Good morning, Eastmark. Highs sit near 105 through Wednesday with afternoon storm chances building midweek, so plan outdoor errands early.
- 🛒 A new Aldi is coming to Elliot Road. The beer and wine license goes to Mesa council July 27.
- 🏢 261 apartments near Signal Butte. A new development with a retail strip went to planning review in late June.
- 🚗 Walmart anchors a new auto mall by the airport. The chain signed on for a retail center near Mesa Gateway Airport.
- 🍦 Free ice cream at The ’Mark, Tuesday. Creative Ice Cream sets up from 11 AM to 5 PM.
- 🌽 Eastmark Farmers Market, Saturday. 8 AM to noon in the Great Park lot.
- 🏠 538 new listings hit the Mesa market last month. A fresh batch of homes came up for sale across the city.
- 🛒 Still Tracking. Sprouts, Arrow Global, Liv at Eastmark, and Brakes Plus.
A second grocer for the corridor
Aldi has filed for a liquor license at a new Elliot Road store, a signal the discount grocer is headed to the Gateway corridor.
Key facts:
- Store: Aldi (Arizona) LLC at 6853 East Elliot Road. No license currently exists at the site, so this is a fresh location.
- The ask: a new Series 10 beer and wine license, the standard grocery-store permit.
- The vote: Mesa City Council takes it up July 27. The store sits in District 6.
For a community that spent more than a decade with almost no grocery inside its borders, two chains moving in within a year is the retail turn residents have waited for. Sprouts is already under construction at EastMarket, the center going up at Ellsworth and Ray, with a late-2026 opening. Aldi's filing points to a second option on the Elliot Road side of the corridor.
What to watch: the license lands on the July 27 council agenda. No store opening date has been announced yet. Details.
The week
Monday
- 👶 Baby Lapsit. Storytime for little ones, 10:30 AM at Gateway Library.
- 🍓 Pass the Plate. Kids cook a simple dish built around red, white, and blue fruits, 3:30 PM at Gateway Library.
Tuesday
- 🍦 Tuesday Treats. Creative Ice Cream at The ’Mark, 11 AM to 5 PM.
- 💵 Budget and Finance Advisory Committee. The resident-led committee meets in The ’Mark classroom, 5:30 PM.
Wednesday
- 📖 Women’s Bible Study. In person at 10 AM, virtual at 6:30 PM.
Saturday
- 🌽 Eastmark Farmers Market. 8 AM to noon in the Great Park lot, just south of Gateway Library.
- 🧶 Crochet Away. Bring a yarn project to Gateway Library, 10 AM, ages 12 and up.
Looking ahead: the Eastmark Entrepreneurs group is back Tuesday, July 21, 8:30 AM at The ’Mark.
Around Eastmark
🏢 Apartments and retail at Signal Butte and Rubidium. A 261-unit apartment development, plus 2.2 acres of retail, went before Mesa’s Planning and Zoning board in late June at the southwest corner of Signal Butte and Rubidium. Called Homestead at Eastmark, it covers 11.7 acres, with staff recommending approval with conditions. Details.
🚗 Walmart signs on near the airport. Walmart will anchor a new auto mall and retail center near Mesa Gateway Airport, southwest of the neighborhood. It adds to the retail and jobs building up around the Gateway employment zone. Details.
🏠 The housing market. 538 new listings came onto the Mesa market last month.
🏀 A record weekend for the Piestewa Games. The tournament drew 27 tribes and its largest basketball field yet to Mesa, from overnight softball to a growing slate of teams. Details.
Still Tracking
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.
- 🏭 Arrow Global FTZ 221 on Signal Butte. Council votes on the Foreign Trade Zone agreement Monday, July 20.
- 🏢 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.
From the schools
A state auditor general report flunked Arizona’s A-to-F school letter-grade system, and lawmakers are now weighing a reform. Eastmark’s schools sit in Queen Creek Unified (the district Eastmark schools belong to), so the grades families check each year are the ones under review. Details.
