Location

Gateway Commons Business Park’s location has always been good.  Current developments make that’s a huge understatement.   The facts are:

Gaylord Entertainment

Gaylord’s research of meetings markets showed that Phoenix is a top destination for meeting planners.  However the recent growth in the southeast valley, and Mesa in particular, caught their attention.  In a press release issued by the Company, Gaylord Entertainment Chairman and CEO Colin Reed stated “We’re extremely excited by the prospects of a Gaylord property at the Mesa Proving Grounds, which will become one of the most sought-after tourist and business travel destinations in the United States and a top choice by meeting planners for conventions.”

Executives with developer/landowner DMB believe that the resort will attract a new stream of visitors, business groups and corporate executives who will bring with them enormous business opportunities.  It bodes well not just for the immediate area in Mesa but for the entire state due to increased dollars, industry and tourism.

Initially, Gaylord executives anticipate the company’s investment to be nearly $1 billion.   

The balance of the Proving Ground is expected to be another success story by DMB.  Lauded for their thoughtful integration of residential and business needs within a desert environment, this local Valley developer’s lifestyle neighborhoods are always well received.

Right next to the Mesa Proving Ground and the Gaylord Hotel property, the Phoenix Mesa Gateway Airport (formerly Williams Gateway Airport) has been taking off, posed to be the hub of the Southeast Valley.

The Airport has come a long way from its original incarnation as Williams Air Force base, where thousands of pilots earned their wings during the throes of World War II.   A subsequent plan for re-use of the post-war Williams Field was created in the 1990’s, citing applications such as commercial passenger service to act as a reliever for Sky Harbor along with aircraft manufacturing, maintenance, modification, air cargo operations and flight training.  Blessed with long runways due to its military use, it can easily accept large passenger aircraft necessary for a major airline destination.  Its new name, Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport, reflects both its heritage and its future.

Valley air transportation needs have changed dramatically with the skyline.  Sky Harbor itself, long the sole provider of major air services to the Valley, is clearly feeling the effects of the valley’s population growth.  This is evident in burgeoning waiting areas and frustrated travelers caught up in traffic and parking congestion.  In contrast, travelers are finding Phoenix Mesa Gateway’s accessibility and plentiful parking an attractive alternative.  Capitalizing on this improved visibility, the airport has already responded by adding flights to more cities not serviced from carriers at Sky Harbor Airport. 

Ground transportation is also plentiful.  Gateway Commons Business Park is situated just North of Loop 202 in Mesa, a major east-west artery providing easy access to other routes connecting the entire valley as well as Tucson, Los Angeles and Flagstaff.  With this connection, Interstate 17, Interstate 10 toward Tucson or Los Angeles, State Highways 51 and 60, as well as Loop 101 are within easy reach, making regional commutes a breeze. 

Significantly, planned surface road improvements - one connecting Sossaman and Ray Road; and another calling for an exit onto Sossaman Road from Loop 202 right next to Gateway Commons, will both dramatically increase traffic flow to the site and points beyond.

Lastly, Southeast Valley business is already strong overall.  Boeing, American Express, Wal-Mart, Honeywell, Intel, Raytheon and U.S. Airways are there to stay, bolstered by hefty new contracts.  Biotech firms are still eyeing the southeast valley for new locations as they continue expansion.  Gateway Commons’ proximity to these major sites is absolutely compelling.

It’s a new day in Mesa.  With the advent of the Gaylord hotel and convention center and the anticipation of another DMB lifestyle community, the airport is now assured of a shining future as a destination airport in its own right.  Mesa will flourish along with it, benefiting from the additional influx of visitor and business dollars fanning out from visionary developers and city planners.

And sitting in the midst of all the action….is Gateway Commons Business Park.