Ally

The Arizona Republic
Nov. 3, 2007 12:00 AM
Mesa is used to dreams that go poof.

Eight years ago, a $1.8 billion plan to build an Arizona Cardinals stadium and convention center on the northern end of town was shot down at the polls by a ratio of 2-1.

About that same time, a Canadian developer was wowing city officials with plans for a ritzy $125 million downtown resort.

Mesa bought up 25 acres for the project, kicking out some longtime residents in the process, before the idea withered for lack of funds. The land is still empty.

Now, a new vision dances in Mesa's head: a project called Waveyard.

Whether this vision comes to fruition, at least in Mesa, depends on the outcome of a special election Tuesday.

The issue is drawing widespread interest; City Clerk Linda Crocker said about 40,000 early-ballot requests had been received as the early-voting deadline approached.

Scottsdale businessmen Richard Mladick and Jerry Hug want to turn about 125 acres now devoted to Riverview Golf Course and four softball fields into a European-style mixed-use development with numerous outdoor sports amenities.

Those would include a whitewater river at least 4,000 feet long, a scuba lagoon and a wave pool big enough to give surfers some serious action.

There also would be a four-star hotel with an attached indoor water park, restaurants, offices, residences and at least 200,000 square feet of retail space.

The deal would work this way:

Mesa would sell 121 acres to Waveyard for $30 million, and Waveyard would lease the rest of its site from the city.

Of that $30 million, Mesa would get $10 million in cash, which it would use to rebuild the softball fields somewhere else on the west side of town.

The remainder, with interest, would be paid over 24 years in the form of credits on Waveyard's sales and bed taxes.

The entire Mesa power structure - a unanimous City Council, every one of the city's conservative legislators, and business and tourism groups - has endorsed the project.

The election is required because a 2004 amendment to Mesa's charter prohibits the city from selling property worth $1.5 million or more for a recreational or cultural project without a vote.

Opposition has surfaced, however, in Arizona Republic blogs and in letters to the editor.

One of the more vocal opponents is Janie Thom, a former Mesa council member who said Waveyard should build elsewhere.

"It's just that it's a nice park," Thom said. "The golf course has always made money. It's an amenity that really shouldn't be sold."

Thom suggested the area around Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport as a better site.

Waveyard officials say they targeted the Riverview area because it's at the juncture of two freeways, Loops 101 and 202, and could draw loads of young customers from nearby Arizona State University.

Robert Brinton, president of the Mesa Convention and Visitors Bureau, is heading the pro-Waveyard campaign.

Brinton signed on, he said, because the Valley needs an amenity like Waveyard.

"Out of the top 50 cities, this is the only place that doesn't have a Sea World, a Busch Gardens, a Six Flags, whatever," Brinton said.

City Manager Chris Brady said the development agreement offers a number of assurances that Mesa won't be left with a patch of torn-up dirt if Waveyard falters. They include Waveyard proving financial backing for at least $250 million and getting all its plans approved.

(The Arizona Republic)