Scottsdale-based developer DMB Associates' has a plan to create an urban space in the desert - 3,200 acres of property include dense, urban spaces, narrow pedestrian pathways to a nearby coffee shop or bookstore and a short drive to work. 

Grady Gammage Jr., zoning attorney for DMB's Mesa Proving Grounds said, "We're hoping to hit the sweet spot where we embrace the 21st-century dynamic nature with something significantly urban."  According to the company, the aim is to attract a young, urban, highly educated demographic and corporate executive types who seek a vibrant lifestyle.

DMB has designated an area "open space" for parks.

A "village" land use group will primarily include single-family houses or attached town houses with a limit of up to three-story condominium-type uses. But that could also mesh with small neighborhood retail, like a convenience store.

Other plans include intimate neighborhoods with narrower and a greater number of streets than usual in Mesa, in an attempt to bring pedestrians back to the area.

Each neighborhood would have smaller community pocket parks, lending each a distinct identity.

GM is expected to vacate next summer. DMB will then start replacing the expanse of track and a smattering of aging brown buildings bounded by Elliot, Ellsworth, Signal Butte and Ray roads.

Read full story at East Valley Tribune