Good morning, Mesa. The heat is holding, so it helps that the city stretched its pool season: Mesa, Stapley, and Brimhall stay open daily except Sunday through July 25, and Skyline and Rhodes run daily through July 25, then weekends through September 6.
- 🏗️ Boeing plans a manufacturing expansion near Falcon Field. It reaches the Planning and Zoning Board on Wednesday.
- 🍶 A Korean pocha is coming to Mesa. Soju Station brings a casual drinking-and-dining concept to town.
- 🏛️ Mesa's historic-preservation rules go up for a rewrite. Two items land on the P&Z; study session Wednesday.
- 📚 A Mesa library is a finalist for an international award. It's up for 2026 Public Library of the Year.
- 🎸 This week's shows run from Mesa to Tempe. Slow Joy, Ella Mai, Dear Evan Hansen, and a weeknight at the ballpark.
The lead: Boeing's Mesa expansion
Boeing wants to add more than a quarter-million square feet of manufacturing space near Falcon Field, and the plan goes before the Planning and Zoning Board this Wednesday.
Key facts:
- What: a 263,386-square-foot expansion of Boeing's manufacturing facility, filed as the "Boeing ACA Expansion" (case ZON26-00243).
- Where: 38 acres about 1,700 feet north of Greenfield and McDowell, in District 5.
- The ask: a Development Plan Review and a Special Use Permit (approval for a use the base zoning doesn't allow outright).
- Where it stands: city staff recommend approval with conditions.
- When: Planning and Zoning Board public hearing, Wednesday, July 22.
Boeing's Mesa plant at Falcon Field is where Apache helicopters are assembled, one of the city's anchor aerospace employers. An expansion this size points to continued investment in the northeast Mesa aerospace corridor, alongside the Apple and Meta build-out on the far southeast side.
If the board signs off Wednesday, the project moves ahead. The file is ZON26-00243 on the July 22 agenda. Project narrative.
Around Mesa
- 🍶 Soju Station is bringing a Korean pocha to Mesa. Owner Jaong Woo is opening a casual drinking-and-dining spot modeled on neighborhood gathering places. Details.
- 🏛️ The city's historic-preservation rules are up for an overhaul. P&Z; takes a Wednesday study session on proposed changes to the Historic Preservation Design Guidelines and the zoning-code chapters behind them, the framework that governs downtown's historic districts. The proposed guidelines.
- 📚 A Mesa library made an international shortlist. The city's Gateway Library is a finalist for the 2026 Public Library of the Year, an award for design, innovation, and community impact. Details.
- 🎒 Free back-to-school backpacks are moving through Mesa libraries this month. The D-backs and Honeywell are donating supply-filled backpacks, with a Main Library pickup Wednesday at 10 AM. Details.
- 🏠 Property beat: a 1999-built home in the Los Estados area recently sold for $1.6 million, per county records.
The week ahead
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
- 🧠 Trivia Night. Free to play, prizes on offer. On The Green Sports Grill, 6:30 PM. Details.
Thursday
📚 Summer reading take-home kits are at the Mesa Express Library while supplies last, this week's themes run from pinch pots to painted jars to egg-carton geodes. Details.
From the schools
🏫 The Mesa Public Schools Governing Board meets Thursday. July 23 at 6 PM, 549 N Stapley Drive. Board meetings are open to the public. Details.
Around the Valley
A few shows worth your week, starting close to home.
🎸 Slow Joy at The Rosetta Room. Mesa, Wednesday, July 22. The in-town pick, no freeway required. Tickets.
🎤 Ella Mai at Marquee Theatre. Tempe, Saturday, July 25. Grammy-winning R&B;, one night on a short drive. Tickets.
🎭 Dear Evan Hansen at Phoenix Theatre. Phoenix, Wednesday, July 22. The Tony-winning musical, midweek downtown. Tickets.
⚾ Diamondbacks vs. Athletics at Chase Field. Phoenix, tonight at 6:40 PM. A cheap weeknight at the ballpark. Tickets.