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City Council Report Date February 9, 2026 Case No. ZON25-00056 Project Name Destination at Gateway Freeway Landmark Monument Signs Request Council Use Permit (CUP) to allow for two Freeway Landmark Monument signs. Project Location Located at the Southeast and Southwest corners of East Williams Field Road and South Signal Butte Road. Parcel No(s) 30437047G 30434203C 30434035H 30437047J 30434203F 30434203L 30434203G 30434203H 30434203K 31207962D 30434203J 30437047H Project Area 117± acres Council District District 6 Existing Zoning General Commercial with a Planned Area Development Overlay (GC-PAD), and Light Industrial with a Planned Area Development Overlay (LI-PAD) General Plan Designation Regional Center Applicant Sean Lake, Pew & Lake, P.L.C. Owner BCB Group Investments, LLC Staff Planner Kellie Rorex, Senior Planner [2] Recommendation Staff Recommendation: Staff finds that the Proposed Project is consistent with the Mesa 2050 General Plan, the Destination at Gateway Design Guidelines, the Freeway Landmark Monument requirements outlined in MZO Section 11-43-7, and the Council Use Permit criteria outlined in MZO Section 11-70-6. Staff recommends approval with conditions. Planning & Zoning Board Recommendation: On January 14, 2026, the Planning and Zoning Board voted (6-0) to recommend that City Council approve the proposed project. Project Overview Request: The applicant is requesting approval of a Council Use Permit (CUP) to allow for two (2) Freeway Landmark Monument (FLM) signs within the southern portion of Destination at Gateway, along the 24 Gateway Freeway. The Destination at Gateway site is located at the Southeast and Southwest corners of East Williams Field Road and South Signal Butte Road and is approximately 117 acres in size. The Proposed Project consists of two, double-faced FLM signs with each having a maximum height of 60 feet and a total combined sign area of 2,315 square feet. One FLM is a multi-tenant pylon with digital display, the second FLM is a single tenant pylon with digital display. Concurrent Applications: Design Review: Per Section 11-43-7 of the MZO, a FLM is permitted on site, subject to approval of a CUP. Prior to consideration of the CUP by City Council, the Design Review Board and Planning and Zoning Board shall review and provide a recommendation. The Design Review Board meeting was held on December 9, 2025. The Board had no comments on the design of the two (2) signs and recommended approval of the FLM’s (DRB25-00059). Site Context General Plan: The Placetype for the project site is Regional Center and the Growth Strategy is Evolve. Regional Centers are the major retail, cultural, recreational, and entertainment destinations in Mesa. They feature major retailers, national chains, specialty shops, and a wide range of services and amenities that draw consumers from across the City and greater metropolitan area. The Proposed Project is to facilitate the development of Destination at Gateway, an approved development that includes an auto mall, large commercial development, and multiple residence development. [3] Supporting General Plan Strategies: o LU2. Create opportunities for placemaking in neighborhoods that reinforce their unique character and sense of place. o LU5. Encourage the development of vibrant activity centers in Downtown and throughout the City. o ED5. Promote Mesa as a regional commercial, entertainment, and tourist destination. Sub-Area Plan: Gateway Strategic Development Plan: The subject property is also located within the Mixed-Use Community District of the Mesa Gateway Strategic Development Plan (GSDP). Per the GSDP, this district is envisioned to be the area that solidifies the goal to balance land uses and provide sustainability through the creation of a live/work/play community. It will contain the widest variety of land uses within the planning area, with ultimate development including low- to high-density residential, commercial, employment, civic, and recreational use to provide a complete community experience. This district will also include walkable mixed-use “urban core” areas to provide focus and identity. The proposed development meets the goals and intent of the Mesa Gateway Strategic Development Plan. The request is consistent with the Gateway Strategic Development Plan and the Mixed- Use Community District, as the signage will help facilitate development of a commercial center. Zoning: The project site is zoned General Commercial with a Planned Area Development Overlay and Light Industrial with a Planned Area Development Overlay (GC-PAD & LI-PAD) The Destination at Gateway development is a permitted use in the GC-PAD and LI-PAD zoning districts. Surrounding Zoning & Use Activity: The proposed FLM’s are compatible with surrounding land uses which include vacant and industrial uses to the south, across the 24 Gateway Freeway; the residential to the east, over 500 feet away; and, commercial proposed within the Destination at Gateway development and residential to the north, across Williams Field Road. [4] Northwest (Across William Field Road) PC Single Residence North (Across William Field Road) RS-6-PAD Single Residence Northeast (Across William Field Road) RS-6-PAD Single Residence West RU-43 (Maricopa County) & RS-9 Vacant Project Site GC-PAD-CUP and LI-PAD Vacant East RS-6-PAD & RSL4.5 Single Residence Southwest (Across 24 Gateway Freeway) RU-43 (Maricopa County) Vacant South (Across 24 Gateway Freeway) RU-43 (Maricopa County, AG, & HI Vacant/Industrial Southeast (Across 24 Gateway Freeway) GI Vacant Site History: April 16, 1990: The City of Mesa’s City Council annexed 626± acres of land, including a portion of the subject property on the east side of Signal Butte Road (Ord. No. 2514). June 4, 1990: The City Council approved a rezoning of recently annexed lands from County Rural (RU-43) to Agriculture (AG) (Case No. Z90-025; Ord. No. 2529). April 4, 2005: The City Council approved a rezoning of a 10± acre parcel, 304-34-203A, from Agriculture (AG) to M-2 (Now General Industrial [GI]) (Case No. Z05-024; Ord. No. 4371). July 12, 2006: The City Council approved a rezoning of an 11± acre parcel, 304-34-203B, from Agriculture (AG) to M-1 PAD (now Light Industrial with a Planned Area Development Overlay [LI-PAD]) (Case No. Z06-046, Ord. No. 4575). July 18, 2018: The City Council annexed a portion of the property located on the west side of Signal Butte (27± acres) and established comparable zoning of Agriculture (AG) on the property (Case No. ANX17-00253; Ord. No. 5448). June 18, 2018: The City Council approved a Minor General Plan Amendment to change the land use designation on the property from Employment to Neighborhood and rezoned the property from Agriculture (AG) and General Industrial with a Council Use Permit (GI- CUP) to Multiple Residence-2 with a Planned Area Development overlay (RM-2-PAD), Small Lot Residential-4.5 with a Planned Area Development overlay (RSL-4.5-PAD), Single Residence-6 with a Planned Area Development overlay (RS-6-PAD), Single Residence-7 with a Planned Area Development overlay (RS-7-PAD), and Single Residence-9 with a Planned Area Development overlay (RS-9-PAD), and General Commercial with a Planned Area Development overlay and with a Council Use Permit (GC-PAD-CUP) to allow for the development of a master planned community called Destination at Gateway (Case No. ZON18-00142, Resolution No. 11171; Case No. ZON17-00247, Ord. No. 5450). April 15, 2019: The City Council approved modifications to the Destination at Gateway PAD. (Case No. ZON18-00933; Ord. No. 5501). July 8, 2020: The City Council approved a Minor General Plan Amendment to change the land use designation on the property from Neighborhood to Mixed-use Activity (Case No. ZON20-00129; Res. No. 11544). [5] June 17, 2024: The City Council approved a rezone from Agriculture (AG), Light Industrial with a Planned Area Development overlay (LI-PAD), General Commercial with a Planned Area Development overlay and Council Use Permit (GC-PAD-CUP), and General Industrial (GI) to General Commercial with a Planned Area Development overlay and Council Use Permit (GC-PAD-CUP), and Light Industrial with a Planned Area Development overlay and Council Use Permit (LI-PAD-CUP) to allow for the future development of an auto mall, large commercial development, and a multiple residence development (Case No. ZON22-00267; Ord. No. 5857). May 13, 2025: The Design Review Board recommended approval of the Destination at Gateway Design Guidelines to Planning Director. (Case No. DRB24-00766) May 29, 2025: The Planning Director approved the Destination at Gateway Design Guidelines. (Case No. DRB24-00766) June 9, 2025: The Planning Director approved the site plan for a large format retail user as part of the Destination at Gateway development. (Case No. ZON24-00593) August 27, 2025: The Planning and Zoning Board approved a Site Plan Review and Special Use Permit (SUP) for a service station. Project/Request Details Sign Plan: Eligibility Requirements: Per the Mesa Zoning Ordinance, Section 11-43-7(C), the development site must be zoned Limited Commercial (LC), General Commercial (GC), Planned Employment Park (PEP), Light Industrial (LI), or General Industrial (GI). Additionally, the development site must be at least 30 contiguous acres in size or be a combination of adjoining parcels of land that are not separated by a right-of-way dedicated to the City, that are collectively thirty (30) acres or more in size and must have frontage on a freeway and an intersecting arterial street. The Destination at Gateway site is zoned GC-PAD and LI-PAD, the total size of the site is approximately 117 acres and has frontage on 24 Gateway Freeway and Signal Butte Road meeting the eligibility requirements for FLM’s. Maximum Number: Eligible development sites with more than 2,000 linear feet of freeway frontage and that are 60 contiguous acres or more in size are allowed a maximum of two (2) Freeway Landmark Monuments. Two FLM signs are proposed. The site is over 60 contiguous acres in size and the total frontage for Destination at Gateway is 2400 feet. Location: One multi-tenant pylon sign with digital display is proposed at the corner of Signal Butte and the 24 Gateway freeway off-ramp, while a single-tenant pylon with digital display is located 500 feet from Mountain Road, adjacent to the freeway. Sign Area: The maximum allowable sign area for a Freeway Landmark Monument (FLM) is calculated at one (1) square foot of sign area per two (2) linear feet of freeway or arterial frontage, up to a maximum of 750 square feet. The proposed multi-tenant FLM has a sign area of 615.13 square feet per sign face. Because the separation between the two sign faces exceeds two feet, the sign is considered double-faced pursuant to MZO Section 11-41-7(A)(6), and both faces are included in the total sign area calculation. As a result, the total sign area for the multi-tenant FLM is 1,230.26 square feet. [6] Similarly, the proposed single-tenant FLM is also a double-faced sign, with a total sign area of 1,084.42 square feet (542.21 square feet per sign face). Pursuant to MZO Section 11-43-7(J), the Zoning Ordinance allows City Council to approve modifications to Freeway Landmark Monument (FLM) standards when a development exhibits unique characteristics related to land use, architectural style, site location, physical scale, or other distinguishing features, and when such modifications are consistent with the intent of the FLM standards. Given the size and scale of the overall commercial development and the proposed FLM design, which incorporates materials and colors consistent with the Destination at Gateway Design Guidelines, the requested modifications to the maximum FLM sign area are requested as part of this application. FLM Height: The maximum height of a FLM, including any support structures, attachments, and embellishments, shall not exceed sixty (60) feet, unless a modification to the maximum height is granted. The FLM signs are proposed at 60-feet in height, in compliance with MZO Section 11-43-7. Spacing Requirements: o No portion of a Freeway Landmark Monument (FLM) may be located within 2,000 feet of another FLM, measured from the nearest edge of one sign face to the nearest edge of another sign face on the same side of the freeway. The proposed FLMs are separated by approximately 1,834 linear feet. This reduced separation is proposed in order to maintain the required minimum distance from the nearest residential zoning district, which helps minimize visual clutter, potential light spill, and perceived intensity of signage near homes, thereby better protecting the quality of life for adjacent residents. The Zoning Ordinance allows City Council to approve modifications to FLM standards when a development exhibits unique characteristics related to land use, architectural style, site location, physical scale, or other distinguishing features that represents a clear variation from conventional development, and when such modifications remain consistent with the intent of the FLM provisions and will result in conditions that are commensurate with or superior to the development standards. The Destination at Gateway development is a large-scale, mixed-use development consisting of approximately 117 acres and more than 2,400 linear feet of freeway frontage. To ensure the development provides consistent, high-quality architectural and site design, the Destination at Gateway Design Guidelines were approved as part of the PAD overlay. These design guidelines include enhanced architectural and landscape requirements including specific material and landscape pallets and design themes. The design of the proposed Freeway Landmark Signs is consistent with the Destination at Gateway Design Guidelines. o No portion of a FLM may be placed within 500 feet of a residential zoning district. Neither sign is less than 500 feet away from a residential zoning district. o The minimum setback to a freeway right-of-way is zero (0) feet, distance measured from the nearest edge of the FLM face to the nearest edge of the freeway right-of- way. Additionally, a FLM must be located within 250 feet of a freeway right-of-way, distance measured from the furthest edge of the FLM face to the nearest edge of the freeway right-of-way. Both FLM’s are setback 0 feet from the property line/freeway right-of-way. [7] o No more than three (3) FLM’s are permitted on one (1) side of the freeway within one (1) lineal mile of freeway frontage. There are no FLM’s within one mile of either of the proposed FLM’s. o No portion of a FLM’s may be placed within 1,000 feet of a Billboard, including Billboards located on adjacent properties or in neighboring jurisdictions. There are no billboards within 1,000 feet of either of the proposed FLM’s. FLM Design: o FLM’s must complement the development site's primary architecture by incorporating design elements from the development site, such as materials, form, texture, color, and finish. Freeway Landmark Monuments shall also be constructed with low maintenance, architectural-grade surfacing materials such as metal, masonry, ceramic tile, glass or stucco. Lastly, the project or destination name should be clearly visible and located towards the topmost visible portion of the Freeway Landmark Monument or located vertically along the side of the Freeway Landmark Monument. o Both proposed FLMs will be constructed of aluminum metal panels and painted Sherwin Williams Essential Grey. The base for the multi-tenant sign is 12 feet tall and the base for the single-tenant sign is seven feet tall, and the bases for both FLMs will be constructed of Ashfall Stone. Tenant panels will be routed aluminum painted Essential Grey with push through acrylic letters. Destination at Gateway signage is provided along the length of the sign using three-inch halo illuminated channel letters with blue LEDs. Additionally, the FLMs are accented with a four-inch halo illuminated bar with blue LEDs at the top of the sign. o The proposed FLM design is in keeping with the Destination at Gateway Design Guidelines, which provides a Timeless Modern design theme of clean, rectilinear forms in warm desert tones including gray. Electronic Message Display: Electronic Message Displays may change copy no more than once every eight (8) seconds. Animation, video, flashing, blinking, scrolling, traveling, or other moving elements are prohibited, and transitions between messages shall not create the appearance of movement. Displays must also comply with all lighting control requirements, including automatic dimming technology that adjusts display brightness based on ambient light conditions. A photoelectric sensor is required to detect surrounding light levels and automatically regulate display intensity to ensure compliance with maximum nit limits during evening and nighttime hours. Both FLM’s will comply with all Electronic Message Display requirements. Council Use Permit: FLM’s require the review and approval of a Council Use Permit in addition to meeting the FLM Standards in MZO Section 11-43-7. Approval Criteria - Section 11-70-6(D): 1. Approval of the proposed project will advance the goals and objectives of and is consistent with the policies of the General Plan and any other applicable City plan and/or policies: The Proposed Project advances the goals of the Regional Center Placetype by enhancing visibility of the Destination at Gateway development and attracting regional visitors to the power center. [8] 2. The location, size, design, and operating characteristics of the proposed project are consistent with the purposes of the district where it is located and conform with the General Plan and with any other applicable City plan or policies: The height, size, and design characteristics of the Proposed Project are generally consistent with the FLM design standards and conform with the goals of the General Plan and Destination at Gateway Design Guidelines. 3. The proposed project will not be injurious or detrimental to the adjacent or surrounding properties in the area of the proposed project or improvements in the neighborhood or to the general welfare of the City: The Proposed Project will not be injurious or detrimental to surrounding properties or the welfare of the city. 4. Adequate public services, public facilities and public infrastructure are available to serve the proposed project: The applicant will be required to install necessary offsite improvements and/or upgrades to support the Proposed Project. Citizen Participation The applicant conducted a Citizen Participation process, notifying surrounding property owners, HOAs, and registered neighbors. Neighborhood Meeting: A neighborhood meeting was held on November 20, 2025, with one resident in attendance. The applicant discussed the sign locations, design and illumination controls proposed. The resident in attendance did not have any questions and staff have not received other inquiries from residents in the area. Required Notification: Property owners within 1,000 feet, HOAs within ½ mile, and registered neighborhoods within one mile of the subject site were notified of the public hearing. Staff has not been contacted by any resident or property owner regarding the Proposed Project. Conditions of Approval Staff recommends approval of the request, subject to the following conditions: 1. Compliance with all requirements of Ordinance No. 5857. 2. Compliance with the final sign plan as submitted. 3. Compliance with all requirements of Design Review Case No. DRB25-00059. 4. Compliance with all applicable City development codes and regulations. Exhibits Exhibit 1 - Presentation Exhibit 2 - Resolution [9] Exhibit 3 - Resolution Map Exhibit 4 - Vicinity Map Exhibit 5 - Minutes Exhibit 6 - Submittal Documents