Legacy Park: The Massive New Development Coming to East Mesa

If it already feels like the East Valley is growing fast, here's a project that could change the pace entirely. A roughly 200-acre, multi-billion-dollar mixed-use development called Legacy Park is planned for East Mesa, and calling it "another shopping center" would badly undersell it. This is being planned as its own destination, with hotels, housing, offices, retail, and a large public park built around a lake.

Here's a plain-English rundown of what's coming, where it's going, and what a project this size could mean if you live or own property in the East Valley.

The short version: what Legacy Park is

Legacy Park is a master-planned, mixed-use development announced by Vestar and Pacific Proving LLC for southeast Mesa. At full build-out, the plans describe a walkable district that combines shopping and dining, apartments, a resort hotel and conference center, a major office and corporate-campus component, and a public park with a large lake at the center of it all.

In other words, it's designed to be the kind of place you spend an afternoon at, not just drive in, grab something, and leave.

Where it's going, and why the location matters

The development is planned for East Mesa near the Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport, with access tied to the new State Route 24 at Williams Field Road, in the Ellsworth area. That puts it within easy reach of Queen Creek and Gilbert as well.

Location is a big part of the story here. This corner of the Southeast Valley has been one of the fastest-growing parts of metro Phoenix, and the pieces around it are lining up: an expanding airport, the new SR24 corridor, and rooftops filling in across Mesa, Queen Creek, and Gilbert. A destination-scale project tends to land where the infrastructure and growth are already heading, and this site sits right in the middle of that.

What's actually being built

According to the announcement, the full build-out plans for Legacy Park include:

• A 600-room resort hotel and conference center, planned to be operated by a well-known luxury-resort manager.
• More than 300,000 square feet of shopping and dining in the initial phase.
• About 2,500 residences (multifamily / apartments).
• Roughly 3.4 million square feet of mid-rise office and corporate-campus space.
• A 20-plus-acre public park built around a large lake, with recreation areas, gathering spaces, and room for community events.
• A Lifetime Fitness, along with additional office space and a longer-term corporate employment component.

The mix is the point. Housing, jobs, hospitality, retail, and recreation are all planned into the same district rather than spread across separate developments.

Who's behind it

The lead developer is Vestar, the company behind established Valley retail destinations like Tempe Marketplace and Desert Ridge Marketplace. Vestar is partnering with Pacific Proving LLC on the project. The land itself has a bit of Arizona history to it, sitting on the former General Motors Desert Proving Ground property in the East Mesa area.

The resort component is planned to be managed by an operator with a track record on luxury properties, which signals the level this project is aiming for.

Why a project this size is a big deal for the East Valley

Most new construction adds one thing at a time: a subdivision here, a strip of restaurants there. Legacy Park is different because of how much it bundles together in one place, and how much economic activity is projected around it.

Backers have described the project as generating on the order of tens of billions of dollars in economic output over roughly two decades, along with more than 20,000 jobs and meaningful tax revenue for the city of Mesa. Those are long-range projections, not guarantees, but the scale gives you a sense of the ambition.

Projects like this can reshape how an area feels, how people use it, and how far they're willing to drive to live, work, or spend time there. Combine Legacy Park with everything already happening around Mesa Gateway and the SR24 corridor, and East Mesa is shaping up to be a noticeably different place than it was even a few years ago.

What it could mean if you own a home nearby

If you own a home in East Mesa, Queen Creek, or Gilbert, it's fair to wonder what a development like this does to your property.

Here's an honest take: nobody can promise what any single project will do to home values, and anyone who tells you otherwise is guessing. What we can say is that large, amenity-rich developments, more jobs, and major infrastructure investment tend to increase interest in the surrounding area over time. New employment centers, retail, and recreation are the kinds of things buyers ask about, and demand is one of the ingredients that shapes value.

The practical move isn't to assume anything. It's to know where your home actually stands in today's market, so that as this area evolves, you're making decisions from real numbers instead of headlines.

When it's happening

Legacy Park is slated to break ground in 2027. As with any project of this size, expect the details, the specific retailers and restaurants, and the phasing to firm up over time as official announcements roll out. It's a long build, not an overnight change, but the direction is set.

Thinking about buying or selling in East Mesa?

Whether you're watching this area to buy into its growth or you already own nearby and want to understand your position, it helps to start with real, current data.

• Curious what your East Valley home is worth today? Get a current estimate here: What's My Home Worth.
• Want to see what's for sale around East Mesa, Queen Creek, and Gilbert? Browse current listings: Search Arizona Homes.

Have a specific question about how growth in your area could affect your plans? Reach out anytime, I'm happy to talk it through.

Ryan Melville | SoldPHX | Keller Williams Arizona Realty | Licensed in Arizona since 2007. This article is for general educational purposes and reflects publicly announced plans that are subject to change; it is not legal, tax, or financial advice, and no specific outcome or change in property value is promised. Equal Housing Opportunity.