New Hotels & MLB Housing In Mesa!

Mesa keeps adding rooms, and now it’s adding player housing, too. City leaders just cleared a new mixed-use project near Sloan Park that mixes a hotel with apartments built for Major League Baseball players. It’s called The Den on Rio Salado, and it fills the last empty stretch along Rio Salado before drivers roll into Tempe from the west.

That’s not the only hotel move in town. North Mesa has another project lined up near Longbow Golf Club, while the former Fiesta Mall site, now the Palo District, is planning hundreds more hotel rooms. Across “The Valley,” Mesa keeps leaning into tourism, spring training, and business travel.

Quick Points

• The Den won approval in a 7-0 vote
• It brings MLB housing near Sloan Park
• A 103-room Candlewood Suites is included
• Longbow also has a hotel proposal moving forward
• Palo District plans 600 hotel rooms

Near Sloan Park, Mesa Filled Its Last Open Parcel

This one stood out fast. The site at 2630 W. Rio Salado Parkway was the final vacant parcel before entering Tempe from the west. Now, it has a plan.

Mesa City Council approved rezoning, a site plan, and a general plan amendment for The Den on Rio Salado on April 20 in a unanimous 7-0 vote. The 3.2-acre property sits near Sloan Park, home of Chicago Cubs spring training. City staff said the project will serve baseball players year-round, not only during spring training.

The land once held a Maricopa County Animal Care and Control shelter. That facility closed in 2025. The property later sold in September 2025 to Rio Salado 24, an Arizona LLC tied to Scottsdale-based Boyd Development Co.

• 3.2-acre infill site
• Near Cubs spring training
• Former county shelter land
• Final vacant Rio Salado parcel

It’s a tight location, and that matters. Projects near training facilities tend to move fast when teams want nearby housing options.

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The Den Mixes A Hotel With Player Apartments

This project splits into two buildings. One handles short stays. The other handles longer ones.

The residential side will rise five stories and include 36 multifamily units meant for Major League Baseball players. Next to it, a four-story Candlewood Suites hotel will bring 103 rooms. That select-service hotel gives the area more room for visiting staff, travelers, and spring visitors.

Mesa’s Design Review Board looked at the plan in February. The Planning and Zoning Board later backed it with a 6-0 vote before City Council gave final approval.

There’s also a design nod to Chicago. The apartment building will use red brick exteriors inspired by Chicago-style brick architecture, a clear link to the Cubs nearby. This is kind of real estate in Mesa, Arizona we like to see.

• 36 multifamily units
• 103 hotel rooms
• Five-story apartment building
• Four-story hotel
• Chicago-style brick exterior

It gives the area a sharper identity. You’ll probably notice that red brick long before opening day.

North Mesa Has Another Hotel Lined Up

Across town, another hotel proposal is moving through the city process near Longbow Golf Club. This one sits inside the Longbow Business Park & Golf Club master-planned community near Falcon Field Airport.

The project includes a four-story, 124-room hotel plus 4,100 square feet of restaurant and retail space on 3.37 acres. That makes it a strong fit for business travelers using the airport corridor and nearby office tenants.

Mesa’s Planning and Zoning Board recommended approval with a unanimous vote on March 11. City Council introduced the case on April 20, and the final hearing is scheduled for May 4.

• 124-room hotel planned
• Retail space included
• Near Falcon Field Airport

This area already pulls business traffic. Adding hotel rooms there feels like the next logical move.

Palo District Wants Hundreds More Rooms

Then there’s the old Fiesta Mall site. That giant reset keeps getting bigger.

The redevelopment is now called the Palo District, and plans include two hotels totaling 600 rooms. The full site spans 80 acres and aims to reshape a major piece of central Mesa with medical space, offices, retail, restaurants, a sports stadium, and more.

That scale changes the conversation. It’s not one hotel on one corner. It’s a full district plan with hospitality built into the long-term vision.

• Two hotels planned
• 600 total rooms
• Former Fiesta Mall land
• 80-acre redevelopment

Mesa is stacking projects in several directions at once. Near spring training, near business parks, and in major redevelopment zones, hotel growth keeps showing up.

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