Good morning, East Mesa. It hits 111 today and eases to 107 by Wednesday, so run errands early and keep the car shaded.

  • 🏗️ 196 acres near Ellsworth and Williams Field move toward annexation. Council holds the first public hearing August 17.
  • 🎒 Red Mountain High School's first day is Thursday. Mountain View runs freshman orientation Wednesday morning.
  • 🚁 Mesa approved limits on commercial drone flights. The Mesa Tribune reported the new rules this weekend.
  • 🍔 First Friday returns to Cannon Beach on Power Road. Food trucks and vendors, 6 to 11 PM.
  • 🏠 538 new listings came on the Mesa market last month.
  • 🎭 Four Valley picks worth the drive. Baseball at Chase Field, live music in Tempe and downtown Phoenix.

196 acres at Ellsworth and Williams Field start the annexation clock

Mesa is taking the first formal step toward pulling 196.3 acres at the northeast corner of Ellsworth and Williams Field roads inside the city limits.

Key facts

  • Case: ANX25-00893, an annexation of 196.3 acres, District 6.
  • Where: the northeast corner of South Ellsworth Road and East Williams Field Road.
  • Who: filed by Dennis Newcombe of Gammage and Burnham on behalf of the owners, Pacific Proving, LLC and Mesa BA Land, LLC.
  • When: City Council public hearing on Monday, August 17.
  • What the hearing does: it happens before the annexation petition can be released for property-owner signatures. It is a procedural gate, not a final vote.

Annexation is the step where county land becomes city land. Once it lands inside Mesa, the city sets the zoning, provides the services, and collects the taxes on it. On the far southeast edge of East Mesa, that is the step that usually comes before anything gets designed, so a filing this size is the earliest public signal that something is planned for a piece of ground this big.

What to watch: the petition-signature phase follows the August 17 hearing, and any zoning case would come later and separately. Case file and agenda.

The week ahead

Monday

  • 👶 Toddlertime at Red Mountain Library, 10 AM. Details.

Tuesday

  • 📚 Preschool storytime at Red Mountain Library, 10 AM, with a craft after. Details.
  • 🎲 Trivia night at Augusta Ranch Golf Club, 2401 S Lansing. Details.

Wednesday

  • 🧶 Learn to crochet at THINKspot at Red Mountain, 10 AM. Supplies provided, beginners welcome. Details.
  • 🃏 Trading Card Game Club at Red Mountain Library, 3:30 PM. Bring a Pokémon deck or learn on a loaner. Details.
  • ♠️ Texas Hold 'Em at Augusta Ranch Golf Club. Details.
  • 🍺 Trivia at On The Green Sports Grill, 6:30 PM. Details.

Thursday

  • 🧵 Quilt as You Go at THINKspot, 10 AM. This month's project is pieced placemats. Details.
  • 🖍️ Coloring Club at Red Mountain Library, 6 PM. Pencils, markers, and card-making materials provided. Details.
  • 🎤 Powerful Voices open mic in Mesa. Music, comedy, and poetry on the same bill. Details.

Friday

  • 🍔 First Friday at Cannon Beach, 4503 S Power Road, 6 to 11 PM. Food trucks and vendors in the boardwalk zone. Details.
  • 📓 Art journaling at THINKspot, 11 AM, ages 18 and up. Journals provided. Details.
  • ⚾ Prep Baseball ID Showcase at Arizona Athletic Grounds. Details.

Saturday

  • 🥬 Eastmark Farmers Market at Eastmark Great Park, 5100 S Eastmark Parkway. Details.

Looking ahead: a public charcuterie workshop at XOXO Charcuterie, 2823 N Power Road, on Tuesday, August 11. Details.

Around East Mesa

  • 🚁 Mesa set limits on commercial drone flights. The Mesa Tribune reported the new rules this weekend, with a new state law, House Bill 2875, in the background. Details.
  • 💧 The mayor addressed Mesa's water position. Mayor Freeman issued a statement Saturday on the city's water resilience and the Colorado River. Worth reading if you have been watching the river negotiations. Details.
  • 🏠 538 new listings came on the Mesa market last month.

From the schools

  • 🎒 Red Mountain High School's first day is Thursday, August 6. Expect the Power Road and Brown corridor to get slow again at drop-off and dismissal for the first couple of weeks. Calendar.
  • 🦫 Mountain View runs freshman orientation Wednesday at 9 AM. It is the last quiet morning on campus before the full building comes back. Calendar.
  • 🚌 EVIT busing is still a problem. The Mesa Tribune reports that students commuting to the East Valley Institute of Technology are still running into transportation gaps, even after the dispute that caused them was settled. Superintendent Chad Wilson and board member Shelli Boggs are both in the story. Details.

Around the Valley

A few picks worth leaving the east side for this week.

  • 🎶 Josh Tatofi at Marquee Theatre in Tempe, Tuesday night. Hawaiian soul in a room the right size for it. Tickets.
  • ⚾ Diamondbacks vs. Padres at Chase Field, tonight. A division game with the roof closed and the air conditioning on. Tickets.
  • 🎸 Passion Pit at The Van Buren, Wednesday. The Pretty Penny Tour, one night only. Tickets.
  • 🎭 John Cameron Mitchell at The Van Buren, tonight. The Hedwig 25th anniversary movie tour, with the man who wrote it in the room. Tickets.

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