Project Narrative

City of Mesa — Design Review Board (2026-03-10)

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Design Review Application 
 
(Hotel Only) 
 
 
PROJECT NARRATIVE 
 
Longbow Mixed-Use 
Hotel & Retail/Restaurant 
 
 
 
West of SWC Longbow Parkway & Recker Road (Mesa, Arizona) 
 
November 14, 2025 
Revised January 12, 2026 
Revised February 2, 2026 
 
Case No. DRB25-00916

PROJECT TEAM 
 
 
 
 
Developer: 
 
 
 
Opwest Partners 
6900 E. Camelback Rd., Suite 902 
Scottsdale, AZ 85251 
Phone: (602) 672-9380 
 
Zoning Attorney & 
Developer Rep: 
 
 
 
Jon Gillespie & Chris Webb 
7144 E. Stetson Drive, Suite 300 
Scottsdale, AZ 85251 
Phone: (480) 240-5648 
 
Site Design/Architecture: 
 
BRR Architecture 
808 E Osborn Road 
Phoenix, AZ 85014 
Phone: (404) 389-1655

Landscape Architect: 
 
 
 
 
Hillman Workshop 
Phone: (480) 686-2001 
 
Civil Engineering: 
 
 
 
 
Elevation Civil Engineers 
3260 N. Hayden Road, Suite 210 
Scottsdale, AZ 85251 
Phone: (480) 428-7178 
 
Property Owner: 
 
 
Dover Associates, LLC 
5110 N. 40th Street, Suite 254 
Phoenix, AZ 85018

I. 
Purpose of Request 
 
“Longbow Mixed-Use” is a proposed mixed-use hotel and retail/restaurant development (the 
“Project”), located west of the southwest corner of Longbow Parkway and Recker Road in the 
City of Mesa (the “City”) on 3.37 total acres comprising APN 141-41-036 (the “Site”) as shown on 
Exhibit A – Aerial Vicinity Map attached hereto.  
 
The proposed Project consists of a 124-key, four-story hotel and up to 4,100 SF of supporting 
retail/restaurant and patio (up to 550 SF) space, all of which will be designed as a cohesive, high-
quality development adjacent to the extensive open space of the Longbow Golf Club. It is 
anticipated that the hotel use, along with the site work for the entire Site, will be developed as 
“Phase 1” of the project, with the retail/restaurant use itself developed as “Phase 2”.   
 
The City’s 2050 General Plan land use designation for the Site is Regional Center, Evolve, and the 
Site, which is part of the Longbow Business Park and Golf Club Development Master Plan, is zoned 
Light Industrial (LI) with a Planned Area Development (PAD) overlay (LI-PAD). The Site is also 
located within the Falcon Field Sub-Area Plan which designates the Site as Business Park. Finally, 
the western approximately 60’ – 70’ of the Site is located within the Airport Overlay Area 2 
(AOA2) of Falcon Field. 
 
The proposed Project will facilitate the development of a long vacant parcel with a new, cohesive 
mixed-use hotel and retail/restaurant concept that is pedestrian friendly and helps “activate” the 
Site’s Longbow Parkway frontage by connecting the street with the buildings and patios by 
providing pathway connections from the street, through the Site, and out to the trail along the 
Longbow Golf Club. The Project will be complimentary to the Longbow Business Park, the 
Longbow Golf Club, the existing and planned development in the surrounding area, and will 
provide uses that are needed in the area that also generate new tax revenues for the City. Finally, 
the proposed Project is consistent and compatible with both the City’s 2050 General Plan and the 
Falcon Field Sub-Area Plan. 
 
The purpose of this request is to pursue Design Review approval for the entire Site design, as well 
as the building elevations for the hotel portion of the Project, in order to facilitate the 
development of the first phase of the proposed mixed-use Project on the Site. A separate Design 
Review application for the building elevations or the retail/restaurant uses will be submitted at 
a future date, as those uses will comprise the second phase of the Project.  
 
It should be noted that a concurrent Planning & Zoning application (ZON25-00917) has been 
submitted to the City for the Project which includes; (1) a Council Use Permit (“CUP”) to allow for 
the proposed hotel use on the portion of the Site located within the AOA2 overflight area of 
Falcon Field, (2) a Bonus Intensity Zone (“BIZ”) Overlay to increase the maximum allowable 
building height for the proposed hotel from 40’ to 53’, and (3) a Site Plan for the entire Site for 
the proposed mixed-use hotel and retail/restaurant Project.

II. 
Existing Conditions 
 
The Site is currently undeveloped land within the Longbow Business Park and Golf Club 
Development Master Plan that has sat vacant for many years. The Site is bordered on the south 
by the Longbow Golf Club, on the west by an existing Hilton Home2 Suites hotel, on the north by 
Longbow Parkway and vacant land that is targeted for future retail development, and on the east 
by additional vacant land that is targeted for future office uses (see Exhibit B – Surrounding Use 
Map attached hereto). The Site currently has one existing shared access driveway onto Longbow 
Parkway on its west property line that it shares with the Hilton Home2 Suites hotel development. 
 
 
III. 
Proposed Council Use Permit 
 
As noted above, a concurrent Planning & Zoning application has been submitted to the City that 
includes a request for a CUP . As outlined in Section 11-7-2 of the City’s Zoning Ordinance, the 
Site’s existing LI-PAD zoning already allows for hotels and retail/restaurants as permitted uses. 
However, in the event the subject property is located within an AOA2 overflight area, Section 11-
7-2 dictates that a CUP is required for a hotel use. In this case, only the western 60’ - 70’ of the 
Site is located within AOA2, and only the western approximately 20’ of the hotel building will be 
located within the AOA2 boundary.  
 
If not for this approximately 20’ encroachment of the hotel building into the AOA2 overflight 
area, the hotel use would otherwise be permitted on the Site by right. Nevertheless, a CUP is 
required for the proposed hotel use due to this very slight encroachment into AOA2.  
 
 
IV. 
Proposed Bonus Intensity Zone (BIZ) Overlay 
 
As noted above, the concurrent Planning & Zoning application submitted to the City also includes 
a request for a BIZ Overlay. The proposed BIZ Overlay would increase the maximum allowable 
building height for the hotel use on the Site. The table below outlines the maximum allowable 
building height standard that will be established by the proposed BIZ Overlay (proposed 
modifications shown in bold). The Project has been designed accordingly. 
 
Development Standard 
LI-PAD Standard 
Max. Allowable per 
Case No. Z08-063 
Proposed BIZ Overlay 
Standard 
Max. Building Height (ft) 
40 
90 
53 (hotel only)

V. 
Proposed Site Plan & Project Description 
 
As noted above, the concurrent Planning & Zoning application submitted to the City also includes 
a request for approval of the overall Site Plan for the entire Site, which features the following: 
 
Mixed-Use Hotel & Retail/Restaurant Concept 
 
The proposed Project consists of a 124-key, four-story hotel and up to 4,100 SF of supporting 
retail/restaurant and patio (up to 550 SF) space, all of which will be designed as a cohesive, high-
quality development adjacent to the extensive open space of the Longbow Golf Club. As noted 
above, it is anticipated that the Project will be developed in two phases, with the hotel use, and 
the site work for the entire Site comprising “Phase 1” and the retail/restaurant use itself 
comprising “Phase 2”. It should be noted that a Minor Plat application has been submitted to the 
City that will ultimately split each of the two phases into its own separate parcel. It is anticipated 
that the Minor Plat will be approved and recorded prior to the issuance of building permits for 
Project. 
 
The hotel building has been situated at the rear of the Site to provide views of the adjacent 
Longbow Golf Club for guests, with the hotel amenities (pool, patios, etc.) located immediately 
adjacent to Longbow Golf Club. The supporting retail/restaurant building, which may include a 
walk-up window, thereby providing a great amenity and service to hotel patrons and City 
residents alike, has been strategically pushed to the front of the Site, as close as possible to 
Longbow Parkway, in order to “activate” the street in this area and ensure that the walkability of 
Longbow Parkway is maintained (see Proposed Site Plan included with this request). It should be 
noted that the parcels along the south side of Longbow Parkway, including this Site, have been 
planned to include a cross-access easement through their northernmost drive aisles to facilitate 
cross-access between the parcels and minimize access points onto Longbow Parkway. 
 
 Open Space & Landscaping 
 
As noted above, the Site is located immediately adjacent to the extensive open space of the 
Longbow Golf Club, and the Project has been designed to both compliment and provide visual 
and pedestrian access to this open space amenity. The hotel building has been situated at the 
rear of the Site to provide views of the adjacent Longbow Golf Club for guests, with the hotel 
amenities (pool, patios, landscaped area, etc.) located immediately adjacent to Longbow Golf 
Club. Further, pedestrian connections have been provided on both sides of the Site, as well as 
through the middle of the Site, to the fitness trail that will extend along the length of Longbow 
Golf Club (see Preliminary Landscape Plan included with this request).   
 
The design intent for the Project will be to utilize the desert plant material per the approved plant 
list in the Longbow Design Guidelines to create an environmentally sensitive design that also 
provides an aesthetic quality of emphasizing color, texture, and scale within the landscape.

Landscaped parking lot islands have been provided throughout the Project’s parking lot, including 
along the pedestrian pathways through the Site, in order to create and promote a shaded and 
healthy elevated pedestrian experience. Perimeter landscape buffers have been provided on the 
north, east, and west sides of the Site to provide some sense of separation from the adjacent 
uses and additional visual interest for the Project as a whole. One of the key features for the Site 
is the rear landscape buffer and fitness trail between the hotel and Longbow Golf Club. This space 
will provide visitors and guests opportunities for both passive and active recreation.   
 
Pedestrian Connectivity 
 
Pedestrian connectivity is a major theme of the Project’s design. As noted above, multiple 
pedestrian corridors have been created through the Project, “activating” the Longbow Parkway 
frontage by connecting pedestrians from Longbow Parkway to the retail/restaurant patios and 
entrances adjacent to the street, on to the main entrance of the hotel, and finally to the rear of 
the Site and the fitness trail adjacent to the Longbow Golf Club. An additional pedestrian pathway 
has been provided along the eastern boundary of the Site to provide one more route through the 
Site and to facilitate future connections to the property to the east once it is developed. Finally, 
a walk-up window may be incorporated into the design of the future retail/restaurant building. 
 
Vehicular Access & Circulation 
 
The Site is situated directly on Longbow Parkway with an existing shared full-access driveway on 
its western boundary and a proposed shared right-in, right-out only driveway on its eastern 
boundary providing easy vehicular access. The Site has been designed to easily circulate vehicles 
through the site passing to the hotel and/or retail/restaurant uses and on to the Longbow 
Parkway access on the opposite side of the Site. Internal drives comply with the City’s 
requirements, including fire access. As noted above, the parcels along the south side of Longbow 
Parkway, including this Site, have been planned to include a cross-access easement through their 
northernmost drive aisles to facilitate cross-access between the parcels and minimize access 
points onto Longbow Parkway. 
 
Parking 
 
The City’s standard parking ratios for hotels and the proposed retail/restaurant uses would 
require a total of 183 parking stalls on the Site. It should be noted that the parking calculations 
for the Site assumed the entire 4,100 SF of retail/restaurant use as restaurant use only as the 
parking ratio for that use (1 per 75 SF) is more conservative. However, because the peak parking 
times for these uses do not coincide, the Project is proposing to utilize a shared parking 
arrangement that would allow for a total of 131 parking stalls to be provided instead. A shared 
parking study has been prepared for the Project, which demonstrates that the proposed shared 
parking arrangement is adequate for the needs of the Project. An Administrative Use Permit 
(“AUP”) application (ADM25-00935), including the shared parking study, has been submitted 
concurrently with this request to secure the City’s approval of the proposed shared parking

arrangement. It should be noted that the Project will also provide bicycle parking spaces in excess 
of the City’s requirements.  
 
Entry Monumentation & Signage 
 
Any and all Project monumentation and/or signage will be consistent with the Longbow Design 
Guidelines and all City requirements. 
 
Urban Design Characteristics 
 
The Project’s site design implements the applicable Urban Design Characteristics of the Site’s 
Regional Center land use designation as follows: 
 
• Buildings are oriented towards the street or when not located adjacent to a street, 
oriented towards primary internal drives to provide spatial definition. 
 
The retail/restaurant buildings have been situated at the front of the Site, adjacent to 
Longbow Parkway, and oriented with outdoor patios toward the street. The hotel 
building, although located at the rear of the Site, is also oriented toward Longbow 
Parkway. 
 
• An internal pedestrian circulation system provides attractive connections between 
buildings, through large parking areas, connections to the street, and linkages to 
surrounding properties and neighborhoods. 
 
Multiple pedestrian corridors, including a central pedestrian corridor, have been created 
through the Project, connecting pedestrians from Longbow Parkway to the 
retail/restaurant patios and entrances adjacent to the street, on to the main entrance of 
the hotel, and finally to the rear of the Site and the fitness trail adjacent to the Longbow 
Golf Club. An additional pedestrian pathway has been provided along the eastern 
boundary of the Site to provide one more route through the Site and to facilitate future 
connections to the property to the east once it is developed. Finally, a walk-up window 
may be incorporated into the design of the future retail/restaurant building. 
 
• Shade elements, both landscape and architectural, are provided at prominent pedestrian 
points such as entries, common open space, and along paths serving parking lots. 
 
Desert trees, per the approved plant list in the Longbow Design Guidelines, will be used 
to accentuate the pedestrian spaces and also create shade at entries, walkways, and 
exterior gathering spaces. 
 
• Parking is located behind or along the sides of buildings. Where constraints exist no more 
than two rows of parking are located between the building and the street.

The majority of the Site’s parking is located away from Longbow Parkway, with only 1 full 
row of parking between the retail/restaurant building and the street. 
 
• Landscape elements screen and shade parking areas, utility services, and loading areas 
from street view and adjacent uses to create visual appeal, de-emphasize the prominence 
of parking areas, and to enhance the pedestrian environment. 
 
The design intent for the Project will be to utilize the desert plant material per the 
approved plant list in the Longbow Design Guidelines to create an environmentally 
sensitive design that also provides an aesthetic quality of emphasizing color, texture, and 
scale within the landscape. 
 
• Utility and solid waste facilities should be screened from the streets and located away 
from main building entrances. 
 
Both of the solid waste enclosures for the Project are located away from main building 
entrances and are situated between the buildings to eliminate visibility from Longbow 
Parkway. 
 
• Street frontages are activated through site design. 
 
The retail/restaurant building, which may include a walk-up window, thereby providing a 
great amenity and service to hotel patrons and City residents alike, has been strategically 
pushed to the front of the Site, as close as possible to Longbow Parkway, in order to 
“activate” the street in this area. The street frontage has been further activated by 
pedestrian connections with enhanced entrances from the street to the retail/restaurant 
patios and entrances adjacent to the street, on to the main entrance of the hotel, and 
finally to the rear of the Site and the fitness trail adjacent to the Longbow Golf Club. 
 
• Signs are designed using similar style, materials, and colors that coordinate with building 
architecture. 
 
All Project signage will be designed accordingly. 
 
Quality Development Design Guidelines (Site Design) 
 
The Project’s site design also implements the City’s site design related Quality Development 
Design Guidelines for Commercial development as follows: 
 
• 4.A Site Design 
 
1. Building Placement & Orientation

a. Place buildings close to the street to create a strong presence that defines 
the public realm and encourages pedestrian engagement with the building. 
 
The Project’s retail/restaurant building and associated patio areas have 
been placed as close to Longbow Parkway as possible to “activate” the 
street and encourage pedestrian engagement. 
 
b. Buildings should be oriented with primary entrances and windows facing 
the street. 
 
The primary entrance to the hotel building faces Longbow Parkway, with 
windows facing the street. The primary entrance to the retail/restaurant 
building is visible from Longbow Parkway with patio access oriented to the 
street. 
 
c. Pad buildings or secondary buildings within a group commercial 
development may face internal to the site, although they should provide 
pedestrian-friendly facade designs along the street edge and create 
attractive paths that connect to the anchor building. 
 
The retail/restaurant building will feature pedestrian friendly façade 
designs adjacent to Longbow Parkway and the Site design features a 
pedestrian pathway through the middle of the site connecting the 
retail/restaurant building with the main entrance to the anchor hotel 
building. 
 
i. Consider the solar orientation of buildings to mitigate solar exposure, 
maximize natural shade, and reduce energy consumption. 
 
The buildings on the Site have been oriented more north-south than east-
west, thereby mitigating solar exposure and reducing energy 
consumption. 
 
j. Buildings should be sited and designed to maximize the use of sunlight and 
shade to create comfortable and inviting spaces, for energy savings, and to 
mitigate the “heat island” effect. 
 
As noted above, the buildings on the Site have been oriented more north-
south than east-west in order to help achieve these objectives.

2. Parking & Circulation 
 
a. Buildings in commercial developments should be the focal point of the site 
with parking as a supporting feature. Locate parking lots to the rear or side 
of buildings to create a building focused streetscape. 
 
The majority of the Site’s parking is located away from Longbow Parkway, 
to the rear or side of the buildings, thereby minimizing the visual impact 
of the parking areas. 
 
b. Large surface parking areas should be divided into a series of smaller, 
connected parking lots with defined landscaped medians, pedestrian paths 
and intervening pad buildings to reduce the visual impact associated with 
large expanses of pavement and vehicles. 
 
While the Project doesn’t feature “large” surface parking area, the parking 
areas have nevertheless been divided into smaller, pedestrian connected 
parking lots as best as possible. 
 
e. Design parking and circulation to minimize conflicts between pedestrians 
and vehicles. 
 
While all potential conflicts between pedestrians and vehicles cannot be 
avoided, the Site’s parking and circulation has been designed to minimize 
such conflicts. 
 
f. Parking design should maximize opportunities for pedestrian and vehicular 
circulation between adjacent sites by providing shared access drives. 
 
The Project will utilize 2 shared access drives, one on its western boundary 
and one on its eastern boundary. Cross access will be provided between 
the various projects along Longbow Parkway. 
 
g. Shared parking and shared access drives are encouraged where 
practicable. This reduces the total amount of pavement and circulation 
space needed, allowing for more developable space for businesses and 
fewer curb cuts to detract from the streetscape.  
 
The Project is proposing a shared parking arrangement between the hotel 
and retail/restaurant uses, which will help minimize the amount of 
pavement space required. Additionally, as noted above, the Project will 
utilize 2 shared access drives.

h. Connect commercial developments to the surrounding area with a network 
of safe and convenient pedestrian connections. Dedicated pedestrian paths 
through parking areas shall be paved with a hard, durable material that 
differs from the drive aisle. 
 
The Project will be connected to the adjacent developments via an existing 
sidewalk along Longbow Parkway, a fitness trail along the Longbow Golf 
Course, and the new internal network of distinguishable pedestrian 
connections constructed with the Project. 
 
j. The periphery of all surface parking areas shall be designed to hide the 
major portions (i.e. height) of automobiles from view from the street. 
Screening may be accomplished by using walls berms, and hedges of 
shrubs) along the street periphery. 
 
The Project will provide a 3’ parking screen wall along Longbow Parkway 
to screen all parking areas from being visible from the street. 
 
k. Shaded pedestrian paths should be provided from parking structures 
and/or lots to buildings or street, access points, as well as between 
buildings and on project perimeters. Shade can be provided by planting 
materials or built structures. 
 
Trees are utilized along the pedestrian pathways to create a pleasant, 
shaded experience for visitors to the Site. 
 
l. The “heat island” effect should be mitigated by increasing shaded areas 
throughout parking lots. 
 
The landscaping in the parking lots is spaced to create an even level of 
shade with large desert trees per the approved plant list in the Longbow 
Design Guidelines. 
 
3. Public Spaces & Pedestrian Amenities 
 
a. Commercial developments should feature public spaces that are designed 
to the size and demands of the particular use and may include patios that 
offer opportunities for casual gatherings or outdoor seating. 
 
Patios with outdoor seating areas are anticipated on the north side of the 
retail/restaurant building, adjacent to Longbow Parkway. 
 
b. Public spaces within the development should be pedestrian-friendly, 
inviting, engaging and give a sense of safety.

The above-referenced outdoor seating areas will be accessible to 
pedestrians from Longbow Parkway via a new pedestrian pathway 
providing direct access from the street to the patio areas. 
 
c. Pedestrian areas should include a variety of shading options such as tree 
groupings, trellises, canopies and awnings for sun protection and heat 
reduction. 
 
Tree grouping will be provided to create an enjoyable pedestrian 
environment and to create pockets of shade along pathways between 
trellises/canopies attached to the building facades. 
 
4. Landscaping & Shading 
 
a. Incorporate existing natural features such as trees, topography, washes, 
and vegetation into the site plan when practicable. 
 
The only existing “natural feature” is the adjacent Longbow Golf Club, 
which has been incorporated into the Site design via pedestrian 
connections to the fitness trail along the Longbow Golf Club and the 
location of the hotel’s outdoor amenity areas. 
 
b. Incorporate low impact development design practices for stormwater 
retention into the overall landscape plan. 
 
The onsite stormwater retention is minimal for the Site as it is part of the 
Longbow Golf Club master drainage. However, native grasses, trees and 
shrubs will be utilized in the retention basins to provide a natural aesthetic 
and reduce irrigation consumption for those areas. 
 
c. Landscaping should be used to define building entrances, parking lots, and 
the edges of various land uses. Consider safety, environmental impacts, 
and accent elements when selecting and locating landscaping features. 
 
Enhanced landscaping with flowering textural plant material will be 
utilized at the building entrances.  All plants will be selected to be able to 
grow to their natural mature forms without the need of excess pruning for 
pedestrian safety. 
 
d. Nuisance trees and plantings that have thorns, stickers and sharp leaves or 
drop flowers and fruit should be avoided near pedestrian walkways and 
parking spaces to maintain safe and clear paths of travel.

This type of vegetation has been avoided near pedestrian walkways and 
parking areas. 
 
e. Use deciduous trees along south and west facing facades and in pedestrian 
areas to provide seasonal shading. 
 
Low water use desert trees will be utilized throughout the Site per the 
approved plant list in the Longbow Design Guidelines and will provide 
dense shade in the summer and filtered open shade in the winter. 
 
f. Use landscaping to screen less-desirable areas from public view (i.e., trash 
enclosures, parking areas, storage areas, loading areas, public utilities, and 
mechanical equipment). 
 
The proposed landscaping will ensure that the less-desirable areas are 
screened from public view with large shrubs and trees from the approved 
plant list in the Longbow Design Guidelines.  
 
g. Provide weather and sun protection, such as overhangs, awnings, 
canopies, etc. to mitigate climatic and solar conditions. 
 
The proposed architecture will provide overhangs at entries along with 
supplemented shading from landscape material. 
 
h. Misting systems and other similar cooling techniques should be used in 
common areas to provide necessary relief from the desert sun. 
 
It is anticipated that the outdoor patio seating areas will provide misting 
systems. 
 
5. Lighting 
 
a. Design exterior lighting as an integral part of the building and landscape 
design. 
 
Site lighting has been designed in concert with the building and landscape 
design. 
 
b. Use of accent lighting to create a focal point or highlight architectural 
features on a building should be considered. 
 
The lighting design will incorporate accent lighting to highlight architecture 
features (especially at the main building entries) and adjacent to the 
pedestrian spaces.

c. Provide pedestrian scale light features in pedestrian activity areas. This 
helps to create a sense of security, but also enhances the pedestrian 
experience. 
 
Pedestrian scale bollards will be utilized in the pedestrian spaces to create 
a more intimate scale for the lighting and to highlight the pedestrian 
spaces. 
 
d. Lighting in parking areas shall be harmonious with the building design and 
with the architectural theme of the overall project. 
 
Parking area lighting has been designed to complement the building 
architecture and overall Project design. 
 
 
VI.  Proposed Hotel Architecture 
 
 
 
The proposed hotel is a 124-key, four-story hotel building, situated at the rear of the Site to 
provide views of the adjacent Longbow Golf Club for guests, with the hotel amenities (pool, 
patios, etc.) located immediately adjacent to Longbow Golf Club (see Proposed Building 
Elevations included with this request). 
 
The architecture style for the Project is desert modern, utilizing clean lines and a simple form 
while elevating the aesthetics of the hotel building through material selection and a modern 
desert color palette. The proposed design utilizes an accentuated base/middle/top through 
parapet cornices and a stone base band to highlight the pedestrian scale while emphasizing the 
impact of the hotel on the overall Project. Materials include a stone base grounding the hotel, 
stucco, cement lap siding, a wood-look cement lap siding, and prefabricated metal aluminum 
canopies. It should be noted that the exterior wall assembly of the hotel building will be provided 
to a minimum STC rating of 25 through the use of building materials and listed assemblies, and 
STC listed windows. 
 
Quality Development Design Guidelines (Architectural Design) 
 
The architectural design for the hotel building implements the City’s architectural design related 
Quality Development Design Guidelines for Commercial development as follows: 
 
• 4.B Architectural Design 
 
1. General Design 
 
a. Commercial building design must be pleasant, inviting, and promote safety 
to engage pedestrians and activate storefronts.

Storefront window systems accent the hotel lobby and public spaces of the 
proposed design, encouraging ‘eyes of the street’ for safety and welcoming 
guests into the lobby and main entry. The building design features a cool 
desert color palette and utilizes a stone base band to relate back to the 
pedestrian scale. The front entry lobby is accentuated through the use of 
an angled aluminum canopy to extend the building out toward the rest of 
the site development and highlight the main focal point of the building / 
entrance.  
 
b. Provide architectural interest and detailing consistent with the context of 
the area, use of the property and building. 
 
The Project design utilizes and complies with the regulations within the 
Longbow Design Guidelines, resulting in a consistent development 
language and color palette with the master development. The tans and 
desert color scheme directly relates to the adjacent Home2 Suites hotel 
and other structures. 
 
c. The use of standardized corporate architecture in the design theme of a 
building should be secondary to consistency with the architecture of the 
larger development, surrounding neighborhood or community. 
 
The exterior design of the hotel has been modified to accentuate the 
regional context of desert architecture and a clean modern palette. 
Additional modulation of the building facades has been integrated to 
result in a variety of massing, and parapet walls extended to generate an 
appealing roofline and massing variation.  
 
2. Building Entrances 
 
a. The main entrance should generally face the primary street with secondary 
entrances to the side or rear to allow access to available parking. A 
hierarchy of entry points should be provided for each site and to each 
building. Entrances shall be designed with one or more of the following:  
 
i. 
Canopy, overhang or arch above the entrance; 
ii. 
Recesses or projections in the building facade surrounding the 
entrance; 
iii. 
Peaked roof or raised parapet structures over the door; 
iv. 
Display windows surrounding the entrance. 
 
The main entry to the building has been highlighted with a slanted canopy 
structure – resulting in a visual emphasis and an inviting extension of the 
lobby space into the remaining Site development. The building entry is

further recessed behind the adjacent building wall massing to further 
emphasize the lobby. Storefront has also been maximized to provide visual 
integration of the lobby with the larger site development. 
 
b. Recess or cover entrances to provide shelter as well as ample area for 
queuing to avoid pedestrian congestion and safety conflicts with vehicles. 
The front and rear of the building has been provided with canopies to 
extend the primary entrances of the project and to provide shelter from 
weather.  
 
d. Buildings with a pedestrian unloading or drop-off area should incorporate 
an entry plaza that includes decorative paving, lighting, and landscaping. 
 
Large landscape islands have been provided at the unloading area, while 
the front entry canopy creates a dedicated plaza space serving as an 
extension of the hotel public zone into the arrival sequence.  
 
3. Massing & Scale 
 
a. Building mass should vary to reduce the appearance of size and relate more 
easily to the human scale. 
 
The building façade modulates to create additional depth of the building 
plane, and the base stone banding reduces the verticality of the building 
mass – relating back to pedestrian scale.  
 
b. Step the facade back or include protruding bays that extend forward to cast 
shadows and highlight prominent features entrances and corners. 
 
Horizontal banding such as the stone veneer cap and the accentuated 
cornice members will create shadow lines on the façade of the building to 
generate interest and highlight the vertical massing modulation of the 
building façade.  
 
c. Vary the roof line and height of different wings of the building to avoid an 
appearance of excessive repetition along the street. 
 
The roofline modulates alongside the façade plane, and is accentuated 
with two different large cornice components to highlight the 
base/middle/top language of the building design.  
 
d. Focus massing variations on pedestrian level elements such as entrance 
porticoes, single story protruding lobbies, and highly transparent vestibules 
where it has a high value in promoting walkable neighborhoods.

Public areas have been provided with storefront systems, maximizing 
views into the building. The extension of the entry canopies further creates 
a lower pedestrian level environment and provides shelter from the 
weather to encourage walkability. The Site’s pedestrian pathways directly 
lead to the primary building entrance, encouraging pedestrian walkability 
across the development.  
 
e. Building mass and scale should be compatible with adjacent lots and 
buildings. Taller buildings or taller portions of a building should be located 
internally to a site with building heights stepping down as they reach the 
edges of site where smaller scaled development exists. 
 
The proposed building is in alignment with the adjacent 4-story Home2 
Suites project. Smaller format retail/restaurant is proposed in the front of 
the Site, stepping down the scale to create a welcoming pedestrian-
oriented approach from Longbow Parkway.  
 
4. Façade Articulation 
 
a. All sides of buildings shall include architectural detailing and features. 
However, the highest level of articulation and detail should occur on the 
front facade and facades generally visible from the street and other public 
spaces. Blank, windowless walls should be avoided when facing a public 
street. 
 
The building language and architecture is consistent across all four facades, 
however, the front façade features the wood-look accent panel and the 
largest canopy to extend the lobby to the loading zone and pedestrian 
connection to Longbow Parkway.  
 
b. Break up large facades into collections of smaller units. The facade of a 
longer building can be visually broken up into several facades to avoid 
monotonous or overly repetitive design. 
 
The facades have been broken into small masses to balance horizontal / 
vertical massing, and have utilized changes in materiality to further break 
the building into smaller masses and relate to the pedestrian scale.  
 
c. The ground floor of commercial buildings should include an arrangement 
of windows and doors to increase transparency. 
 
Transparency has been maximized on the ground floor in the public spaces, 
including the lobby, lounge, and fitness center.

d. Ground floors should include at least one material band change to visually 
create a base to the building. In tall or multi-story buildings, additional 
materials, architectural elements, or roof forms placed above this base 
should be used to distinguish between the pedestrian realm and upper 
portions or floors of the building. 
 
A base band of stone has been provided, with a transition above to fiber 
cement lap siding and stucco.  
 
e. Building facades above the ground floor should use a simpler design and 
incorporate different colors, materials, trim, or detail than the ground 
floor, so as to maintain a clear hierarchy to the building and highlight the 
commercial and pedestrian level foremost. 
 
Simple lap siding and stucco with clean reveal joints provide a consistent 
and clean upper massing to the building than the cut coarse stone at the 
base band level.  
 
f. Large buildings that require expansive windowless facades to 
accommodate interior use shall incorporate design elements like arcades, 
architectural details and screens, pergolas, or landscaped trellises to create 
a more active appearance. 
 
Facades have been broken up by plane changes and material changes to 
avoid large expansive windowless facades.  
 
5. Materials & Colors 
 
a. High-quality, authentic building materials - such as stone, brick, wood, and 
stucco - should be utilized to enhance the building’s architectural character 
and assure a long-lasting building life. Use of materials to artificially 
simulate another material, such as stucco used to mimic wood, is 
prohibited. 
 
Materials include stone and fiber cement to ensure durability and 
authentic façade treatment.  
 
b. A variety of materials should be used to emphasize a differentiation 
between the various components of a building. The combination of 
materials on a building facade shall be appropriate to its style and design. 
 
The facades have been broken into small masses utilizing changes in 
materiality. The stone base further breaks up the verticality of the upper 
massing with the balanced horizontality of the base band.

c. The selection and placement of building materials should provide visual 
interest at the pedestrian level. Materials and colors should be used to 
enhance buildings and adjacent pedestrian spaces by adding color, 
shadows, and interesting forms. 
 
Red and brown stone has been provided at the base level of the building 
to relate to the adjacent desert landscape and fit the regional context and 
Longbow Design Guidelines. The cut stone texture will create shadow lines 
and visual interest at the pedestrian scale.  
 
d. The use of metal siding exclusively on any building is prohibited. Metal 
siding used for accents on any development shall be of the decorative, 
architectural metal type. The use of corrugated metal siding is prohibited 
unless used as a decorative element to accent a particular architectural 
style. 
 
Metal siding is not proposed. 
 
e. Exterior building colors should be compatible with the surrounding 
neighborhood setting and should be in keeping with the geographic and 
climatic conditions specific to Mesa. 
 
Exterior colors are in alignment with the Longbow Design Guidelines and 
LRV requirements.  
 
f. Changes in material should occur at a change in wall plane, preferably at 
an inside corner. 
 
Color modifications have been integrated at wall plane modulation 
changes and the base banding transition.  
 
g. Side and rear facades visible to the public shall include materials of equal 
quality to the front facade. 
 
All facades utilize standard design language and materials.  
 
h. Materials should be selected that have proven durability in extreme 
temperatures and under high amounts of sun exposure. 
 
Materials selected are in alignment with similar projects in the region.

6. Signage 
 
a. Signs should be designed using similar style, materials, and colors that 
coordinate with building architecture. 
 
All signs will be designed to compliment each other as well as the building 
architecture. 
 
b. Strong contrast helps signs standout from their surroundings. Bright, 
reflective, and fluorescent colors should be used sparingly and only when 
complimentary to the buildings overall design theme. 
 
All signs will be designed accordingly. 
 
c. Signs should be simple and easy to read. 
 
All signs will be designed accordingly. 
 
7. Service Areas & Utilities 
 
a. Loading, storage, and service facilities must be screened from public view. 
Screening materials, colors, and finishes should be designed as an integral 
part of the site architecture. Landscaping or other methods of screening 
may also be utilized. 
 
The proposed use does not have standard deliveries following opening. 
Mechanical systems are located interior to the building. The trash 
enclosure is proposed to utilize colors from the main building design 
scheme.  
 
c. Trash enclosure walls and gates must be architecturally compatible with 
the building design and should be carefully integrated into the site plan. 
 
Trash enclosure screen walls will match the building language and color 
scheme and have been located to ensure access for trash vehicles and 
access by facility staff.  
 
d. Mechanical equipment, electrical meter and service components, roof 
drainage systems and similar utility devices whether ground level, wall 
mounted, or roof mounted, shall be screened and designed to appear as an 
integral part of the building.

Mechanical equipment is screened by the parapet walls. Roof drains are 
located interior of the building, with overflow scuppers utilized at the rear 
of the hotel. No downspouts are proposed.

Exhibit A – Aerial Vicinity Map

SITE

Exhibit B – Surrounding Use Map

SITE
Home2 Suites
Hotel
Longbow Golf 
Club
Future Retail
(Sam’s Club)
Future Office
Existing Retail, 
Restaurant & 
Entertainment
Existing Multi-Family
Approved Retail 
& Restaurant