Diversified Partners has advanced plans for Destination at Gateway, a large‑scale retail and automotive destination in Mesa, Ariz., that spans 163 acres along Signal Butte Road. The development is organized into two primary components: an 80‑acre, purpose‑built auto mall to be known as 24 Auto Row, and an adjacent power center that will host a mix of national retailers, quick‑service restaurants and service providers. Project planning and site preparation are actively underway, with off‑site improvements already completed on the east side of Signal Butte Road and on‑site work on the west side moving forward toward a scheduled completion in the third quarter of 2026. The site’s scale and configuration anticipate a combination of large retail footprints and multiple drive‑through and shop pad opportunities clustered near major arterial roads, where access and visibility are central to tenant strategy and site planning. Aerial site plan of the 163‑acre Mesa development, labeling retail and auto‑mall parcels and showing major roads including Signal Butte Rd and Williams Field Rd.
The power center component of Destination at Gateway already has a slate of current and planned tenants identified. Walmart is listed as a principal occupant, complemented by a mix of quick‑service and specialty operators that include 7 Brew, Take 5 Oil Change and Taco Bell, alongside personal service and healthcare‑oriented tenants such as Zara Nail Bar and PAC Dental. In addition to those commitments, leasing remains open for drive‑thru pads, inline shop spaces and a prospective junior anchor opportunity, providing options for a range of retailers and operators seeking frontage along Signal Butte Road and adjacent connector streets. The tenant roster, as announced, pairs a dominant anchor retailer with a cluster of convenience and service brands commonly found in power‑center environments, creating adjacency benefits for both destination shoppers and everyday convenience visits.
The 24 Auto Row portion of the project occupies roughly half of the total site and is described as a purpose‑built auto mall. That designation reflects an intent to concentrate new and used vehicle dealerships, automotive service retailers and associated showroom and customer‑facing facilities within a single, contiguous area designed for vehicle display, customer circulation and dealer operations. The auto mall’s layout and the power center’s retail parcels have been planned side‑by‑side to allow cross‑traffic between automotive shoppers and shoppers visiting the retail and foodservice tenants, while providing separate operational footprints to accommodate the differing needs of vehicle retail and traditional brick‑and‑mortar retail uses. The site plan and architectural materials released for the project depict broad paved display areas and retail pads arranged to support high vehicle throughput as well as substantial parking fields adjacent to retail storefronts. Architectural rendering of the proposed power center in Mesa, depicting retail/auto‑mall buildings, parking areas and adjacent multifamily development.
Construction sequencing for Destination at Gateway has proceeded with public‑side and off‑site improvements completed on the east side of Signal Butte Road, a key corridor that frames the project site. Work on the west side of the roadway—where much of the site’s core retail and auto mall parcels are located—is currently in progress and is slated to wrap up by the third quarter of 2026. Those infrastructure milestones include grading, utility installation and other site‑preparation activities necessary to ready pads for vertical construction and tenant‑specific buildouts. The timing provided for completion of site work sets the stage for leasehold construction to begin for committed tenants and for additional tenant fit‑outs as leases are finalized for the remaining pads and shop spaces.
Leasing opportunities at Destination at Gateway were described as including drive‑thru pads and shop space, along with a future junior anchor position. The availability of drive‑through configurations points to an emphasis on foodservice and convenience operators that rely on vehicular access, while the shop spaces could accommodate a range of services and specialty retailers that typically complement a power center environment. The presence of a junior anchor opportunity suggests the developer retains flexibility to accommodate a mid‑sized retail tenant that would occupy a larger footprint than a single pad but smaller than a full‑scale anchor, enabling a diversified tenant mix intended to draw both routine local trips and destination visits tied to the auto mall and the large anchor tenant.
Public materials released for the project illustrate the site’s relationship to nearby roadways and surrounding parceling, including parcel delineations for retail and auto‑mall uses and frontage along Signal Butte Road and connecting streets such as Williams Field Road. The project graphics show structured retail pads and parking fields arranged to serve both the power center and the auto mall, with circulation designed to handle concentrated customer flows related to vehicle display and retail shopping. In addition to the retail and automotive components, the renderings include an adjacent multifamily configuration, indicating an aspiration to create a mixed‑use edge around the retail core that could support resident access to onsite services and dining options. The published site plan and renderings serve as the current public depiction of how the developer envisions the project’s composition and movement patterns.
As work continues through the remainder of 2026, Diversified Partners will move from heavy‑civil and site infrastructure toward tenant buildouts and openings for the committed retailers. With off‑site improvements on the east side of Signal Butte Road completed and west‑side site work scheduled to conclude by the third quarter of 2026, the project is positioned to transition into the next phases of construction and leasing activity. The list of current and planned tenants — including Walmart, 7 Brew, Take 5 Oil Change, Taco Bell, Zara Nail Bar and PAC Dental — represents the initial tenant base for the power center, while the 24 Auto Row auto mall will occupy an 80‑acre portion of the 163‑acre site. Additional leasing remains available for drive‑thru pads, shop spaces and the designated junior anchor, offering opportunities for retailers and service operators to secure space as the development advances toward tenant buildouts and openings.
Destination at Gateway’s arrangement of an auto mall adjacent to a power center reflects a combined program of automotive retail and general merchandise, foodservice and personal‑service tenants within a single, master‑planned site. The project’s public materials and announced tenant list outline the broad contours of that program; on‑site civil work and infrastructure milestones will determine the pace at which retailers begin vertical construction and openings. Diversified Partners has provided the timeline for site‑work completion and the initial tenant lineup as the project moves through this next stage of development in Mesa, Ariz., with leasing opportunities still available for operators seeking drive‑thru, shop or junior anchor locations within the 163‑acre master plan.
The 24 Auto Row auto mall involves collaboration with the Berge family, third-generation operators with a dealership legacy since the 1940s running seven locations across six brands, per AZ Big Media. The site is positioned near major employers like Apple, Meta and Intel plus the Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport, which supports over 10,000 jobs and $1.3 billion in annual economic impact.
On June 17, 2024 the Mesa City Council unanimously approved a rezoning, a retail tax‑incentive package and a development agreement that paved the way for the Berge/Diversified Destination at Gateway project. Reporting at the time said the development agreement included a city sales‑tax reimbursement program tied to the project.
The 24 Auto Row parcelization and design are more specific than described in the article: the auto‑mall is being laid out as eight individual parcels (each roughly 6.4 to 12.5 acres) across the ~80‑acre auto‑mall tract, and the site plan was prepared by architect John Mahoney to maximize freeway visibility and dealership circulation.
Walmart has submitted a pre‑application for a proposed supercenter at the site: the retailer’s plans submitted March 27, 2024 describe a roughly 171,000‑square‑foot store on about 17.6 acres that would include an auto‑care center, a fuel station and a dedicated online‑order pickup area.
Traffic and market figures released for the site show strong built‑in visibility and rooftops: traffic counts at the new SR‑24/Signal Butte interchange are cited at about 62,000 vehicles per day, an on‑site vehicle‑per‑day figure from the project TIA of roughly 46,911 VPD, and materials note more than 10,000 new residences within about five miles of the development.
Public bid and infrastructure documents for the off‑site work list detailed scope and quantities for the Signal Butte improvements, including approximately 2,100 linear feet of arterial roadway work, 750 linear feet of collector roadway, and utility runs including about 3,339 linear feet of 24‑inch DIP waterline, 1,170 linear feet of 12‑inch DIP waterline and roughly 1,749 linear feet of 10‑inch sewer, with the public‑side package shown in bid materials at an estimated value near $7.7 million.