Good morning, Mesa. Extreme heat arrives Tuesday through Thursday, with afternoon temperatures of 105 to 109 degrees across the metro.
- 🏛️ Downtown historic-home revival stalls. A West Second Street Historic District property is back in limbo after a preservation-board decision.
- 📚 Libraries have practical midweek programs. Home buying, bike repair, crafts, and youth climate-fund help are on the calendar.
- 🏠 Mesa home sales stayed active. 546 homes sold last month, with 538 new listings and a $452,500 median sale price.
- 🎵 Worth the drive this week. Eihwar, Lettuce, Led Zeppelin 2, and Thievery Corporation play Tempe and Phoenix.
A downtown historic-home revival stalls
A homeowner’s plan to revive a historic house in downtown Mesa is stalled after the city’s Historic Preservation Board pushed back on the project.
- Location: West Second Street Historic District.
- Owners: Alicia and Sean Rodriguez.
- Local connection: Councilwoman Jenn Duff is named in the report.
- Why it matters: The board rejected the current revival plan, so the owners may need to revise it before returning.
The property sits in the part of Mesa where historic homes and downtown redevelopment meet. A preservation-board decision can affect what owners are allowed to change, even when the goal is to bring an older house back into use.
What to watch: whether the owners return with a revised plan for the West Second Street property.
The week
Most of the useful stops are indoors this week, with the heat warning running Tuesday through Thursday.
Tuesday, September 8
Wednesday, September 9
- 🌱 MYCAF application help at Mesa Main Library. Mesa teens can get hands-on help with Youth Climate Action Fund applications at 2 PM. Details.
- 🚲 Basic Bicycle Maintenance at Dobson Ranch. MesaMoves covers simple repairs, including flat tires, at 6 PM. Details.
- 🎸 The Garden plays the Nile Theater. The Mesa show starts at 8 PM at 105 West Main Street. Details.
Thursday through Saturday
- 🧱 Popsicle Stick Building Challenge at Dobson Ranch. Children ages 6 to 12 build structures at 4 PM Thursday. Details.
- 🎤 VonOff1700 plays The Rosetta Room. The hip-hop show starts at 8 PM Thursday at 104 East 1st Avenue. Details.
- 🏠 Home-buying seminar at Dobson Ranch. A Saturday session covers buying and selling a house at 10 AM. Details.
- 🎭 All the Better performs at The Post. The Opinion Tour event starts Saturday at 5 PM at 26 North Macdonald Street, with free admission for ages 18 to 24 after answering local-issues questions. Details.
Around Mesa
🏗️ Mesa’s water-use exhibit runs through September. The Water Tower display at Mesa Main Library, 64 East 1st Street, pairs a daily-use visual with free desert-watering resources. Details.
🏠 546 homes sold in Mesa last month. Redfin also recorded 538 new listings, a median sale price of $452,500, and a 55-day median time on market. Details.
📚 Dobson Ranch has a practical Wednesday lineup. Book fandom crafts, Youth Climate Action Fund help, and bicycle-maintenance instruction give families and adults indoor options during the heat warning. Details.
Around the Valley
A few picks worth leaving Mesa for this week.
🎻 Thievery Corporation in Phoenix. The electronic act plays The Van Buren Tuesday night. Tickets.
🥁 Led Zeppelin 2 in Tempe. The tribute band plays Marquee Theatre Wednesday at 6:30 PM. A straightforward midweek rock stop. Tickets.
🎸 Lettuce at Marquee Theatre. The funk-jam band plays Tempe Thursday night. Tickets.