Good morning, Eastmark. An extreme heat warning runs through 8 PM Sunday with afternoon highs from 103 to 116, so keep outdoor plans to early morning or after dark.
- 🥙 Zeitouna opened at Ellsworth and Elliot. Mediterranean. Shawarma, kebabs, hummus, falafel.
- 🎧 Poolside DJ at The 'Mark, Friday evening. Country, new and old, by the community pool.
- 🥬 Eastmark Farmers Market, Saturday morning. Great Park parking lot, 7 AM to noon.
- 🏘️ 103 acres at Hawes and Elliot go to a housing vote August 12. Job space flips to homes.
- 🚗 Ellsworth speed limit could drop to 45 mph. Council takes it up August 17.
- ⛳ Firebirds golf opens Tuesday. Boys varsity hosts Combs and Desert Sunrise.
- 📋 Still tracking. Sprouts at EastMarket, Apple on Signal Butte, Liv at Eastmark, Brakes Plus.
Zeitouna opens at Ellsworth and Elliot
A Mediterranean restaurant called Zeitouna opened Tuesday at the northeast corner of Ellsworth and Elliot.
Key facts:
- Where: NE corner of Ellsworth Rd and Elliot Rd, Mesa
- Opened: Tuesday, August 4
- Menu: shawarma, kebabs, hummus, falafel
- Find it: @zeitouna.az on Instagram
That corner is the one most of the neighborhood passes heading north out of Eastmark, and for the past year it has been more permit filings than open doors. Brakes Plus is still working through site plan revisions at the same intersection. Zeitouna is the first of the batch to actually turn the lights on.
Worth knowing: the restaurant opened in the middle of a four-day heat warning, so the first weekend is likely to be a takeout weekend. Details.
The weekend
- 🎧 Poolside DJ, Friday. Community Pool at The 'Mark, 10100 E. Ray Rd, 5 to 8:30 PM. A live DJ playing country, old and new. The evening start is the point in August. Details.
- 🥬 Eastmark Farmers Market, Saturday. August 8, 7 AM to noon in the Great Park parking lot just south of Gateway Library. Vendor applications are open at eastmarkmarketaz.com. Details.
- 📚 Family Storytime, Saturday. 11 AM at Gateway Library. Ticketed and space is limited: tickets go out 15 minutes before it starts. Details.
- 💻 Events Committee meets tonight. 4 PM on Teams. The resident-led committee starts theme planning for the Halloween Spooktacular. Details.
- 🧸 Two storytimes Monday at Gateway Library. Sensory Storytime at 9:30 AM, built around dim lighting, music, and movement for kids with sensory and neurodiverse needs, then Baby Lapsit at 10:30 AM.
Around Eastmark
- 🚗 Ellsworth would drop to 45 mph end to end. Council votes August 17 on lowering the stretch between Elliot Road and the south city limits from 50 to 45, which would make Ellsworth a continuous 45 mph through Mesa. The Transportation Advisory Board recommended it. Details.
- 🥗 Salad and Go is closing every location. The drive-thru chain, founded in Gilbert in 2013, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and told employees it is shutting down for good. Details.
- 🏠 546 homes sold in Mesa last month. The median sale price was $452,500, down about 1% from a year ago, with a median 55 days on the market. Details.
- 🎬 Mesa International Film Festival runs August 12 to 16. More than 130 independent films, shorts, documentaries, and music videos at the Mesa Convention Center. Details.
- 🌱 Microgrants open for teens and young adults. The Mesa Youth Climate Action Fund is taking applications from ages 15 to 24 for conservation and sustainability projects. Details.
🏘️ EastMarket and builders
What is moving through the permit queue around the neighborhood, and who is meeting about it.
- 🏘️ 103 acres at Hawes and Elliot head toward housing. "Hawes Crossing Village 7" asks to rezone the southeast corner from Urban Center on 29.7 acres and Local Employment Center on 73.2 acres to Urban Residential. That converts planned job space into homes. The Planning and Zoning Board holds a public hearing August 12, and staff recommends adoption. Details.
- 🏭 Magna Steyr wants more outdoor storage on Pecos. The request covers 10.8 acres at 7237 E. Pecos Rd, on the industrial side of Eastmark's south boundary. Design Review Board hears it August 11. Details.
- 🏗️ 78 attached homes proposed near Power and Guadalupe. "Park North Multi-Family" sits on 5 acres just east of the northeast corner, a good drive northwest of the neighborhood. Design Review Board, also August 11. Details.
- 💵 Budget and Finance Advisory Committee meets August 12. The resident-led committee holds its regular meeting at 4:30 PM. Details.
- 🗳️ ERA Transition and Nominating Committee meets August 13. 5:30 PM in the classroom at The 'Mark, 10100 E. Ray Rd. Details.
From the schools
- ⛳ Firebirds golf opens Tuesday. Eastmark High School boys varsity plays Combs and Desert Sunrise at 3 PM on August 11. Details.
Still tracking
Quick check-in on stuff covered in past editions:
- 🛒 Sprouts at EastMarket (Ray and Ellsworth). Construction underway. Building wraps up around August, Sprouts opens Q4 2026.
- 🍎 Apple manufacturing on Signal Butte. Council took up the Foreign Trade Zone agreement back in May. No new public action on the docket since.
- 🏢 Liv at Eastmark (NE corner Ellsworth and Ray). 208 apartments across 12 buildings, recently approved. Construction next.
- 🔧 Brakes Plus Mesa (Ellsworth and Elliot). Auto shop still working through council site plan tweaks.
