection and assume a narrow strip of roadway to support upcoming development.

Jesse Gutierrez, the county’s director of transportation, told the board the developer will perform the roadway widening and related improvements and that the county already owns and maintains most of the roadway. “He’s gonna do the improvements on that section of roadway…those costs are borne by the developer,” Gutierrez said. He estimated the added ongoing maintenance associated with taking the small strip into the county system at about "$2,000 a year."

Alex Smith, the county’s director of real estate, said transferring the roadway decreases the developer’s regulatory burden by consolidating roadway authority with one jurisdiction — the county — while noting the development itself could still occur in Mesa. Smith said the city of Mesa previously approved the ordinance and that the board first heard the item on Feb. 25.

On the related road‑file items, Smith said the first road file (file A) authorizes acquisition up to and including condemnation if agreement with a landowner cannot be reached, though he emphasized many transactions settle voluntarily after appraisal and offer. For two other road files tied to subdivision dedications, Smith said the parcels were dedicated to the county under state statute and do not authorize condemnation.

Members of the public had asked whether declared road changes could affect driveway access and how property owners are informed. Gutierrez said designers typically align new roadway plans with existing driveways and that the county conducts outreach and negotiates access adjustments and compensations as needed.

The board voted unanimously to approve the annexation and the set of road files.