The Mesa Planning and Zoning Board on May 27 considered a Special Use Permit for a Hilton Tapestry Collection hotel within the Cannon Beach development, a 60-acre surf park with a lagoon, retail, and restaurants at the southeast corner of Power and Warner roads in southeast Mesa.
The project calls for a five-story, 148-room hotel at the Cannon Beach mixed-use development. City staff recommended approval with conditions. The board's recommendation will go to the Mesa City Council for a final vote.
The development context
Cannon Beach is a major mixed-use project anchored by the Revel Surf Park, a surf lagoon that has been under construction at the Power and Warner intersection. The hotel would add overnight accommodations to a development that already includes retail, restaurants, and event space. The project has been in development since 2023 and has drawn attention as one of the larger entertainment-anchored projects in the Southeast Valley.
The hotel will feature a signature restaurant, meeting and event spaces, an outdoor pool, and an experiential lobby, according to documents filed with the city. The developer has filed for a height exception to accommodate the five-story structure, which exceeds the base zoning allowances for the site, the Arizona Building and Construction Exchange reported.
The Special Use Permit process
Under Mesa's zoning code, a Special Use Permit allows a use that is not permitted by right in a given zoning district but may be acceptable with specific conditions. The SUP process gives the city leverage to require traffic mitigation, landscaping, design standards, or infrastructure upgrades as conditions of approval. Because the proposal exceeds standard height limits for the zone, a separate height exception is also required.
The board's recommendation and any conditions attached to approval will go to the Mesa City Council for a final vote. The council can approve, modify, or deny the permit.
Area growth
The Power and Warner intersection has seen significant development activity in recent years, driven by proximity to Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport, employment along the U.S. 60 corridor, and Arizona State University's Polytechnic campus. The area's hotel market has been dominated by mid-priced properties, making a full-service boutique hotel at a surf park a different type of offering for the corridor.