Good morning, Eastmark. It's deep July, the neighborhood's in full summer mode, and the week ahead is a quiet one on the calendar.
- 🛒 A new Aldi is headed to Elliot Road. Its beer and wine license goes before Mesa council on July 27.
- 🏆 Gateway Library is a finalist for a global award. It's in the running for 2026 Public Library of the Year.
- 🍦 Salt and Straw is coming to the Switchyard. The Portland ice cream chain is expanding into Queen Creek.
- 🥕 Eastmark Farmers Market runs Saturday. Great Park lot, 8 a.m. to noon.
- 🏠 An Eastmark home sold for $965,000. A 2021 build, per county records.
- 📋 Still Tracking. Where Sprouts, Apple, Liv at Eastmark, and Brakes Plus stand.
A new Aldi is coming to Elliot Road
A new Aldi grocery store is in the works for Elliot Road, and the paperwork that signals it lands on this month's Mesa council agenda.
Key facts:
- The store: Aldi #173, the discount grocery chain, at 6853 East Elliot Road in east Mesa.
- The vote: a Series 10 Beer and Wine license, which lets the store sell packaged beer and wine. There is no existing license at the address, a sign this is a new build.
- The district: the site sits in Council District 6, the same district that covers Eastmark, on Elliot Road, the arterial that runs along the neighborhood's northern edge.
- When: the license goes before Mesa City Council on July 27.
Eastmark finished building its houses in 2025. The next chapter is retail, and it is starting to show. A small-format discount grocer like Aldi filling in on the perimeter is the kind of tenant that follows rooftops once they are all in place.
Aldi would join the Sprouts-anchored EastMarket rising at Ellsworth and Ray, giving the area a second grocery anchor within a few miles. No opening date has been released, and a liquor license is an early step, not a ribbon cutting. Watch the July 27 council agenda for the vote.
The week ahead
A lighter mid-summer calendar. Here's what's on it.
- 🤝 Eastmark Entrepreneurs meets Tuesday. The resident business group is back for the season. 8:30 a.m. at The 'Mark, July 21. Details.
- 🎃 The Events Committee starts Halloween planning Wednesday. A virtual, resident-led session on the Spooktacular and the concert series. July 22, 4 p.m. Details.
- 🥕 Eastmark Farmers Market runs Saturday. Every Saturday in season, 8 a.m. to noon, in the Great Park lot just south of Gateway Library. July 25. Details.
Around Eastmark
🏆 Gateway Library is a finalist for a global award. The Mesa Public branch that opened in Eastmark in 2024 is in the running for 2026 Public Library of the Year, an international award recognizing library design, innovation, and community impact. Details.
🍦 Salt and Straw is coming to the Switchyard. The Portland-based ice cream company confirmed it will open at the Switchyard development in Queen Creek, a short drive southeast for Eastmark families. An opening date has not been announced. Details.
🏊 Five Mesa pools are staying open past the usual season. Mesa, Stapley, and Brimhall run daily except Sunday through July 25. Skyline and Rhodes stay open daily through July 25 and on weekends through September 6. Details.
🏠 A recent Eastmark sale: a 2021-built home sold for $965,000, according to Maricopa County records.
Still Tracking
A quick check-in on projects from 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 approved the Foreign Trade Zone agreement on May 18.
- 🏢 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.
