Good morning, Mesa. A high near 108 today and lows around 88, so anything outdoors is a morning errand.
- 🏛️ A private firm is taking over the Mesa Convention Center and Mesa Amphitheatre. The city is stepping back from running both downtown venues.
- 🏗️ A 155,597-square-foot industrial building near Greenfield and McDowell. Planning and Zoning hears it Wednesday.
- 🏆 Mesa's economic development office won an international award. The winning entry is an AI system the city built itself.
- 🍝 Pizzicata is now Scarpetta on the Green. Same owners, same spot at Painted Mountain Golf Resort.
- 📖 A busy library week. Excel basics, embroidery, sewing, and free help with landscape watering.
- ⚾ The Cubs are at Chase Field tonight. Mesa's spring training team, in town for the regular season.
The Convention Center goes private
The City of Mesa is handing day-to-day management of the Mesa Convention Center and the Mesa Amphitheatre to a private company.
Key facts:
- The operator: Legends Global Convention Center Management, a national venue-management firm.
- The venues: the Mesa Convention Center and the Mesa Amphitheatre, both in the downtown core.
- The advisor: Conventions, Sports and Leisure International, the consulting firm the city worked with on the arrangement.
- On the record: Mayor Mark Freeman.
- Reported: Sunday, by the Mesa Tribune.
For most residents the practical question is booking. City-run venues tend to fill their calendars locally: trade shows, graduations, community events, the occasional touring act. A national operator brings its own promoter relationships, which usually means a different mix on the Amphitheatre stage. This also lands in the middle of downtown Mesa's long revitalization run, in the same few blocks as the Mesa Arts Center and the light-rail stops that started the whole second act.
What to watch: the terms and length of the management agreement, and what shows get announced for the Amphitheatre this fall. Details.
Around Mesa
🏗️ An industrial building is proposed near Greenfield and McDowell. The parcel is 8.7 acres, about 630 feet south of the southwest corner, and the plan is a roughly 155,597-square-foot industrial development in District 1. It needs a development plan review and a special use permit (a case-by-case city approval for a use the zoning doesn't allow outright). City staff recommend approval with conditions. The Planning and Zoning Board takes it Wednesday, filed as ZON26-00411. Details.
🏆 The city's economic development office won a 2026 Silver Award from the International Economic Development Council. The entry was the Mesa AI-Enabled Economic Development Intelligence System, a tool the office built to sort business and site data. The International Economic Development Council gives the awards annually across member cities in the United States and abroad. The system pulls business and site data into one place for staff fielding relocation inquiries. Details.
🍝 Pizzicata has rebranded as Scarpetta on the Green. The Italian restaurant at Painted Mountain Golf Resort stays under David and Stefany Pope, the same owners. New name, same kitchen. Details.
🚁 Mesa Police pilots are getting a new training contract. The three-year deal, with two one-year renewal options, pays an FAA-certified regional flight school to certify new helicopter pilots and add ratings for existing ones. The Air Support Unit flies patrol support, and only one company bid. Council votes August 31. Details.
🏠 The average 30-year mortgage rate is 6.65% this week, down from 6.67%. On Mesa's $452,500 median home with 20% down, that is about $2,324 a month in principal and interest. Details.
The week ahead
Monday
- ✂️ Custom bookmarks on the paper cutter. Design and cut one on the Silhouette Cameo. THINKspot at Dobson Ranch, 6 PM, adults. Details.
Tuesday
Wednesday
- 🧵 Beginning embroidery. Basic stitches and how to follow a pattern. THINKspot at Dobson Ranch, 11 AM, teens and adults. Details.
- 💻 Computer basics: Excel. Main Library, 2 PM. Laptops provided to the first 11 people. Details.
- 🐱 Walk In Wednesday, Pete the Cat edition. Youth Activity Room at Main, 2 PM, school age. Supplies are limited. Details.
- 🪡 Sewing for adults. Learn the Brother machines on a project of your own. THINKspot Main, 6 PM. Materials included. Details.
- 🎤 Dave Blunts at the Nile Theater. Still Standing Tour, 105 West Main Street, 8 PM. A downtown Main Street room, walkable from the light rail. Details.
Thursday
- 💦 Ask an expert: watering and landscaping. City water conservation staff take questions on drip schedules, desert plants, plant problems, and the grass-to-xeriscape rebate. Main Library by the water tower, 11:30 AM. A useful hour before September watering schedules change. Details.
Worth a note for next week
- 🧩 Puzzle swap. Give one, take one. THINKspot Main, September 3 at 5:30 PM. Details.
Around the Valley
A few picks worth leaving Mesa for this week.
⚾ Diamondbacks vs. Cubs. Chase Field, tonight at 6:40. The Cubs play at Sloan Park every February, so this is the rare chance to see them here in a game that counts. Tickets.
🎸 Jason Bonham's Led Zeppelin Evening. Celebrity Theatre, Tuesday at 7:30 PM. The room spins and no seat is far from the stage, which suits this show. Tickets.
🎤 ZAYN, The Konnakol Tour. Mortgage Matchup Center in downtown Phoenix, tonight at 8 PM. One night only. Tickets.
🎧 Hulvey, Could Be Tonight Tour. The Van Buren, tonight at 7 PM. A smaller room than this tour is playing in most cities. Tickets.